Welcome to the web site of award-winning writer Philip Lee Williams, author of 15 published works, including novels, essays, and poetry. Take your time to look around and sample some of his writing and music. His latest book, The Flower Seeker, an epic poem on 18th century naturalist William Bartram, was published on Sept. 1.

Williams joined such luminaries as Flannery O’Connor and Sidney Lanier as a member of the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in ceremonies on March 23, 2010. It is only the latest in a long string of honors for this writer who works in multiple genres.

The Flower Seeker, written in 24 sections or cantos, is the story of William Bartram’s life, especially the four years in the 1770s when he traveled across the South learning about its flora, fauna, and native peoples. The Flower Seeker was named Book of the Year by Books & Culture. You may read a transcript of Philip's interview with Books & Culture here. Podcast may be listened to here.

“While some people may find the idea of an epic poem daunting, the book is actually quite readable in the way a novel is,” says Williams. “I believe with all my heart that this book is my magnum opus and will be treated as such. It’s the culmination of a lifetime devoted to serious writing and to the history of an art form I love so much.”

Mercer University Press has published the book in paperback, hardback, and a limited, signed edition hardback simultaneously. The Flower Seeker is available online and in bookstores now.

The Flower Seeker was published along with a volume to be called Bartram’s Living Legacy: the Travels and the Nature of the South, edited by noted writer Dorinda Dallmeyer. It reprinted Bartram’s famous Travels, along with essays from 16 of the South’s best nature writers. Both books featured the artwork of Philip Juras, an important landscape artist from Athens, Ga. See bartramproject.com for more information.