Ronald C. McGilvray

"Empty Chairs" is McGilvray's seventh published volume of poetry and the fifth to feature great works of art and photography. He called "Empty Chairs" his best collection of work to date. Artists included are his granddaughter Jenna Planck, Jan Cossiers, Charles Dodgson aka Lewis Carroll, Pablo Picasso, Washington Allston, Caravaggio, Edvard Munch, Antonio Canova, John Singer Sargent, Henri Matisse, Pompeo Girolamo Batoni, Barry Moser, John William Waterhouse, Igor Babailov, Joseph Crawhall, Michelangelo, Dante Gabriel, Claude Monet, Eugene Delacroix, Rembrandt, John James Audubon and McGilvray's own photography. His poetry has been called both thought-provoking and poignant. McGilvray is also the author of "Secrets, Scrawls and Strays - And Other Virgin Verses" and "Thistle Diaries" - Fl r na h-Alba" (Flower Of Scotland) a nod to his Scottish ancestry. His third publication, "Fine Art" also features McGilvray's poetry and classic fine works of art. Last year he published his fourth, fifth and sixth volumes of poetry "Frayed", "Brick & Mortar" and "The Light Within". They have all been very well received. Ron has also enjoyed a loyal following and worldwide audience of readers in his online projects "Thistle Diaries" and "Secrets, Scrawls and Strays".

"Brick & Mortar" is McGilvray's fifth published volume of poetry and the third to feature great works of art and photography. Artists included are: Vincent Van Gogh, Jan Boeckhorst, Albrecht D rer, Henri Matisse, Edward Hopper, Edmund Blair Leighton, Edvard Munch and photographers Graeme Cumming, Christof Stache and some of McGilvray's own work. His poetry has been called both thought provoking and poignant. McGilvray is also the author of "Secrets, Scrawls and Strays - And Other Virgin Verses" his first collection of work which is beautifully illustrated by Simoni Gruber. Then came "Thistle Diaries" - Fl r na h-Alba" (Flower Of Scotland) a nod to his Scottish ancestry. Of "Thistle Diaries, it was said, "His poetry speaks to the marrow in my bones, the places in my heart where my longings reside, and in the eternal DNA of my tribe...." His third piublication, "Fine Art" features McGilvray's poetry and the artwork of Edwin Henry Landseer, Maxfield Parrish, Pompeo Batoni, Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh. He recently published "Frayed" his fourth volume of poetry. They have all been very well received. Ron has also enjoyed a loyal following and world-wide audience of readers in his online projects "Thistle Diaries" and "Secrets, Scrawls and Strays".

"Frayed" is McGilvray's fourth published volume of poetry and the second to feature great works of art and photography. McGilvray's poetry has been called both thought provoking and poignant. Artists included are Jenna Planck, the author's granddaughter, Blek Le Rat, Berthe Morisot, Fra Angelico, Edvard Munch, Carl von Blaas, Vincent van Gogh, Philips Wouwerman, Herbert James Draper, Charles Meynier, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and photographer Steve McCurry. McGilvray is also the author of "Secrets, Scrawls and Strays - And Other Virgin Verses" his first collection of work which is beautifully illustrated by Simoni Gruber. Then came "Thistle Diaries" - Fl r na h-Alba" (Flower Of Scotland)a nod to his Scottish ancestry. Of "Thistle Diaries, it was said, "His poetry speaks to the marrow in my bones, the places in my heart where my longings reside, and in my eternal DNA of my tribe...." His third piublication, "Fine Art" features McGilvray's poetry and the artwork of Edwin Henry Landseer, Maxfield Parrish, Pompeo Batoni, Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh. They have all been very well received. Ron has also enjoyed a loyal following and world-wide audience of readers in his online projects "Thistle Diaries" and "Secrets, Scrawls and Strays".

"Fine Art" is McGilvray's third volume of poetry to be published and is a collection reflecting the wonderful artwork of Edwin Henry Landseer, Maxfield Parrish, Pompeo Batoni, Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh. McGilvray's poetry has been called both thought provoking and poignant. He is also the author of "Secrets, Scrawls and Strays - And Other Virgin Verses" his first two collections of work were very well received. "Thistle Diaries - Fl r na h-Alba" (Flower Of Scotland) was his second book of poetry to be published. "His poetry speaks to the marrow in my bones, the places in my heart where my longings reside, and in my eternal DNA of my tribe...." McGilvray's poetry has also appeared in collections and publications such as Lad O' Pairts Vol. 1 - Hope Over Fear and the Worcester Magazine. Ron has also enjoyed a loyal following and world-wide audience of readers in his online projects "Thistle Diaries" and "Secrets, Scrawls and Strays".

"Secrets, Scrawls and Strays - And Other Virgin Verses", by Ronald C. McGilvray, in his debut collection, takes one on a poetic journey into a marriage of the light and dark, and their gray offspring that populate the lonely corners of a world of color. Secrets, Scrawls and Strays delves into the past, present and future of characters off the grid or just plain off. It's an album of snapshots of the downtown desperate, the lost dreams of dreamers, while tossing in a generous dose of drama and a degree of whimsy. Secrets, Scrawls and Strays, the poem, speaks of the day in the life of a couple of ghetto lads and a fate of which they are blissfully ignorant. McGilvray's poetry has been called both thought provoking and poignant. In Art Lasts, Cup Of Dreams, Drawn, The Dancer, Hallowed Playground and Into Love, Into Light we see a much lighter side of his darker verse. Mixing chocolate with McGilvray's peanut butter, or visa versa, Simoni Gruber's stunning illustrations are a magic match to McGilvray's way with words. Gruber, a tattoo artist living in Athens, Greece also debuts her fine art form on a new medium. The illustrated poems of Secrets, Scrawls and Strays is a great idea and a perfect fit.