http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b061c786/a-song-for-jenny This is a drama about a mother’s grief. Twenty-four-year- old Jenny (Nicola Wren) brought alive in flashbacks was blown up in an underground train on 7 th July 2005, ten years today, passing through Edgware Road tube station whilst reading C.S.Lewis’s The Magician’s Nephew . We don’t know this, but since she was always reading, sent her mum Julie (Emily Watson) an email telling her...

Thornwood (Steve) in AbcTales posts I hope the Tories have a change of heart about the planned cuts. 38 Degrees send me an email suggesting I contribute money so they can take out advertisements extorting George Osborne to think again. Dream on. Notes on poverty (in no particular order). Orwell suggest we need to state the obvious. Richard Hoggart wrote in The Road to Wigan Pier . 'Each decade we shiftily declare that we have buried class; each...

Long-time ABCtaler and editor, sid took on the incredibly difficult task of scrutinising the June submissions. Here’s what sid has to say: * Having been away for a long time, being assigned the task of choosing June’s picks of the month was a daunting privilege. On the other hand, there’s no better way to get inspired after a long drought than reading through a month’s worth of fantastic submissions. To single out just two was an agonising...

A reminder to pop back at 7pm tonight to find out our fabulous Monthly Picks!

Director, Maurice Linnane http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01l4929 There is currently a new film documentary out about Amy Winehouse. Since her death she seems to have become more popular. I don’t listen to music. I’ve read more about Amy Whitehouse than I’ve heard her voice. There she was in the pages of some tabloid falling over drunk, or out of her face on drugs, or both. Reams of newsprint on her boyfriend who went to jail because he was...

A bit early today because I'm off out in a short while..... well, what a week for ABC. Not only have we been blinded by the quality of submissions, but Lavadis's brilliant book Ex has started arriving in the post (available to pre-order from Amazon and Waterstones) and finally celticman's novel reached its funding target! Congratulations to Celticman for Bible John - the beginning of something new and wonderful, and to Bear for In a Broken...

Today the air was ripe with fresh cut grass and warm with sunshine. There is a remembered day in this moment—a certain taste and smell to the air transported me to a time of childhood, it was a day carefree and full of discovery- and I am that child again with one deep breath. Memories that come back so clearly bring reflections-- to look back—to a time we defined ourselves or perhaps even to search for ourselves again. It reminds me that a...

The first Poetry Monthly has been a real success. The flights of your imagination jazzed up old fairytales and took us to stories new. Here are some examples of your wonderful creativity: Luigi Pagano made Red Riding Hood funky and urban. It’s a gritty parable of modern times. http://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/parable-our-time-poetry-monthly Silver Spun Sand re-told Little Boy Blue in concise and emotive verse: http://www.abctales.com/...

As of now, Jack's book is FULLY FUNDED!!!!!!!!!!! Hip hip hooray and thank you to everyone who helped him get there, but most of all a MASSIVE congratulations to celticman! http://unbound.co.uk/books/lily-poole

If you like poetry that delivers strong, sharp images and deeply powerful feeling then you'll love this week's winner. Poem of the week is awarded to Esmerelda for: this is the new life There has been a flurry of selfies across social media recently that show women with only one half of their faces with make-up on. Story of the week is awarded to Vera Clark for: Dear Cosmetics Industry This weeks inspiration point: 'Countdown' Take it where ever...