Simon Sebag Monefiore won the British history book of the year with his portrait of Stalin and his followers. They were always one step away from being shot, tortured in the Lubianka, and beaten to death. Their families facing the same fate, or being sent away to the gulags. Stalin only wanted true believers in Stalinism, in Marxism, in Leninism, in his leadership to a mythical Bolshevik and true socialist revolution. Self-taught, a voracious...

The golden sunshine gleams off the cars ahead of me as brave birds dart across my line of vision flying from stoplight pole to tree limb. It’s a perfect day outside. I lower my visor to block the glare as I keep the required car lengths/per mph distance behind the car in front of mine. This has become the new way I take a walk, using my car and, with the amount of traffic increasing everyday, I must not be alone in this change of walking mode. I...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000j4wd/darkest-hour Gary Oldman won an Oscar for his portrayal of Winston Churchill. A snapshot of the leading Tory M.P’s gilded life in May 1940. The phony-war stage at Blighty, where the British bulldog is the underdog. War had been declared and troops had been sent off to fight in France and Belguim, before falling back to Calais and Dunkirk. German Panzer division and blitzkrieg tactics roll through...

Lots of good stuff again this week and, again, lovely to see lots of new writing talent joining us. Story of the Week goes to the ninth chapter of Sooz006's series 'Break The Child'. I'm thoroughly enjoying these stories, which are so rich in characterisation, and this one, 'Melting', goes straight to the heart. Please do read the rest of them, if you haven't already: https://www.abctales.com/story/sooz006/break-child-chapter-nine-melting Poem...

Does anyone remember the 2012 Poetry Olympics?

15/4/20 Why don’t we all just stay at home? Why do we need to work so hard? If we all worked just a little bit less, we might just have a bit more time for other pastimes, hobbies! There would be cultural enrichment. I read somewhere that during a period when ‘the plague’ was visiting London and the theatres were closed William Shakespeare wrote three of his best plays ‘Anthony and Cleopatra’, ‘Macbeth’ and ‘King Lear’ in 1605/06. He stayed away...

Prompt #1 'A chorus of disapproval' (20 mins) When I announced my wedding plans to my mother, I wasn't exactly met with a chorus of disapproval (how could I be, she is only one woman) but her expression made it extremely clear what the thought-train running through her head was. Jeff was 10 years my senior, a pub landlord who drank almost as much as he made and didn't really seem to be especially keen on me, truth be told, so it wasn't like I...

Make a submission or the kitten dies.

Writing and reading can be a refuge - I'm just settling into this way of thinking - If you've been inspired in these difficult times - well done and thank you so much for your wonderful postings. If you need a distraction - let's get writing! It's no coincidence that my two picks have food at their hearts. Our appreciation of the sensual nature of life seems to have come to the fore. From lime tea and madeleines too to hot, salty chips shared in...

A new story has grabbed my writer’s attention and I’m slowly falling into that place writers go, that trance like state when you’re thinking up a new plot. I love the newness...the twisting, turning possibilities...the fun of something new. It's the essence of creativity having that blank canvas before me…I can slowly see the story forming and for me it's always at night that I find my creative spirit thriving. I'm not sure why but I guess I'm a...