airyfairy's blog

There is so much good stuff on ABC Tales at the moment that it becomes increasingly difficult to make the week's Picks, which this week have involved much deliberation and pleasurable re-reading. Story of the Week is Celticman's 'relapse prevention therapy'. It's a stunning piece of work, haunting and disturbing, but with an inner strength that makes you want to weep: https://www.abctales.com/story/celticman/relapse-prevention-therapy Poem of...

This week's Story of the Week grabbed me right from the start. TJW's 'This Is My Rifle...This Is My Gun' will stay with you for a long time. Owing to space restrictions on the site it's in two parts: https://www.abctales.com/story/tjw/my-rifle-my-gun https://www.abctales.com/story/tjw/my-rifle-my-gun-end Poem of the Week is Ewan's lyrical, hypnotic 'Counting'. This lodges in your mind like the most pleasant of earworms, and you may find yourself...

It's been a wonderful week on the site for life writing and I struggled to choose the Picks for this week. Among others, Jolono's beautiful 'Dad was Old School' ( https://www.abctales.com/story/jolono/dad-was-old-school ) and Elsie Katz's uncompromising 'Memories of Working In A Hostel...' ( https://www.abctales.com/story/elsie-katz/2002-05-my-memories-working-ho... ) will stay in my mind for a long time. In the end though, Story of the Week...

A plethora of riches to choose from this week! Our Poem of the Week is Rosa Cruz's 'Seals in the Currents', a wonderful combination of intricate detail and poetic vision: https://www.abctales.com/story/rosa-cruz/seals-currents Story of the Week goes to Cooper King's 'What Happens Near Rome'. I laughed, my toes curled in painful recognition - and from the reactions, I wasn't the only one: https://www.abctales.com/story/cooper-king/what-happens-...

Two very contrasting Picks for this week! Our Poem of the Week is Rosa Cruz's 'Bluebottle Triptych'. It manages to be beautiful, truly poetic, and almost forensically descriptive, all at the same time. One to be read again and again: https://www.abctales.com/story/rosa-cruz/bluebottle-triptych Story of the Week is MJG's funny, warm-hearted and optimistic 'Condoms for Cornwall'. It will strike a chord with anyone with memories of their first...

Even though there's been some brilliant writing on the site this week, london_calling79's 'A Letter To My New Tory MP' stood out immediately. We're not a political site and members have all sorts of different views, but the humanity, compassion and reason of this piece shine a light in times that seem to get darker and grimmer ever day: https://www.abctales.com/story/londoncalling79/letter-my-new-tory-mp Poem of the week is another remarkable...

In a very strong week for poetry, Ralph's 'Addict' really stood out for me. It's a barnstorming performance piece, but even reading it on the page is a visceral experience. Please have a look now if you haven't managed to read it yet: https://www.abctales.com/story/ralph/addict Story of the Week is Rosalie Kempthorne's dreamlike, poignant, wistful 'Dead Men Tell No Tales', one of a field of very strong Inspiration Point entries this week. Again...

I hesitated over the Story of the Week - not because I wasn't sure exactly what I was going for, more that it could have been either a story or a poem. In the end I've called it a story, but johnshade's brilliant 'Citalopram - Prelude' really defies categorisation: https://www.abctales.com/story/johnshade/citalopram-prelude The week's IP provided the Poem of the Week - Ewan's 'Hooray For The Circus' captures the mood of the times perfectly:...

There's been some wonderful stuff on the site this week. A number of our writers have posted thought provoking, sometimes angry, sometimes sad, pieces about the terrible conflicts in our world. Lille Dante and Ewan's pieces particularly stuck in my mind, but as Poem of the Week I've gone for Philip Sidney's 'Night Flying in North Wales: https://www.abctales.com/story/philip-sidney/night-flying-north-wales The way this connects 'Us' and 'Them' is...

ABC Tales is on a real roll at the moment - lots of brilliant stuff coming in from both new and familiar names. It's been really exciting to read so much good work, and makes choosing the week's pick an invidious task. However, here we go. Poem of the Week goes to Unseasonably Warm by longrunningspatula. It's full of character observation, wry humour and hope, and it helps that it's brilliantly written. Do get along to have a look if you haven't...