Showing results by author "Gillian Bickley" in All Categories

The 50 poems collected in Gillian Bickley’s Over the Years have been chosen by Verner Bickley from her five previously published collections.

People, art, and life. A record of a particular space in time. Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Sukhothai, Honolulu, Mexico City, northernmost Scotland, Andorra. Intimates and strangers. A mother and son seen for some seconds on a bridge in Shanghai. The emotions flowing between performer and conductor throughout a concert. The interpretation one creative artist gives to that of another's work. Gillian Bickley values the records we all make.

Grandfather's Robin offers poems about people, fellow creatures, society, ekphrasis, scenes and moods, survival, and short poems. They were written over several years, in response to people seen, read about, or known, and in response to creatures seen, read about, or known. Other poems respond to group and social behavior, and reflect responses to works of art. Some poems are prompted by the natural world, urban and village life, and thoughts about the survival of all beings. The short poems offer instants both serious and humorous.

Gillian Bickley was born and educated in the UK and has lived mainly in Hong Kong since 1970. The poems in Sightings are on Hong Kong, Europe, and personal subjects, accessible to many listeners, both young and old. An academic turned full-time writer, editor, and publisher, Gillian invites listeners to share her enjoyment of city and country, simple and complex ideas and events, and her empathy with the largely innocent people she has come across.

Frederick Stewart, born in Buchan, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, was the first headmaster of the Hong Kong Government Central School for Boys (now Queen's College) and second inspector of schools. His consistent policy was to educate pupils in Western knowledge while preserving their Chinese identity, and he insisted on equal time for Chinese and English studies. By the end of his life, Stewart’s intimate knowledge of Hong Kong was considered unequaled among non-Chinese in Hong Kong at the time.

This collection of poems was written during almost 30 years' residence in Hong Kong. Most are on explicitly Hong Kong topics, and reflect the writer's personal experience and knowledge of Hong Kong. Those who have emigrated or who have spent a period of time overseas will empathize with the expatriate experience described. Other poems narrate and reflect on personal events and concerns which will resonate with many.