VeraClark's blog

The site has been buzzing with new poetry and prose this week. It has been refreshing to see the variety of work, including tributes to deceased celebrities, grave reflections on Hiroshima and some hilariously light and carefree pieces, too. Poem of the Week goes to EB for a stunningly crafted poem on memory loss. It’s menacing, resonant and shot through with heartache: http://www.abctales.com/story/eb/memory-collector Story of the Week goes to...

You gave Philip Sidney’s framing device lots of ink and thought this month and as a result, wonderful window poems have emerged all July. Seeing what you’ve done has made a deep and indulgent reading experience. A big thanks to Philip for the idea and here are three notable creations to peek at: Hudsonmoon’s window looks on profound loss and explores, beautifully, the all-encompassing questions of faith, pain and survival in a candid,...

It’s been a wonderful week for poetry and prose with writers using innovative techniques and genres. Story of the week goes to love-writing for powerful experimental short fiction. Staccato sentences, visual disturbances on the page and a tragic central story successfully conveys a man’s mental health. love-writing takes risks with her work and this one’s definitely worth it: http://www.abctales.com/story/lovewriting/little-white-box It’s a two...

Our next reading event will be held in Nottingham on Saturday, September 5 th from 7pm at The Cross Keys, 15 Byard Lane, Nottingham, NG1 2GJ. If you haven’t joined us before, it’s a laid-back, sociable event with the opportunity to meet other members and enjoy live poetry and fiction from some fabulous writers. If you fancy making a weekend of it, Nottingham is home to world class sport and steeped in the legends of Robin Hood. There are lots of...

The first Poetry Monthly has been a real success. The flights of your imagination jazzed up old fairytales and took us to stories new. Here are some examples of your wonderful creativity: Luigi Pagano made Red Riding Hood funky and urban. It’s a gritty parable of modern times. http://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/parable-our-time-poetry-monthly Silver Spun Sand re-told Little Boy Blue in concise and emotive verse: http://www.abctales.com/...

This week has been crammed with poetry and prose delicacies. I’ve been awake at night deliberating over pieces and now see how difficult it is for Scratch and Insert to whittle down the picks from such top-drawer work. Without further ado and an imaginary drum roll... Our poem of the week is Elliot C Mason’s ‘Song for Lost Olivia’, chosen for capturing the heartache of loss in such a colourful, celebratory style. http://www.abctales.com/story/...

A Pledge for Lily Poole I'm an avid fan of Jack O'Donnell's writing and this is my small supportive pledge for the big man himself. As you know, Unbound is a brand new publishing concept – a crowdfunded publishing platform. At Unbound, authors pitch their ideas and the public choose which books get written. You can fund your favourite authors directly by pledging cash to their novel. Ewan is deliciously close to completion and needs your support...

My dad always regales people with the witty tale of when he brought a raw grey chicken home from work and showed me up its slack-skinned arse. He stuck his hand up firmly up the shaft and chased me round the kitchen with it, making hysterical clucking and gobbling noises. That was really odd behaviour. At work, dad used to wear white coats made from clingy acrylic. They were his standard uniform with press stud buttons that cracked like bones...