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...
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...
The elephant in the room, should we speak? No,it was too soon. We waited, constantly debated and while it faded our dreams deflated. The elephant in the room, left,but not without leaving gloom and doom.
This was my style of writing poems years ago. I had this poem published both in Romanian and its translation (my own of course). I was told I changed into better since then, but...I am not so proud of my achievements. This was the poem: in a lonely woman’s world each crack in the walls is a twinge among the ribs the neighbors’ footsteps weigh on her chest when she breathes if rats teem in the basement cold shivers climb her back elsewhere a...
