Pick of the day
A Better World
Posted by marandina on Mon, 27 Jul 2026
Remembering the most recent US election in 2024
A Better World
I dreamt of a better world,
of Satchmo and red roses too,
no slings and arrows hurled,
perennial peace renewed anew.
The problem being I awoke,
woke to the result of an election,
arising to a political joke,
an orange-man’s resurrection.
Had only just got over the budget,
Read moreStory of the week
The Way We Heard: Three Coins In The Fountain (1954) (Pt.1)
Posted by airyfairy on Tue, 21 Jul 2026
A family in the aftermath of events.Read morePoem of the week
The Drove
Posted by Angusfolklore on Wed, 22 Jul 2026
Over the hard mountain,
we, the herd, pitifully bellow,
but those that drive us
have no pity.
The only thing they say,
as a sop to our understanding,
is to laughingly remark,
'This is the old drove road
our father's grandfather made.
There is no other path for you, or us.'
Read moreFeatures
Story and Poem of the Week, with Inspiration Point
This week’s picks have been chosen by marandina:
It’s been another scorching week on the weather front so reading everyone’s stories and poems in the cool shade has been something of a guilty pleasure. As ever, thank you to everyone who posted.
Read moreStory and Poem of the Month
Our Story and Poem of the Month for June has very kindly been chosen by Drew Gummerson:
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'For All We Know We Don't' by Sean McNulty. Out Now! Review by Drew Gummerson
I am very pleased to announce the publication of 'For All We Know We Don't' - a collection of short stories by our very own Sean McNulty. It's available to order from Amazon here:
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“The Way We Heard”: A New Fiction Challenge for ABCtales
“The Way We Heard”: A New Fiction Challenge for ABCtales
This new fiction challenge is sponsored by Cerasus who will donate £100 to ABCtales if all the criteria are met.
Read moreWant to join ABCTales?
We've had to suspend the automatic joining facility for a while so if you would like to join us please email
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Posting From Your Android Phone - Fixed!
Some of you have been having issues with posting your work using an android phone. Ewan and John our techie have been working really hard to fix this.
Read moreBee's Journey
Picks of the Month
Somewhere: Chapter 1 (Pt 1)
Posted by airyfairy on Mon, 22 Jun 2026
Everything's got to start Somewhere. Even when it's probably better for everyone if it doesn't.
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Shipwreck Green
Posted by Makis on Wed, 17 Jun 2026
*/This poem is an ekphrastic description of Turner's wonderful painting 'The Shipwreck' which I once gazed at for a very long time in the Tate Gallery, marvelling at the depths of the colour green he had created to depict a violent sea swallowing up broken ships and desperate men.
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