ABC's Latest Published Poems and Novels

Another week, another round of successes with ABC writers.

More than a few ABC authors have books available this week - but there are two I wanted to flage up in particular. Laura Wilkinson's book Public Battles, Private Wars is on a free (!) promotion for Kindle and iTunes until the end of the month - so get a copy while you have the chance! Laura is an incredible author and the book delves into the mining strikes of the early '80s with the fierce, perspicacious tone many of you will know so well already. And Lane Ashfeldt's book SaltWater is also available at a reduction for 59p, so if you haven't got it yet, put in an order now.

A big congratulations to ABCtales poet Graham Clifford, whose debut collection, The Hitting Game, was published in May by Seren. One of the poems in the collection, The Best Poem Ever Written, was first put forward on ABC and has just been highly commended in this year's Forward Prize. Graham wanted to stress how the kind words from the ABC community (and the cherries), have been very important to his continued perseverance.

Our poem of the week is 'Week' from BBF - a harrowing account of a week at the end of a tether, at the end of too many bottles, searching for something never quite found. There's a detail to this poem - prose poem, really - that's arresting. A moment on a train, watching people go by, feeling alone, rendered with cinematic depth. Fantastic work.

And our story of the week is Blackjack's 'Don't Wobble' - where a ruined abbey acts as a frame, an intro into a romance with it's own ruined, monumental moments. The weight a wobble towards a river can have in a relationship - or a pause on a bed in a hotel - is rendered with force and urgency.