'Rave Reviews'

Goodness, me, it has been a jolly month! In the end Amina couldn't make it to Radikal Words at the Tyneside Cinema, so I stepped in so as not to let that nice Jeffrey Price down.
The audience were quite appreciative which was nice as I had written some new poems specially for the occasion - a trionelle and a villanette. The latter was rather difficult, so I patterned it somewhat on a poem by Dylan Thomas. I am sticking to what I know - writing mainly about Jimmy the goldfish and Herbert, my cat, but at the same time I am exploring life's eternal verities.

The women's night at the Cumberland Arms was also most enjoyable, although the audience there was really rather rowdy - quite a different class of people. It is quite hard to get them to settle down and listen - they behave a little like school children. Nonetheless I had splendid reviews, one of which I am putting here.

Howls of laughter and tumultuous applause greeted the poetry reading of
Marjorie Pickering at the Cumberland Arms last night.
The variety of poetic forms she uses and the deep simplicity of her
subjects - life, death, love and goldfish are impressive.
Her audience were heard to remark 'I bloody wet meself' and 'Eeeeeeeee I was
fair crying' and 'Marjorie, you HAVE to write more Haiku'.
Marjorie herself said later, 'The audience were very unruly. They will
keep giggling when I'm trying to read. But they do seem to like my work'.

Rumours that she has been invited to have a one-woman show at the Edinburgh Festival are unconfirmed.