Blogs

Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point 20 Jan 2023

Posted by Ewan on Fri, 20 Jan 2023

Never easy any Friday to choose, but I'm going to plunge straight in with the picks this time. Story of the Week is newcomer Steve Hoselitz's 'Eavesdropping' . A strong voice and quirky story makes for an excellent read. I'm sure we are all looking forward to reading more from Steve. Speaking of quirkiness, one of the most distinctive voices on ABCTales belongs to Lavadis. His work is always identifiable and his latest poem is as remarkable as...

Ryan O’Connor (2022) The Voids.

Posted by celticman on Thu, 19 Jan 2023

I often find it easy to say what I don’t like about a book, or film or documentary. But books are my thing. And if I met Ryan O’Connor (which is highly unlikely) I’d shake his hand and tell him his debut novel is fucking great. Dan O’Connor writes about people like us. Chris Leslie (2016) Disappearing Glasgow: A Photographic Journey summed it up. ‘I always presumed the Red Road flats would last forever, but when you see it now in this state you...

Choose Your Battles

Posted by TJW on Tue, 17 Jan 2023

I got this buddy. Met at work. She's a drinking buddy. We watch football, drink, you know, we're buddies. I've even met her girlfriend and they were the girl in the relationship. This past Saturday the game ended at 11-something. I ain't planned on going to her placed to watch it but she had planned to watch it with her girl but they broke a few days before and this buddy of mine, she didn't want to be alone sulking, so I went over and we...

Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point

Posted by Insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Fri, 13 Jan 2023

Posted by airyfairy on Fri, 13 Jan 2023 The diversity of the writing on ABC Tales is its greatest strength, and the Picks for this week are very different indeed. Story of the Week is Part One of ethancrane's 'Warchild', but that's only because I can't give it to both parts. Surreal, funny, acutely observant and completely absorbing, it's a cracking read: Warchild (part 1 of 2) | ABCtales Warchild (part 2 of 2) | ABCtales Poem of the Week is...

Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point

Posted by airyfairy on Fri, 13 Jan 2023

The diversity of the writing on ABC Tales is its greatest strength, and the Picks for this week are very different indeed. Story of the Week is Part One of ethancrane's 'Warchild', but that's only because I can't give it to both parts. Surreal, funny, acutely observant and completely absorbing, it's a cracking read: Warchild (part 1 of 2) | ABCtales Warchild (part 2 of 2) | ABCtales Poem of the Week is Kilb50's tender, poignant and beautifully...

Adam Rutherford (2020) How To Argue With A Racist.

Posted by celticman on Thu, 12 Jan 2023

In front of me is a cardboard packing from a gift. A wavy dividing line drawn in biro. Good: Rosay, Sophie, Megn. Bad: Claudia, Robin. The list was drawn up by Alfie aged seven, and Tilly, aged five (her birthday today). Rosay has just turned one and is Robin’s sister. She can’t be bad because she’s a baby. Claudia is bad because she’s Alfie’s sister. Megn, aged six, is a neighbour’s kid that runs really fast and told me she doesn’t really need...

Tom Phillips & Jonn Elledge (2022) Conspiracy: A History of Bxllocks Theories, and How Not to Fall For Them.

Posted by celticman on Tue, 10 Jan 2023

I like to think I’m pretty good contestant at Conspiracy Theories. But any fellow conspirators, I guess, imagine the same thing. A general rule of thumb, whatever the 45 th American President believed, I believe the opposite. The great thing about fiction is you can—literally—put words into people’s mouths. In Ugly Puggly , for example, this is exactly what I think, but not so exactly that anyone would believe a real person would think this way...

THE REDEMPTION

Posted by JP BROWN on Mon, 09 Jan 2023

'Quest For The Soul'

Anna Porter (2008) Kasztener’s Train.

Posted by celticman on Sun, 08 Jan 2023

I’d heard of Oskar Schindler— the clichéd read the book and seen the film—but I hadn’t heard of Resko Kasztner the Hungarian born Jew. Anna Porter tells us who he was and what he did. There are historical echoes of many of the lessons here that we’ve already forgotten. Chapter 32, begins with a quote from [United States] : ‘Rowell McClelland, Report on the Activities of the War Refugee Board from March 1944 to July 1945. ‘Dr Israel Kasztner...

Story and Poem of the Month

Posted by Insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Sun, 08 Jan 2023

Our Story and Poem of the Month for December have very kindly been chosen by rjnewlyn: Pick of the Month – December 2022 Well, many congratulations to all of you – an excellent month’s writing and as spoilt for choice as ever. Prose first and a wholly arbitrary decision for Pick of the Month from such a range of styles and subjects. Particular recommendations include a really-quite-strange pandemic-type story from ethancrane that you’ll probably...

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