PUBLIC SPEAKING
I’ve been presenting my musical talks since 2016, and they’re guaranteed to add a bit of fun to your club meeting or event! Even my darker topics have a humorous edge.
Based in Dorset, UK, I’m normally prepared to travel throughout Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire – but will certainly consider bookings further afield.
Perfect for social clubs, WI, u3a, Probus, etc.
You can see a video I made for the WI Summertime tWIst festival in June 2020 by clicking HERE
Please scroll on down to see descriptions of all the talks, plus fees etc.

”Thank you very much for your session today –
we all enjoyed it and I have had some lovely feedback”
Lyme Regis U3A
Five talks to choose from:
How I overcame a life-threatening illness to reinvent myself as a singer/songwriter.
In the summer of 2008, I had just turned fifty, was bumbling along in life, contented but without any strong sense of ambition or purpose. I enjoyed listening to music, but it never occurred to me that I might be able to sing, and I certainly didn’t envisage myself performing solo with a guitar, and playing songs that I’d written! Not only that, but that I’d record my own albums, the first one of which was produced by my teenage hero, the musician and entertainer Richard Digance, who became my friend and mentor.
This is a story of how it may never be too late to change direction; the importance of ‘seizing the moment’; and how, with a bit of determination, you might be able to achieve things you never dreamed of!
If you have enjoyed Late-Flowering Lyricist and would like to hear more!
Shipwrecks, stalkers, spring-cleaning, slogans on camper vans, healthy eating dilemmas, the perils of punting, and the horrors of holiday hotspots………
The Hastings Murder of 1911
On 13th September 1911, Joseph James, a 56-year-old chemist, walked into the office of Frederick Womersley, manager of the Hastings and East Sussex Building Society, and shot him dead. Edward Chantler, the police officer in charge of the investigation, later used the same revolver to commit suicide.
Joseph was my great-grandfather, and in this talk I tell his bizarre story, and what it’s like to discover you have a murderer in the family.
This musical talk is illustrated by a slideshow, for which I will need a screen or suitable blank wall.
The intriguing tale of the banned author, Norah C James
Norah James was my grandfather’s first cousin. She was a prolific and successful author of romantic fiction from the 1930s through to the 1970s, but her first novel, Sleeveless Errand, was banned under the Obscene Publications Act.
I tell the story of how she went from being a well-brought-up young lady from a respectable family, to making headline news in an obscenity trial, and how ideas of what is and is not acceptable have changed over the years.
This musical talk is illustrated by a slideshow, for which I will need a screen or suitable blank wall.
The darkly comic aspects of researching family history – stories and songs of love, loss, jealousy, betrayal, revenge…..often funny, sometimes poignant, occasionally shocking.
A forebear deported to Australia for sheep-stealing can, after a couple of hundred years, acquire a certain raffish glamour, but how do you feel if the uncomfortable truth you discover is closer to the present day?
A set of original songs woven around some of the more bizarre stories unearthed from my family history. This talk is illustrated by a slideshow, for which I will need a screen or suitable blank wall.
Two of the stories in this presentation are expanded upon in my talks ‘Censored’ and ‘One Gun: Two Dead’.
The standard talks are 45 minutes plus time for questions at the end, but I can make minor adjustments to suit your requirements.
Typical comments include: “It was so nice to be able to hear all the words you were singing”, and “We really enjoyed something that was a little bit different”.
My fee for community groups of up to about 50 people is £40 + 45p per mile travelling expenses. For larger audiences and commercial organisations, please contact me to discuss.
I live in Sherborne, Dorset, and am normally prepared to travel throughout Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire. Please contact me to discuss the options for bookings further afield.
From March to October I am available mornings, afternoons and evenings; November to February, daytime only. I will always consider a short-notice booking to cover a cancellation.
I play an acoustic guitar, unplugged in small venues, or through an amplifier and with a microphone for larger ones. I can supply all the equipment, which is PAT tested, and I hold Public Liability Insurance.
Please feel free to contact me to discuss any of the above, on 07896 354616, 01935 815497, or email info@mirandapender.com

"Everyone enjoyed it so much because it was very different from our usual talks"
Salisbury Ladies’ Probus Club
"Thank you for bringing so much joy to our members yesterday. This was quite a departure from our ususal talks and obviously much enjoyed"
Parkstone Probus Club
"It was a pleasure to welcome you to our WI, and great to have something so different on our programme"
Gillingham Evening WI
“Such an enjoyable and entertaining evening”
Castle Hedingham Women’s Group
“Very many thanks for a delightful afternoon”
Lea Valley U3A
"Humorous and warm"
Springfield WI
"Your songs are so delightful and enjoyable"
Hartford Hundred Probus Ladies Club
"Wow did my ladies enjoy your performance today, you were absolutely great. If only all my speakers could be half as good!"
Harbour Ladies Luncheon Club
"Everyone enjoyed your songs and left with a smile"
FIL Group, Fovant
"What a wonderfully inspirational talk with songs.....you will be highly recommended"
The Orchards & Margaret Marsh WI
"Thank you very much for your session today - we all enjoyed it and I have had some lovely feedback"
Lyme Regis U3A
“We all really enjoyed the diversity of your material”
After Eight Ladies’ Group, Ware
"It was nice to have something a little bit different from our normal speakers"
The 95 Club, Sudbury
"Thank you again for the delightful evening"
Woodditton & Saxon Street WI
“What a wonderfully inspirational talk with songs……you will be highly recommended”
The Orchards and Margaret Marsh WI
“It was fascinating and inspiring to hear your story and you put it across so delightfully”
“Thank you for bringing so much joy to our members yesterday. This was quite a departure from our ususal talks and obviously much enjoyed”
Parkstone Probus Club
Contact
For booking public speaking, studio visits or music events
Mobile: 07896 354616
Landline: 01935 815497
Art Gallery
“What a wonderfully inspirational talk with songs……you will be highly recommended”
The Orchards and Margaret Marsh WI