Blogs

Care, BBC 1, BBCiPlayer, written by Jimmy McGovern and Gillian Juckes, directed by David Blair.

Posted by celticman on Mon, 10 Dec 2018

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0bvbf5n/care I like Jimmy McGovern’s dramas. Apart from Brookside, I’ve probably seen most of them. Care, well, it’s in the title. As a dramatist he’s got to make us care about single mum Jenny (Sheridan Smith) her elderly mum Mary (Alison Steadman) and the distant sister Claire (Sinead Keenan). And he begins with a car crash. Mary crashes the car with two kids in the back. Cue drama as we find out that the...

"Last Night I Met John Adcock" A Review

Posted by Insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Sun, 09 Dec 2018

Posted by Ewan on Sat, 08 Dec 2018 "The most difficult thing for me to remember is that a poem is made of words and not of the expanding heart, the overflowing soul, or the sensitive observer. A poem is made of words." W S Graham Last Night I Met John Adcock, is Ewan's first collection of poetry to be published and features a number of the excellent poems he has shared on ABCtales. The poems move from the relative drudgery and small thrills of...

"Last Night I Met John Adcock" A Review

Posted by Ewan on Sat, 08 Dec 2018

A Review, by Simon Whitworth AKA Fatboy_74, of Ewan (Lawrie)'s Cerasus Poetry published collection "Last Night I Met John Adcock"

Barbra Streisand: Becoming an Icon 1942-1984, BBC 4, BBC iPlayer, director Nicolas Maupied.

Posted by celticman on Fri, 07 Dec 2018

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0bt8x6z/barbra-streisand-becoming-an-icon-19421984?suggid=b0bt8x6z Barbra Streisand is a bit like the Rorschach-ink-blot test. Ugly or beautiful? Well, my sister Jo, used to get told she looked like Barbra Streisand. In other words, she had a big hooter. This was the consolation prize you didn’t want to win. Streisand redefined what it meant to be beautiful. If you listen to her feminist fan Camille Paglia...

Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point.

Posted by Philip Sidney on Fri, 07 Dec 2018

Two legends set the scene for this week's picks. Story of the week is a modern take on a classic tale. The Grandmother, from Penelope Creighton is beautifully executed and perfect reading on a dark cold night. https://www.abctales.com/story/penelopecreighton/grandmother Poem of the week elevates the humble bagel to its rightful status. Alfie Shoyger's ode to the mythic snack will make you smile. https://www.abctales.com/story/alfie-shoyger/bagel...

OUTBRANCHING by Scharlie Meeuws: A Review

Posted by Insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Tue, 04 Dec 2018

Review by Noo: There is a fragility and beauty running right through Scharlie Meeuws’ collection of poetry,Outbranching. The collection is split into four sections, moving from memories and dreams, through betrayal and darkness, to nature, wisdom and finally, healing. As you read the poems in each section, you make this same journey and are both touched and transformed by the words in each poem. Scharlie has her own take on the world, but there...

'OUTBRANCHING' by Scharlie Meeuws

Posted by Cerasus Poetry on Mon, 03 Dec 2018

Poems are small on the page, but can swell to fill the mind.

3 for the price of 2

Posted by Cerasus Poetry on Mon, 03 Dec 2018

Exclusive offer!

STORY AND POEM OF THE MONTH

Posted by Insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Sun, 02 Dec 2018

Our picks for the month of November have been chosen by rjnewlyn: November’s an odd month – a bit past proper autumn, not quite proper winter. Back in the day it used to tie with February as my least favourite time of year, but I’ve come to view it with more affection of late (I was going to say ‘warmed to it’ but that wouldn’t be quite right). Perhaps it’s the Tom Waits song (of the same name) that did the trick. There were certainly some good...

Wilder v Fury

Posted by jolono on Sun, 02 Dec 2018

It’s less than twenty-four hours since I watched one of the best Heavyweight contests in a long time. The Bronze Bomber v The Gypsy King, come on, it sounds like it’s straight out of a feature film! The Bronze Bomber is a black American from Alabama whose real name is Deontay Wilder. He won the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics as an amateur. He’s now 6ft 7inches, unbeaten in 40 fights and won most of them by knocking his opponents senseless. He...

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