Stuart Aken's Blog, page 25
December 17, 2022
#ScenicSaturday 17/Dec/2022
These pictures are from December, though not this year. I share them here to show #ourworldiswonderful.From the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, this one shows the path following the fence around the beaver enclosure, an experimental project designed to prevent flooding in the village below this stretch of hills. As far as I can tell, …
December 15, 2022
Bridport Prize 2022 Anthology: #BookReview.
This anthology from the respected Bridport Prize annual competitions presents the winners of the Poetry, Short Story, and Flash Fiction sections. Of the 35 pieces published here, I’m disappointed to report only one, Kerry Lyons’ ‘Seventeen Weeks’, really moved me. Many of the others struck me as pretentious, overly academic, self-absorbed, or simply incomprehensible. A …
Continue reading Bridport Prize 2022 Anthology: #BookReview.
December 10, 2022
#ScenicSaturday 10/Dec/2022
The pictures in this series are from December, though not this year. I share them here to show #ourworldiswonderful.Taken in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, this one shows a winding path through an area called Sallow Valets Inclosure. The massive tree in the foreground is possibly a grand fir, but it may be something …
December 3, 2022
#ScenicSaturday 03/Dec/2022
The pictures in this series were all taken in December, though not this year. My digital picture library started with my first DSLR camera, bought a while back. I share them here to show #ourworldiswonderful.Taken in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, this one shows a small footbridge taking the path over a private drive …
November 26, 2022
#ScenicSaturday 26/Nov/22
All photographs in this series were taken in November, though not necessarily this year. My digital picture library started with my first DSLR camera, bought a few years back. I share them here to show #ourworldiswonderful.Taken in the Forest of Dean last year, this photograph of the sometimes spectacular colours of autumn echoes my love …
November 25, 2022
Houses Borders Ghosts, from The Fiction Desk: #BookReview.
Nine short stories from contributors to The Fiction Desk appear in this, the 14th anthology published by this independent publisher of short stories and edited by Rob Redman.This is an eclectic collection of tales on no particular theme or treatment. It seems unnecessary to individually review these stories, and to synopsise them would be to …
Continue reading Houses Borders Ghosts, from The Fiction Desk: #BookReview.
November 19, 2022
Between Before and After, by Jessica Stilling: #BookReview.
If you’re seeking an emotional see-saw you could no better than try this book. The ups and downs are so beautifully handled, and the characters so wonderfully drawn, I was engaged from the very beginning, and remained so to the end.On the surface, this is the story of a filmmaker, one of the ‘arty’ types, …
Continue reading Between Before and After, by Jessica Stilling: #BookReview.
#ScenicSaturday 19/Nov/22
All photographs in this series were taken in November, though not necessarily this year. My digital picture library started with my first DSLR camera, bought a few years back. I share them here to show #ourworldiswonderful.This one depicts Gordale Beck, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, as it flows toward the picturesque village of Malham …
November 12, 2022
#ScenicSaturday 12/Nov/22
All photographs in this series were taken in November, though not necessarily this year. My digital picture library started with my first DSLR camera, bought a few years back. I like to share them here to show #ourworldiswonderful.This one, taken in the Forest of Dean that surrounds me, shows a naturally formed pool on the …
November 7, 2022
Encountered Art
….this post is about art we may encounter as we travel through our world, things that either present themselves as subjects we can display in a visually exciting way, or created works of art we happen upon and capture as we travel. For the full post, visit Medium here.
