PERCEPTIONS consists of short pieces, poetry or poem-like essays, written over a period of thirty years, on various serious and reflective topics, but with some humorous and occasional work too. As in Gillian Bickley's previous collections, the subjects occur internationally: this time, in the Pyrenees, Nigeria, Hawai'i, Albania, as well as Hong Kong. Taken as a whole, this fifth poetry collection recognizes the need for shelter and survival, the desire for love, for achievement, for feelings of self-worth, for objects on which to bestow reciprocal affection and the search for high-order achievements beyond the self. Reaching beyond this, Perceptions considers the needs of other species, our responsibilities towards them and the fragile environment that we all share.
"The poignance of her many perceptions crowds upon us." -- Stuart Christie
"This collection addresses universal topics in a thoughtful manner using common sense that most readers can appreciate. - Cairns Media Magazine
"An interesting addition to home-grown literature" - Clarissa Sebag-Montefiore, Sunday Morning Post, Hong Kong,17 June 2012
