A wonderful poem and a poignant story for you this week - and an Inspiration Point that should make you cogitate a little! http://www.abctales.com/story/sid/recoil http://www.abctales.com/story/scorpio88/noah-and-blue-shawl-parts-1-and-2 http://www.abctales.com/inspiration-point-ip Congratulations to sid and scorpio88.

Childhood nightmares and surreal dream-like poetry came from January’s brief. It was unsettling yet magnetic to read. There are many familiar faces contributing to Poetry Monthly now which is so encouraging and this month saw some new participants who have contributed some striking pieces of work. I hope they return this month. I wrote my own mythical poem too – a foxy family one – and shamelessly made full use of peer critical feedback. Not...

I like a good ghost story. And you can see from the number of re-prints and the way that The Little Stranger in no stranger to the shortlist for the Man Booker that this is a good. The book begins after The First World War then jumps thirty years to the end of the Second World War, with Dr Faraday and Hundreds Hall. The Hundreds Hall is in itself not just a Gothic backdrop but a major character in the book. It opens with Faraday an intelligent...

Without any preamble, here's Joe Lawrence - one of our top editors - who has been diligently sifting through all the wonderful things that have appeared on ABCTales this month: It’s always a challenge when asked to pick the SOTM and POTM. There are just so many great pieces to choose from. But for me SOTM goes to Stephen Thom for his magical “As long as sea beats on stone.” http://www.abctales.com/story/stephen-thom/long-sea-beats-stone The...

What's this whole anti-Russian thing? I reckon Britain's never gotten over the Crimean War. Nationalisation of assets Edwardian Britain thought it owned? It's time the "elite" of Eton and Oxford's clubs got over themselves a bit. 1400 civilians killed by Russian air strikes in Syria? What about Iraq, and Syria since "we" got involved? Afghanistan? Libya? Headlines like those serve a purpose: they reveal who owns the press. They reveal what they...

She's only posted two pieces on ABCTales but they've both been spectacularly good. T_az's story of loss, distance and family ties is powerful and an all-round excellent read, which is why it's our Story of the Week. Hats off also to Philip Sidney for giving us this week's Poem of the Week - Huldufolk - a slip sideways into the otherness of Icelandic legend - inspired into existence by January's Poetry Monthly theme.(Look out next week for...

I’ve been staring at this page and wondering... Why do I feel this overwhelming need to write? Every day pieces of stories roll around in my thoughts like colored marbles until I can catch them…set them on paper…and string them into cohesive plot lines. Maybe the reason I need to write is to connect to who I am – find out what I believe in- Understand what am I searching for…find the part of me hidden from me. What I seek may sound strange but...

A great piece of prose this week from Ama-G. Very evocative and with a fine moral embedded within it: http://www.abctales.com/story/amag/mangos-memoir The poetry is sublime too. Esmerelda-O deserves a big cheer for this one: http://www.abctales.com/story/esmerelda-o/failures-last-stand And the Inspiration Point is a little different. Here's hoping it scratches those little grey cells: http://www.abctales.com/inspiration-point-ip Cheers, Tony

I know it’s the last series of Downton Abbey. It sells big in America where people like former vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin things we live in stately homes. Lots of people here watch it. It’s won sacksful of awards for best drama. I’ve never seen more than a clip of an episode, yet Downton Avenue has me reaching for my Kalashnikov. There’s nothing down town about Downton Abbey. It’s a showcase of beautifully dressed people with...

Warning, I’m going to try and sell you something. It’s billed as ‘the best new writing from ABCtales’. Who decides what’s best? That’s a question that is often difficult to answer. Certainly, Stephen Thom, who wrote story of the year is here. And Alex Graves who wins poems of the year, every year, is included. My work is also in, but I’d guess that’s because I’ll have a book out later this year in which ABCtales act as my agent and get a fee. I’...