https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/09/freak-show-television-has-replaced-bread-and-circuses I know I don’t do enough reading or enough writing. Unless Celtic are playing on a Sunday, which increasingly they are, I do nothing much but read the Observer from cover to magazine. Kevin McKenna is the kind of specialist they consult about all things Scottish. Like me he’s a Celtic man. Here he is mimicking me, I’ve been saying these...

I am very pleased to be able to tell you that the lovely Noo is going to be taking over Poetry Montly, starting at the beginning of May. We have such a brilliant team of people who offer their precious time to keep ABCTales a vibrant and supportive community and I am so grateful to all of them - thank you!

'What are the risks of individuality in a determinedly individualistic, yet racially uniform and socially static community?' Good question. Could be me talking about Exmouth, East Devon today. Could be Elena Ferrante talking about the working-class Naples of her dual heroines Lila and Elena. It's Toni Morrison, writing in 2005. She is writing a new foreword to her second novel Sula. It was first published in 1973. At the time she was a single...

Two stand-out brilliant pieces this week: Sam Hennig's wonderful 'Nike' is our Poem of the Week and airyfairy's word perfect tribute to her mother - 'The List' is our Story of the Week. Well deserved congratulations to both: https://www.abctales.com/story/samhennig/nike https://www.abctales.com/story/airyfairy/list Here's the Inspiration Point: https://www.abctales.com/inspiration-point-ip Finally, our readers' list for the ABCTales get together...

Book two of the quartet of Neapolitan novels The Story of a New Name , ‘Youth’ follows directly on from the childhood of Lila and Elena, My Brilliant Friend and their friends and families. This book, for example, ends when Lila and Elena are aged 23. Elena is indeed brilliant has graduated with top grades and top honours from the University of Pisa and finds herself engaged, to be married in two years in 1969, to another brilliant student and...

I’m sad to inform you that Poetry Monthly has come to its natural end. There have been so many talented poets on board since its start in 2015 and we've had such pleasure in reading each other's beautiful outputs each month. I want to thank all of you for contributing ideas for briefs, for your inspirations and for consistently bringing so much to the table with the sort of quality peer feedback that writers would be hard pushed to pay for. ABC...

I bought this book about two years ago, started reading it and put it in a wicker basket at the side of the couch. It got covered by other books, but like yeast it worked its way to the surface and into my consciousness and left its thumb-print on me, which will fade, indeed, has faded, because I’m pretty dumb. By now, of course, Yuval Noah Harari has a follow-up book out, which I also intend to buy (and leave in a wicker basket by the side of...

Story and Poem for the month of March very kindly selected by accidentallyexisting: I've not much time for reading these days and tend to skim until I find something to catch my attention for more than a few seconds and two pieces did quite quickly. The story - which, caught me in the first line was a gritty, twisted tale. Both wry and sad at the same time, I wanted to keep reading long after it had ended on a rather dramatic cliffhanger. I do...

Taiko. It's Japanese for big drum. It's a recent thing, started post WW2. Lots of drums, different shapes, a troupe of drummers. Body posture and group coordination play a big part, holding your back straight, raising your arms in unison and letting gravity's force help you hit the skins with the sticks. Yamato are terrific, fabulous rhythm, powerful sound, great costumes, lots of flailing arms hitting the skins, a joy to watch and to listen to...

Apologies for the late arrival of this - and big congratulations to airyfairy for 'My Mother and I Agree On Something' and Stephen Thom for 'String' - both brilliant pieces in their own very different ways. Do read if you haven't already. https://www.abctales.com/story/airyfairy/my-mother-and-i-agree-something https://www.abctales.com/story/stephen-thom/string Here's the Inspiration Point: https://www.abctales.com/inspiration-point-ip .. and don...