07.02.14 Story, Poem and Inspiration Point of the Week

February's off to a sharp start. Flooding and tube strikes, gloomy weather and the controversial opening of the Winter Olympics in Russia, not to mention the death of the incredible Philip Seymour Hoffman. And some of it must be inspiring, as this has been one of the hardest weeks to make a pick of the week in a long long time. Please, for your own benefit, have a look at the cherry-page and make your way through some of the incredible poems and stories that have gone up over the past seven days. You won't find better reading anywhere.

But there will always be cherries-on-top (sorry). Our story of the Week is Terrence Oblong’s ‘First Signs of Life’ – an incredible (and hilarious) work of science fiction. Oblong doesn’t shy from social commentary, but the thing I most like about the piece is his unbridled imagination, and the way everything – including the discovery of alien life, religious fanaticism and intergalactic war – all keeps coming back to bagels:

http://www.abctales.com/story/terrence-oblong/first-signs-life

Canonette shared her first poem with ABC on Sunday – and it was fantastic. By Tuesday she’s writing poetry that would make anyone throw down their pens in envy. Our poem of the week is her double-barrelled ‘Dad and Mum’ – which is inspired by the form of VeraClark’s My Father, The Skinner. I love watching work on ABC cross-pollinate, and this poem is one of the better examples I’ve seen – it's bleak and difficult, yes, but extremely powerful. A plea for all the oppressed daughters of the world:       

http://www.abctales.com/story/canonette/dad-and-mum

And if the news hasn't been enough to get you typing, there's always inspiration to be found here:

http://www.abctales.com/inspiration-point-ip