It’s about taking the time to hear a story first-hand. It’s about being hip. And hip replacements. It’s about seeing our elders as friends and realizing we have so much to learn from them. It’s about valuing each other and sharing a laugh, perhaps over a good cup of coffee – caffeinated or not.
Decaf Coffee Dates: Stories and Insights from Winnipeg Seniors encourages us to take a few minutes to slow down, to decaffeinate our lives, to look up from our screens and to be engaged by those around us.
This book is the product of my Independent Professional Project (IPP) in the Creative Communications Program at Red River College.
The goal of this project is to promote conversation between generations. It features 10 stories from Winnipeg seniors ranging in age from 70 to 100, some of whom I was introduced to through the Manitoba Association of Senior Centres and others I simply bumped into in everyday life. They all have fascinating stories.
The public is invited to join in celebrating these beautiful people and the launch of the book. On March 5 at 7:00 p.m. in the Atrium at McNally Robinson (1120 Grant Ave.), there will be snacks, stories, tunes by Luke Jacob Thiessen, and, of course, coffee.
You can also follow Decaf Coffee Dates on Twitter @DecafDates
A few notes about me, the author, Larissa Peck:
According to my Twitter bio, I have an affinity for laughter, songs, sun, the Oxford comma (which you will not find in the book) and, contrary to the book title itself, caffeine. I am in my second year of the Creative Communications program at Red River College and I also hold a degree in Rhetoric, Writing and Communication from the University of Winnipeg. My hobbies include knitting, going to bed early and changing the world, so in fact, I’m not unlike the beautiful people I interviewed for this book. You can follow me on Twitter @tickledpeck.