Successes
Congratulations to Marion Montgomery on the publication of Lyart, a unique selection of her award-winning poetry. Twice president of Ayr Writers` Club, Marion has won many prizes at club level and at the Scottish Association of Writers` annual conference. She has also had poetry broadcast on Radio Scotland and published in The Glasgow Herald and New Writing Scotland.
Her poetry reflects her love of Scotland, travel, history and family life. Some of her poems are snapshots of Biblical characters, such as ‘St Andrew’. Written in Scots, Andrew is reflecting rather humbly on why Scotland chose him as their Patron Saint. This was one of the winning entries in the St Andrews Day competition run by The Herald in 1997to celebrate the institution of the Scottish Parliament. ‘Judas’, again in Scots, shows bitterness and a hint of regret at the choices he made, while ‘Pontius Pilate` is written with varied line length giving the poem the shape of the Yew tree at Fortingall where allegedly he was born.
Many of the family reflections are poignant as Marion considers the legacy of a love of words from her mother and the sadness surrounding the death of an unknown uncle only moments after the Armistice in 1918.
Marion`s use of words is visual and the reader recognises familiar images and situations. Who can forget as a small child standing on a stool and watching the world go past from `The Front Room`?
Marion is a Life Member of Ayr Writers’ Club.
Lyart is published by Red Squirrel Press ISBN 978-1-906700-42-3 £4.00 + 80p p&p
Extract from a review written by Sheila A. Grant