This is an important part of what I do: getting out there and making contact with my readers. I've been fortunate enough to have read at schools and libraries across the west...and I'd love to do the same at yours! I am available for both readings and workshops.

My past experience includes a stint as prose editor of Windscript ("the magazine of Saskatchewan high school writing"). I have twice been keynote speaker at the Sage Hill Teen Writing Experience in Saskatoon, and I had the pleasure recently of being a guest writer at the Saskatchewan Reading Council Conference in Regina.

Typically, readings are 40-70 minutes in length, depending on how the school day is divided. I have read for grades 5 to 12, though grades 7 and up is most appropriate for my work. (This will change soon, as I expect to be producing work for younger readers as well in the future.) The format includes the reading of excerpts from my work, a talk about how I came to be a writer, and question and answer sessions. The students pretty much decide how much there is of each, and in what order.

Workshops, of course, take a little longer - two to three hours at least. My approach varies on these, as I am always looking for new ways to make writing an enjoyable experience for students. I am frequently amazed by the quality of their work. I'm certain I've met many future writers already!

My fees for readings follow industry standards, and are set at $150 (plus mileage). The school only needs to pay part of this if it takes advantage of the Saskatchewan Writers Guild's generous readings program - see here for details. For workshops, I charge $200 (plus mileage).

Feel free to contact me at any time for more details...I'd love to hear from you!

Phil reading at Carlyle King Library, Saskatoon

Author Biography

I was born in 1960 into a roaming lifestyle that involved moves every few months. An only child, I eventually became the adopted step-brother to numerous younger children. As a result, I quickly learned the art of story-telling to ward off mutiny against the sitter (me). During a five-year stint of small-town living, this took on the form of writing to ward off my own boredom. The wanderlust that resulted from living in a small town, combined with news reports of oppression in South America, sparked my interest in Chile. While still in my teens, I scribbled the first pages of what would eventually become The Freedom Run.

This partially completed manuscript, however, sat for years on a shelf. Other duties had called, like a stint at university that left no time to write. It wasn’t until re-entering the work force later that I finally found the time. As a young single writer in my early twenties, I would take several weeks off work, point the car in a random direction and go. Endless days of introspection and wandering in the Rocky Mountains provided substance to The Freedom Run. The book was first published in 1991 by Western Producer Prairie Books, and was named a Canadian Children’s Book Centre Choice.

After publication of that work, I found himself tending to matters closer to home. In addition to purchasing a house and renovating it endlessly, I married in 1994 – becoming an instant dad to a teen in the process.

In 2000, Napoleon Publishing released my second young adult novel, The Liberty Circle. Again touching on the subject of civil rights, this one looks at it from the angle of racism. The book takes place closer to home – uncomfortably close, perhaps, for anyone who has known urban strife. The plot combines the dark worlds of racist skinheads and cults. If a teen got himself into “The Liberty Circle”, would he be able to leave again? This novel was shortlisted for an Arthur Ellis Award as well as a Saskatchewan Book Award.

Recently, I returned to school, upgrading my education and achieving MCP and MCSE status. In addition to working as a computer consultant and trainer, I am still hard at work on the writing.