Stories and poems that have made it into our recommended reading section are hand picked by our staff. They have been identified as exceptional pieces of writing, which warrant separate recognition.
Stories that are part of a series, or novels that have made it into this outstanding series section, are nominated by our staff and awarded by a select panel. These stories have been deemed superior as complete works and have garnered special recognition.
You are almost certainly guaranteed a good read, if you've selected a story from these offerings!
They say that war is hell, it is. It’s a hell I unwittingly chose. I was fifteen at the time. I lived in a little known northern town in England. Not much happened in my town. The men went to work down the mines, the women stayed at home. It was all quite simple really; I could tell you all about it on a single page. Then the war came and everything changed. I watched as the men went off to war, my father included. They t...
That night you breathed; by day you’d gone; And afterwards, a veil was drawn That hid the things you said I’d see: your solemn promise made to me that guaranteed you’d still be there. And in your place a lifeless void: clawed corners of a Polaroid The pen you used. Your chair. Yet later, from those deadened days a soul arose, in shapeless ways I can’t describe, just a knowing more than life recalled. A growing solace from...
I Beyond the veil: the Good, the Evil, Visions of mysteries seen by the chosen few. At our given time, one by one, Souls will be carried by Angels to Love or Snatched by demons, cast into the pit. II Beyond the veil, time ceases to exist; Eternally rest in love and glory, or Forever suffer agonizing flames of fire? The choice is ours; free will, a most precious gift, To accept and love or betray and loathe, Memento mori:...
Eyes struggle, then start to fail As I tread an oft-forgotten trail While my dizzy thoughts retreat… I see these things, beyond the veil Grandad milks into a pail Then walks back home to eat I am a slowly crawling snail Sliding sticky on a rail Seeking a rotting treat I’m an up-and-arching whale Flukes up high, then smacking like a flail Spreading stars as waves retreat Next a startled, leaping quail Leaking feathers from...
Beyond the veil, where secrets hide, A world unknown, where dreams reside. In gentle whispers, shadows play, A land unseen, where spirits sway. What lies beyond this hidden door? A place of peace, forevermore? In twilight’s glow, we hope to find, The echoes of a heart aligned. Yet as we stand upon the brink, We ponder what the darkness brings, The pull of mystery's thread we feel, Drawing us to where dreams are real. Fear...
Once many years ago my heart was captured, A beautiful soul's light was shared, my world sublimely fractured, My joy was instant my life enlightened, Opening like a rare flower, refusing to be frightened. Life's journey is sometimes serendipitous, Its twists and turns lead to the spiral gate within the mists, What seems real may disappear, The sounds of your own tears revealed only to your own ears. I too was sadly deceiv...
In the beginning was a box (bought wholesale at the flea circus gift shop) inside that box was a world. Outside that box were instructions: (be quiet, pay attention) __ Unwrap box along the perforated edge in the plastic provided for your convenience. Discard wrapping in recycling bin. Grab sharp utensil. stab holes inside the veil of the world. (This is so it can breathe. creation makes many beings, and worlds quite gass...
Beyond the veil, I cannot see; Does his heart still beat for me? Is mi amor forevermore? 🌹 Día de Muertos soothes my splintered heart, Pleading death does not keep souls apart. I lay one rose on my lover’s grave, A sign he’s here, I desperately crave. 🌹 Black lines crisscross upon my lips; Lips he once traced with tender fingertips. His favorite flowers adorn my hair; Inked roses embrace on skin left bare. 🌹 With papel...
Love is like the wind, you once told me, your voice a soft caress carrying secrets on dawn's breath. We danced in its embrace, two leaves caught in a breeze, spinning together, our touch light as air, yet deep as the sky's expanse, like the passing wind, brief, yet deeply felt. Your eyes held the horizon, vast and open, and I, a wanderer, lost in their dark infinity, drifted on the promise of forever whispered by the wind...
The summer of 1975 provided hot, sunny days and warm, balmy evenings in Detroit. Having a pool in our backyard meant late-night swims so we could go to bed and let the box fan in the window blow air on our wet hair, helping to cool us off enough to sleep. That was my parents’ idea of air conditioning. I never minded the heat. As hot as it was, it was nothing compared to the humid, tropical weather I experienced on my many...
I slipped on my moccasins and walked to my desk where I gathered my notebook and psychology textbook. I lifted my head and stared out the window of the top-story dorm room I shared with my roommate, Chloe. It was a dreary, spring morning. Gray clouds veiled the blue sky. Rain was imminent, I was sure. “Looks like it’s going to rain,” Chloe said as she opened the door and walked in the small room. I broke my gaze from star...
It was strange really, how it began. So totally unexpected. Hmm... let me explain from the beginning. It was a normal day. My role as the village blacksmith kept me firmly in the background. I had been doing this kind of work all my life. When I was young, I started as a simple villager, running errands, selling fruit and vegetables, just blending in really. But it was the Smithy that really attracted me, so I learned how...
Hi folks, my name is Milly Tigger. This is how I found my forever home after a rough start in life . I wasn't sure I would ever have a safe space . My beginnings were rough I was born to a Yorkie and poddle living off grid in a place that was pretty run down . But anyway, one day, I peeked at the computer screen and saw where the lady was trying to sell me and my brother, and I whimpered. The teen human said, "I'm sorry y...
I had just about given up on the library when I spied Jimmy back in the corner, head down in a book – naturally. He was in the history section, where no one else was seated. He didn’t want to go home. His shiftless, drunk of a father would be there, and Jimmy would have to face him when he went home to cook supper for them both. The school building had closed to students over two hours ago, and the janitor had finally boo...
Mitzy was poking her peas around the plate one night at dinner. Her parents exchanged a look, silently asking the other which one of them would ask their daughter what was going on first, like an invisible game of rock paper scissors, before one of her fathers cleared his throat. “You got a grievance with the peas? You are moving them around your plate with an air of disinterest and I thought they were your most favorite...
Ædith walked slowly, her heart was beating powerfully as the adrenalin flowed through her veins. This was the moment she had dreamed of as she stared straight ahead through the thin mesh of her veil. She looked neither right nor left, ignoring the admiring glances of the gentlefolk who were lining the path leading to the Cathedral. Ahead, standing before the closed oak doors, the priest stood silent, his hands clasped bef...
