Athelstone

A bit off-topic, but hey, this is the coffee shop, right?

I too have a huge amount of respect for Emma Darwin. And she gave me the happiest moment of my writing career.

The only time I went to the York Festival I (naturally, considering what I’ve just said) booked a book doctor slot with her. Mine was the first slot of the day, and as we sat…[Read more]

Well done, Sandra, and thanks Libby for inspiring a rather fun-to-explore effort ☺️

For a variety of reasons, I never studied Shakespeare at school and had to go off and read a sonnet (or two!) to gauge the appropriate level of thees, thines and thous.

Ath and Terrie – both delicious reads!

Oh heck – I never saw that coming, not among so many superb entries – thank you, Libby, for comp and comments, and thank you all for much reading awe and entertainment. I’ll aim to post September’s competition before the end of the day. [but isn’t it odd how often a last minute, popped into one’s head,  final sentence seems to make what seems  a d…[Read more]

An enjoyable  monthly challenge thank you, Libby.

Congratulations Sandra, I’m looking forward to where your monthly inspiration will lead us for  September.

Well  done Ath and Sea too.

It helps me to dip my toe into  writing in genres outside my comfort zone  when I see how diverse our  entries are

There’s a fabulous selection of entries in the August comp, and again it’s hard to pick one winner!

@Seagreen: This very enjoyable story reveals the rich history of a relationship, shown with a clever use of Elizabeth English and rhythm. There’s a satisfyingly wide range of emotion, including the delicious LOL comedy of “Thine exuberance I shall…[Read more]

A terrific set of comp entries. I’ll be along tomorrow morning to reveal the winner.

Hi Sandra, I was thinking that too!!

Don’t envy your task of choosing a winner, Libby!

Shall I compare thee to a summer day?  

The sons of Scathios are not many, but we exist, hiding in plain sight, yet cautious as stealthy shadows flickering through time.

The oracle of Ages states ‘everything is subject to the passing of time, even that which is immortal’ and yes things around me did transform and I perceived them in their tran…[Read more]

Reminder! The monthly competition closes at midnight on Saturday, 31st August.

Anyone can enter.

Here’s the task:

Our summer weather so far has been an ever-changing experience, almost one extreme to another. For the August comp please write a story about changeability titled ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’ Thee can refer to a perso…[Read more]

Probably a bit aslant of what you were hoping for Libby, but is the idea that stuck

‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’

I guess you had to’ve been there, because even now,  months later, just thinking about it makes me smile. It was the usual semi-dormant Friday afternoon meeting, Anton, our boss, wanting us to brain-storm some sort of…[Read more]

Thanks, Richard! This becomes quite compulsive doesn’t it, a new thread of literature (new to me anyway) to follow and think about.

I’m off now for a few days and will read your post fully when I return.

I’m glad you copied this, Libby, because you saved me the trouble. Your comments should definitely be an integral part of this thread. And I’m glad, too, that the poem seems to have had much the same effect on you as it had on me.

There’s more, much more, than ‘yet another translation.’ There’s a page with over forty, ranging from Catullus’ Latin…[Read more]