Welcome to the web site of award-winning writer Philip Lee Williams, author of 14 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, will be 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. 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.
“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 will publish the book in paperback, hardback, and a limited, signed edition hardback simultaneously. While The Flower Seeker should be available online in August, it will be in bookstores starting in early September.
The Flower Seeker is being 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 will reprint Bartram’s famous Travels, along with essays from 16 of the South’s best nature writers. Both books will feature the artwork of Philip Juras, an important landscape artist from Athens, Ga. See bartramproject.com for more information.
Philip loves to hear from from readers and from anyone interested in prospective appearances. If you'd like to contact him, you may get in touch directly and easily through the contact page.
This website is supported by Byhalia Books. Please email long.byhalia@gmail.com for details.
Symphony No. 17: Tenebrae
This symphony is subtitled "Tenebrae," which is a religious service in the Christian church but literally means "shadows" or "darkness" in Latin. It is a quiet, contemplative symphony, a single movement for full orchestra. (29'48")
Symphony No. 18: For the Civil Rights Martyrs
This work is subtitled "For the Civil Rights Martyrs" and is in memory of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, murdered in Mississippi in the summer of 1964 while working for Civil Rights. It is also in memory of all who died in the struggle. It is in two movements, "The Lynching" and "Souls."
One: The Lynching (15'25")
Two: Souls (14'25")
Welcome to the web site of award-winning writer Philip Lee Williams, author of 14 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, will be 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. 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.
“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 will publish the book in paperback, hardback, and a limited, signed edition hardback simultaneously. While The Flower Seeker should be available online in August, it will be in bookstores starting in early September.
The Flower Seeker is being 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 will reprint Bartram’s famous Travels, along with essays from 16 of the South’s best nature writers. Both books will feature the artwork of Philip Juras, an important landscape artist from Athens, Ga. See bartramproject.com for more information.
Philip loves to hear from from readers and from anyone interested in prospective appearances. If you'd like to contact him, you may get in touch directly and easily through the contact page.
This website is supported by Byhalia Books. Please email long.byhalia@gmail.com for details.
Symphony No. 17: Tenebrae
This symphony is subtitled "Tenebrae," which is a religious service in the Christian church but literally means "shadows" or "darkness" in Latin. It is a quiet, contemplative symphony, a single movement for full orchestra. (29'48")
Symphony No. 18: For the Civil Rights Martyrs
This work is subtitled "For the Civil Rights Martyrs" and is in memory of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, murdered in Mississippi in the summer of 1964 while working for Civil Rights. It is also in memory of all who died in the struggle. It is in two movements, "The Lynching" and "Souls."
One: The Lynching (15'25")
Two: Souls (14'25")
