The Stories
Books
Writing for the benefit of her descendants, Bev Vollmer (mother of Donna Costa) tells the story of her life – from childhood to senior citizen, from city girl to rural newspaper columnist. Sunnyside public school and playing hooky at high school. Factory jobs, dances at Bridgeport Casino, braving farm life with five children and no driver’s license. Through stories, humour, and excerpts from her local newspaper column, the author covers the sixty years from 1940 onward and gives voice to women outgrowing the conventions of the times. Transformation is a family legacy and a valuable asset for exploring and preserving a rare view of Ontario history – life from a woman’s perspective.
Available at online retailers (Barnes & Noble, etc.) or by contacting Donna Costa.
What if your best friend kept a secret from you and your mom refused to tell you who your father was?
In this coming-of-age story, Lucy, age 14, yearns to exert independence from her family in order to fit in with the crowd. She starts to question everything, to challenge the rules. Will her nature spirit guides give her answers? Can she trust her own growing intuition? Will she follow the unwritten family rules? Or are rules meant to be broken?
RECOMMENDED SUMMER READING: Read the review here (scroll to bottom).
Available in paperback, ebook, and audio through online retailers. Paperback available at Brookfront Farm Store, 2053 Bridge Street,New Dundee, ON
Short Stories
“Persons of the Forest” in Nurture Literary. Free to read online.
“Tie Quilt” in Queen’s Quarterly, Volume 128, Number 3, Fall 2021. Available to purchase in Queen’s Quarterly’s Archives.
“All in the Family” in Prairie Fire, Winter 2022-2023, Vol. 43, No. 4. Available for purchase.
Journal Article
“On The Farm In Ontario: The Abattoir Challenge In Canada.” Wise Traditions, journal of the Weston Price Foundation, Volume 22, Number 3, Fall 2021.
Photo by André Bjørkhaug on Unsplash
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