Our Story and Poem of the Month for April, very kindly chosen by Airyfairy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Red_Chairs What if? You can fill that question in various ways and answer in different art forms. The Little Red Chairs in the title of Edna O’Brien’s novel are symbolic of a wider evil—that of genocide and those involved. It refers to a commemorative art installation in Sarajevo: 11,541 red chairs placed in the street—one for each person killed during the 1,425 day siege, including 643 smaller chairs for...

A short note before the link. The thing about a Skip James record — about any record made by someone who is no longer here — is that it carries a small impossibility. Skip has been gone since October 1969. The records he made remain, and they sound, when you put them on, like a man in the room with you. This is a comfortable haunting. Most people who collect old blues records are familiar with it. This is the territory the story is in. Five...

John Willis had too much material to include in a book of just under 500 pages. The book and BBC oral history project from early in the present century which draws on 47,000 testimonies from ordinary civilians and service personnel. Most go unnamed. Those that are named, represent multitudes. I was particularly interested in Palestine, Monte Cassino and the Gothic Line 1944 because this is where my father fought. It was a particularly bloody...

Posted by airyfairy. First of all, a reminder of our brilliant new writing challenge, courtesy of Cerasus Poetry. It promises to be a lot of fun: “The Way We Heard”: A New Fiction Challenge for ABCtales | ABCtales Story of the Week goes - after a lot of thought, because everyone seems to be on a roll at the moment - to the latest chapter of Eric Marsh's Amanderella Gottsnobbler series. It's fun, it's brilliantly written, it's a children's story...

Filed by Fletcher Moody — Literary Correspondent I have written about many dead writers. This is the only one I helped carry. I was in Baltimore on October 3, 1849, covering the state elections for a wire service that no longer exists. It was raining — not hard, but steadily, the kind of rain that turns a dirt street into a problem. I was making my way to Gunner's Hall on East Lombard Street, which was serving as the Fourth Ward polling place...

Someone in the UK is diagnosed with cancer every 15 seconds. Some readers will be reading with that in mind. Others to find out more about life and death (which isn’t optional). Deborah James died on 28 June 2022, and her death had a major, immediate impact on the sales of How to Live When You Could Be Dead . It debuted at number one and became the bestselling non-fiction debut of 2022. It had me thinking of the classic BBC series: Why Don't You...

“The Way We Heard”: A New Fiction Challenge for ABCtales This new fiction challenge is sponsored by Cerasus who will donate £100 to ABCtales if all the criteria are met. It is inspired by Lille Dante’s current project to write a series of vignettes based around every UK Number 1 Single starting from the Chart’s inauguration in November 1952. Number 1 | ABCtales Lists of UK singles chart number ones - Wikipedia Lille is not confident of...

So not been writing for a while. Just getting through each day as it comes. My boyfriend is amazing, patient and everything like that but feel not myself. I feel angry alot, and then sad then happy. This can be in one day. I am struggling with my emotions alot. I am trying to be the best version of me for my boyfriend because if he sees me at my worst... well i don't think he will want me anymore. Stupid thoughts in my head all day everyday. I...

I have the blues. Well, a short story about the Blues, anyway. I thought it would be fun to write it as a "Choose Your Own Adventure" style story. After each part, the reader is presented with choices about what should happen next. Post your vote in the comment sections. I will count each vote until Friday when I will begin writing the next part. Each new part will post on Sunday, with voting closing on Fridays. For each vote (win or lose) made...