Bernard MacLaverty short story collections begins in 1977 with Secrets and ends with his fifth collection in 2006 with Matters of Life & Death . I read one or two of his short stories a day, in no particular hurry. An uneven bunch. I’m looking at the contents page. Some stories stick in the mind more than others. Perhaps that has more to do with the more recently read story. I re-read the introduction, MacLaverty taking a look back at his...

A collection of letters written by people who have been through depression. We address a person 'out there' who we imagine as currently struggling with it. Each letter starts 'dear you'. About 50 letters each of us saying in our own way 'you are not alone' to a person feels they are and 'it won't last forever, that's the depression talking' to the person who feels the illness may never lift. 'From Elsie' is on pages 153-54. A simple format and...

(Shit. I’d a whole spiel in my head about this being the tricky second novel, after the great debut novel and international success of The Cutting Room . But when I checked publication date, it was Louise Welsh’s fifth novel. Not her second. Anyway, I was going to fling in Swing Hammer Swing , Jeff Torrington’s debut novel and his follow up novel The Devil’s Carousel . I raved about the first and emm, didn’t rave about the second. I’d segue away...

It's been a brilliant week for some hard-hitting pieces. After much thought and re-reading, Story of the Week goes to well-wisher for 'A Typical Friday Night'. The quality of the writing makes every word of this story break your heart: https://www.abctales.com/story/well-wisher/typical-friday-night In complete contrast, Poem of the Week is Penny4athought's 'Sounds From The Heart'. Though not specifically about Christmas, this lovely piece sums...

Love is Strange (2014) written and directed by Ira Sachs, Film 4, 11.15 pm. Love is Strange , but so are my sleeping habits. I stayed up until 1a.m., watching this. Believe me, I need my beauty sleep and so do these old codgers, George (Alfred Molina) and Ben (John Lithgow). Ben is 73. We know that because later in the film he blacks out and falls down some stairs of the New York, brown-stone apartment he lives in while coming down from the...

No New News! The band of street prostitutes, church goers, and Bishops carry on taking turns in either presenting me by acting out as me, as prostitutes, people of ill repute or reporting on my said goings on. I try to sleep. Amidst all this they carry on a Mcdonald/Kinnear half friendly, half terrifying banter. “Tell me, come on, just how do you get to up there!” I say I don't know now, “I'd have to go there!” Its been a long time. “Tell us how...

Celtic’s domestic unbeaten run of 69 games, almost two years unbeaten, comes to a halt at Tynecastle. Celtic have had off days before and contrived to win. Here, all over the pitch, Celtic’s passing game came unstuck as Hearts pressed high up the pitch. Celtic players slipped and slid and seemed unable to make a pass. Heart’s players were first to the fifty-fifty balls. Craig Gordon hesitated and looked uncertain. He almost lost an early goal,...

The lights are up and the tree is decorated. The cozy feel of Christmas is settling around me…but it is not the shopping or the presents brightly wrapped that I’m thinking of… it’s family and friends and the kindness we can give to one another….the gathering at the table…the laughter as we reminisce… the smiles, the tears…and the comfort of their presence that moves me….and fills me with warmth. Christmas has become too commercial but just...

We are delighted to announce that the first poet we will be working with to publish a collection of their work is Simon (JupiterMoon) Howarth. Congratulations, Simon. Can’t wait to get started! And there are still opportunities for more poets to become involved. We are particularly interested to hear individual, idiosyncratic voices with something new to say. Make your submission today.