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Our next ABCTales reading night is bound for Nottingham! Do join us on Saturday 5 th September at 7pm, The Cross Keys, 15 Byard Lane, Nottingham, NG1 2GJ for prose and poetry in a splendid city. It’s a vibrant reading line up, including Blackjack Davey, Johnshade, Philip Sidney, airy fairy, Bear, Scratch, London Calling, Luigi Pagano, Denzella, Lisa H. If you’d like to read, there are still a couple of slots, so drop me an email as soon as...

I found this site through some thorough research. I wanted a place where my writing would actually be seen, and that's happened. I feel so great about the feedback that I've received about my writing, and even though I'm going through a bit of a writer's block, I feel newly motivated to continue writing. I love how active this community is. Thanks. Audrey

It's always a huge pleasure to read what's been posted on ABCTales - not just the pieces which are so fantastic that they blow you away, but also the works in progress, the long-running series with their own loyal followers, the diary entries - I could go on... Huge congratulations this week to 60units for The Gunshow Loophole which he says is the first thing he's ever posted anywhere for criticism. It's a slick, accomplished three parter (so...

The site has been buzzing with new poetry and prose this week. It has been refreshing to see the variety of work, including tributes to deceased celebrities, grave reflections on Hiroshima and some hilariously light and carefree pieces, too. Poem of the Week goes to EB for a stunningly crafted poem on memory loss. It’s menacing, resonant and shot through with heartache: http://www.abctales.com/story/eb/memory-collector Story of the Week goes to...

The Story and Poem for the month of July have been chosen by one of our longest serving editors. We're so grateful to all of them for the time they manage to carve out of their very busy lives. Here's what he says: Well, this is the first time I've had the mixed pleasure of choosing the Picks of the Month - 'mixed' because of the opportunity to read so many inspiring posts coupled with the agony of having to make a choice. At the end of it all,...

You gave Philip Sidney’s framing device lots of ink and thought this month and as a result, wonderful window poems have emerged all July. Seeing what you’ve done has made a deep and indulgent reading experience. A big thanks to Philip for the idea and here are three notable creations to peek at: Hudsonmoon’s window looks on profound loss and explores, beautifully, the all-encompassing questions of faith, pain and survival in a candid,...

I'm reading the Guardian for the first time in years (any newspaper for the first time in years, really). Only problem being that you only really need one a week. Maybe it was the frustration of throwing away so many daily papers largely unread that put me off the whole idea of newspapers. Maybe it's the "news" bit of the "paper" that I don’t need. Fascinating articles. Still engrossed in yesterday's, which I bought at the station for parking...

It's taken ages to decide on the picks today - so many high quality pieces to choose from this week, but here they finally are: Poem of the Week goes to a.lesser.thing for her fabulous Carnival Ride - a breathlessly paced swoop and dive through a chaotic life, and Story of the Week to Noo for Gleam in which family disfunction and myth are woven together into a thing of true beauty. Congratulations to both! http://www.abctales.com/story/...

A perfect time to write, the quiet moment is filled with music…soft strains of guitar and deep mellow vocals... close my eyes and feel…memories evoke stories...friends, lovers….windy streets, sand dunes of sunshine, snow drifts and sleigh rides….clear strains of memory inducing lyrics. I am swept away into worlds of dialogues and moments of intensity. My fingers fly across the keyboard--barely keeping up-- Thoughts are words and words are...

For anyone interested: Life In Squares is on BBC 2 tonight at 9pm, that's Monday 27th July. Exploring the lives of the famous Bloomsbury group, the free-thinkers, who went against the grain and lived a bohemian life style. Artists and writers alike, their lives were far from perfect, yet they came together to produce some wonderful work. Definitely a must see for any budding writer or artist.