Pick of the day
Carried
Posted by SoulFire77 on Sat, 18 Jul 2026
We agreed to be reachable. That was the first one.
Mostly it was a kindness. The school could find us.
The hospital could. We put the phone on the nightstand
for the alarm, and the nightstand was the whole of it,
the entire distance, four feet, a lamp's worth.
Story of the week
Amanderella and the Mystery of the Disappearing Vicar Chapter 3.
Posted by Eric Marsh on Thu, 16 Jul 2026
Chapter 3.Lower Wobbleford.
Amanderella closed the papers, thoughtful but untroubled.
“Very well,” she said. “Leave them with me.”
Lady Maudy inclined her head in gratitude, and Amanderella saw her to the door with quiet courtesy.Read more
Poem of the week
walking over my grave.
Posted by celticman on Sat, 11 Jul 2026
Shamans and shy creatures whisper of danger,
Souls without dreams are lost in the shade.
Staring at screens in a world full of shadows,
A hagstone of falsehoods where ghosts are remade.
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Story and Poem of the Week, with Inspiration Point
Story and Poem of the Week, with Inspiration Point
posted by di-hard
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Story 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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