Pick of the day
How to Lose a Game of Chess
Posted by SoulFire77 on Sat, 11 Jul 2026
Set the board where the finish has thinned
to a pale oval under the plates. Bring down the box.
The lid sticks, then gives.
Story of the week
Transient Debris
Posted by LizF on Wed, 08 Jul 2026
1.The first time Mara climbed down into the tunnel, she vomited before she'd gone forty feet.Read more
Poem of the week
Misplaced Person Seeks Pomegranates
Posted by Turlough on Thu, 09 Jul 2026
I wasn’t happy, so I moved on. Unfortunately not all migrants are as lucky as me.
Read moreFeatures
Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point
Posted by airyfairy.
I hope everybody's had a good week and you haven't completely melted!
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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