As always, some wonderful writing on the site this week, a very welcome antidote to the winter weather. Story of the Week is Simon Barget's 'Us and Them'. There's a lot of snappy answers being offered to things going on in the world at the moment, but this piece offers thoughts on the heartbreaking complexity, nuances and stumbling humanity of it all. The deep sadness of the final paragraph stayed with me for a long time. Thanks to Simon for...

Write what you know. Megan Nolan writes about Waterford, where she was brought up. And London where she moved to. But it’s London 1990. Nolan would be a toddler. A child has been reported missing and later found dead. ‘Down below in Skyler Square the trouble was passing quickly from door to door, mothers telling mothers, not speaking aloud but somehow saying : baby gone, bad man, wild animal. ’ James Bulger 1993 is the classic case. But google...

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/utama/on-demand/75755-001 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utama Virgino (José Calcina) gets up early to tend his llamas in Altiplano, the arid high plateau of the Andes with its mixture of cold and heat. His wife Sisa (Luisa Quispe) takes two metal buckets and walks into town for water. But the annual monsoon didn’t come. It hasn’t rained for a year. The weather is sick, says one of the villagers. Virgino is...

As usual our members made this the most difficult task of the week. Story of the Week Mark Burrow’s WIP continues to convince with a strong narrative voice. I look forward to seeing it in print one day. The latest instalment is here I enjoyed Marandina’s short about a family tragedy. This, too, benefits from a strong and believable narrative voice. ‘Those We Leave Behind’ is here This week’s Story of the Week goes to a tale by one of the most...

bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0gnmkvz/scrublands-series-1-episode-1?seriesId=p0gnmk66 https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0gnmlbt/scrublands-series-1-episo... https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0gnmm2g/scrublands-series-1-episo... https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0gnmmcc/scrublands-series-1-episo... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrublands_(novel) Scrublands begins with a bang. Literally. Father Byron Swift (Jay Ryan) after mass at St...

I’ve read a few Alan Parks's novels. Don’t ask me which ones. I thought To Die in June had won the McIlvanney Prize, but it was his last Detective Harry McCoy novel. I’m a book or two behind. I continually use the same line when talking about McIlvanney’s Detective Laidlaw series; his aim wasn’t to solve the crime but to solve the world. Detective Harry McCoy is from the same mould. ‘Wisdom comes through suffering.’ Aeschylus. I’m all for wisdom...

I promised I would let you know when Josiah and Archibald made their deput on the airwaves and I'm pleased to say that today (Friday, 17th November) is the day! The very first Undertakers story, 'A Dubious Undertaking' has been interpreted by Yorick Radio Productions and I have to say I think they have done a marvellous job. See what you think by following the link: https://yorickradioproductions.com/listen-to-our-latest-episodes/

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/la-civil https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_civil How much is your daughter worth? El Puma (Juan Daniel García Treviño) gives Ciero (Arcelia Ramírez) a price she must pay to see her daughter again. To keep her alive. He also demands her ex-husband’s truck. The smiling assassin and his companion assure her it’s just business. And she’d not to contact the police, because obviously in Northern Mexico they’re on the...

The title is longer that some of the books I’ve written and pretty much covers it. Alex Tresniowski has to shape a made-for-TV-kinda testimonial, true-story genre, into a three-part traditional beginning, middle and end with a bang. He gets nationwide coverage and a documentary programme to help with his search. The SET-UP establishes a normality that suggests this is who I am. In December, Paul Joseph Fronczak is just your typical ten-year-old...

Hi everyone, this is just a quick message to let you know I'm sorry I've not been around, I'm so missing all your wonderful poetry and stories. Laid up with a really bad dose of the flu and feeling awful. Can't wait to get back to normal. Jenny.