Our Story and Poem for the Month of January, very kindly chosen by marandina:

 

 

Well here we go again….another January gone….and another new year under way.

We now have new governments in situ on both sides of the Atlantic. Donald trump is back in the US and it’s as though he’s never been away. Maybe this is the beginning of the end for the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. We can hope so.  As ever, the writing oasis that is ABCTales remains a positive influence and safe haven for writers from all walks of life. 

Needless to say, it was due privilege reading through all the stories and poems posted in January. The very long list became a long list which became a short list and then finally a couple of picks considered most appropriate as story and poem of the month. It’s a flawed, subjective process made by a human but still probably better than if it was done by AI!

 

So to the poetry category:

 

The following honourable mentions go to:

Turlough’s wonderful, nostalgic reminiscence Making Do with Dusty Springfield

https://www.abctales.com/story/turlough/making-do-dusty-springfield

 

socialeaf’s tale of winter wisteria and pending renewal I turn back

 

https://www.abctales.com/story/socialeaf/i-turn-back

 

Celticman posted some brilliant work (no surprise as he’s a brilliant writer) including The Gods of Selfies

 

https://www.abctales.com/story/celticman/gods-selfies

 

and also with an important message about social inequity and inequality Anthem

 

https://www.abctales.com/story/celticman/anthem

 

Finally, JupiterMoon’s 24-hour crisps cost more than £2 is another important social comment

 

https://www.abctales.com/story/jupitermoon/24-hour-crisps-cost-more-%C2%A32

 

It was hard to pick a Poem of the Month but, in the end, with not one but four contenders to consider by the monumentally talented Queen Beatle, I went for the joyously enigmatic An Owl, a pussycat

 

This is my poem of the month: 

https://www.abctales.com/story/queen-beatle/owl-pussycat

 

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And now to the story category: 

 

Honourable mentions to:

RJF’s reimagining of a classic tale Happy New Year

 

https://www.abctales.com/story/rjf/happy-new-year

 

J. A. Stapleton’s The Patrolman is high quality noir which I really enjoyed as it unfolded. Try chapter 3

 

https://www.abctales.com/story/j-stapleton/patrolman-3

 

hudsonmoon’s Making Resolutions at Ned's 1944 is wry humour at its very best:

https://www.abctales.com/story/hudsonmoon/making-resolutions-neds-1944

 

Mark Say’s Staring at Ophelia is high quality writing with such a moving piece

https://www.abctales.com/story/mark-say/staring-ophelia

 

Airyfairy’s blistering “Ye Mighty” is a wonderfully crafted invective that belies the ongoing high quality of her writing and another example of what good looks like for us all. 

https://www.abctales.com/story/airyfairy/ye-mighty

 

After much consideration, it was an evocative tale based on a memorable, real-life event with exemplary descriptions of settings weaved in that I liked the most. Bringing places to life in words is deceptively difficult and this is done brilliantly in Schubert’s Here Be Dragons

 

 

My story of the month:

https://www.abctales.com/story/schubert/here-be-dragons

 

 

Congratulations to everyone mentioned and a massive thank you to everyone that posted work in January. You literally are ABCTales.com.

The site continues to be a safe space for writers to develop and a fabulous community of like-minded yet wonderfully diverse writers. I said that last time and the time before that…but I thought it was repeating.

 

Until next year…