airyfairy's blog

Difficult as ever to choose, but in the end Story of the Week is mikesize1's 'Elephant Nest: Chapter One'. It made me laugh, it made me flinch, it made me wonder what was coming next: https://www.abctales.com/story/mikesize1/elephant-nest-chapter-one Poem of the Week was even harder. Eventually I went for Di_Hard's 'driverless', but with a more than honourable mention for the poem that inspired it, Jane Hyphen's 'Drivers'. Please do read both:...

ABC writers have approached the New Year with vigour, and there has been some truly exceptional writing on the site this week. After much thought, Story of the Week goes to 'Risky Business' by Tipp Hex. There's wonderful description, of people, events and scenery, and it poses thoughtful questions which really engage the reader: https://www.abctales.com/story/tipp-hex/risky-business Poem of the Week goes to Jane Hyphen for 'Somebody Sang And I...

Both the picks for this week are on the themes of love and journeys, approached in very different ways. Story of the Week goes to rosaliekempthorne's 'Leaving', which evokes the anxieties that love brings, even when, or perhaps particularly when, the love is happy and fully reciprocated. The conclusion of this is superb. This story may have ended, but we are already being led into the narrator's next nighmare: https://www.abctales.com/story/...

Two pieces on the theme of memory caught my eye this week. Story of the Week is jolono's 'Mr Russ'. It's a deceptively simple tale of a family and their elderly neighbour sharing food, friendship and a few games of cards, but the characters and the warmth of the emotions reach out and envelop the reader. I couldn't stop thinking about it once I'd read it: https://www.abctales.com/story/jolono/mr-russ Poem of the Week goes to agnosticnun's '...

Story of the Week is Rosalie Kempthorne's 'Choices, Past and Present'. Beautifully written, and tapping into the 'what if' that we all feel at one time or another. It's one of her Golwerra stories - see more of them on here, on find the ebook on Amazon! https://www.abctales.com/story/rosaliekempthorne/choices-past-and-present Poem of the Week is Ralph's 'Last Rites', a downbeat and darkly humorous epitaph for a relationship. You can hear these...

Difficult choices again this week! Story of the Week goes to HarryC's 'Rolling In The Aisles'. Anyone who's done their bit in a large retail establishment will recognise this. It made me laugh but also give a little shiver. https://www.abctales.com/story/harryc/rolling-aisles Poem of the Week is love_writing's poignant 'Dream'. I haven't been able to get it out of my head since I first read it. https://www.abctales.com/story/lovewriting/dream...

A big thank you to those who made it to York for a lovely social evening, and rather too much white wine in my case. It was great to meet up with writers whose work I've admired for a long time, and to find that, as I'd always suspected, they're extremely good company! Please keep an eye out for our next event!

Sadly, the weather and other things have conspired against us and so we have had to call off the formal reading part of tonight. Thanks to all those who have tried to make it! However, there will still be an informal get together for any ABC Talers who are in the area, from 7pm in the Black Swan, which is still a chance to meet fellow writers and chat about your work.

Both of the picks this week explore life experience, dreams lost, consequences faced. Story of the Week goes to johnshade's utterly believable and beautifully written two-parter 'Ariadne'. Both parts will grip you from beginning to end and then you'll want to start all over again: https://www.abctales.com/story/johnshade/ariadne-part-1 https://www.abctales.com/story/johnshade/ariadne-part-2 Poem of the Week is Jane Hyphen's wonderful 'The Dirt...

Two very different pieces for this week! Story of the Week is a real treat - Noo's mini-collection of four short pieces entitled 'I will change. I promise.' Subtle and rich, each piece draws the reader in, and the whole stays with you long after you've read it: https://www.abctales.com/story/noo/i-will-change-i-promise Poem of the Week is winking_tiger's deceptively simple 'Anecdote'. It's part of a series of linked pieces dealing with a break-...