“I don’t knit, crochet, sew, play golf,” said Patricia Anne Elford, a Record contributor and member of an Ontario chapter of the Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign. “The Petawawa Grannies are all talented in one way or many and have turned those skills to the cause. I preach, teach, write and edit. The idea of a book, an anthology, came to me. All human beings, professional writers or not, have grandparents, living or dead, known or unknown.”
Grandmothers’ Necklace, an anthology composed by writers in Canada, the United States and Ireland, will feature prose and poetry about grandmothers whose backgrounds span the globe. Contributors include former Record columnist Phil Callaway and former Glad Tidings editor L. June Stevenson.
The book is slated to launch in February at a series of public readings. Copies can be ordered from Elford by emailing granniesnecklace@hotmail.com, through Essence Publishing at essencegroup.com/publishing.html, or possibly through the WMS Bookroom.
The Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign was launched by the Stephen Lewis Foundation to raise support and awareness for grandmothers in sub-Saharan Africa who are providing for grandchildren orphaned by AIDS. Proceeds from the sale of the book will support this work. – C.P.
