Story and Poem of the Month

Chosen by airyfairy.

The chance to choose Picks of the Month is an honour, and also a nightmare because you can’t select everything you’ve enjoyed. It comes down to such fine margins. As ever, thanks to all the writers who have posted this month and made the choices so difficult.

There are some absolutely wonderful Works In Progress at the moment. Two that I’m particularly enjoying are celticman’s ‘Steelie’, for this writer’s unfailing ability to create characters and dialogue that combine dark humour and an at times blistering truth. Each episode reads like a complete story in itself, and the one I've chosen is here: Steelie 19 | ABCtales  'Ghigau'  by w.w.j.abercrombie has an engrossing plot, beautifully realised characters and expert pacing, and if you haven't started it yet, the first part is here: Ghigau 1. | ABCtales  Our Story of the Month for June, however, comes from Jane Hyphen’s ‘The Vale’. Jane’s writing is always immensely readable, her plots are intriguing and she manages to convey both wry humour and a really disconcerting sense of unease. Needless to say, all the parts of this marvellous story are well worth reading, but the one I’ve chosen is Part One (b): The Vale - Part One (b) | ABCtales

Our poets have been excelling themselves, as usual, and they’ve been much concerned with what’s going on in the world. Ralph’s ‘The Editor’ is a masterclass in saying volumes in a few lines, and conveying both passion and despair: The Editor | ABCtales  I don’t know if ‘enjoy’ really describes my reaction to mark p’s Nineteen Eighty Four, with its reference back to the master of dystopia, but I couldn’t get the poem out of my head: Nineteen Eighty Four | ABCtales  Poem of the Month, though, is Turlough’s roar of anger and grief, ‘Fifty-One Empty Places at the Dinner Table’: Fifty-One Empty Places at the Dinner Table | ABCtales It's a privilege to have writing like this on ABC Tales.

Thanks again for all the marvellous writing. Keep it coming!