Press

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Philip appears regularly in readings and has been in the media steadily for more than 30 years. He writing has received much critical acclaim as these comments show:

On The Heart of a Distant Forest:
“Coupled with a precise economy of language, Williams’ vision of the natural world is communicated masterfully. [This] is a deeply affecting, nearly flawless work.” — Nashville Magazine

On All the Western Stars:
“This is an extraordinarily winning tale, with a heart as wide as a sky full of stars.” — Publishers Weekly

On The Song of Daniel:
“A compassion and lyricism that is rare and affecting.” — The Dallas Morning News

On Perfect Timing:
“Rollicking humor, sharp sweetness, artistic allusion, and humble wisdom in an effortless, virtuoso performance.” — Booklist

On Final Heat:
“A daring, ambitious, and challenging work. Its suspenseful plot spirals onward to the final resonating page. A hell of a read.” — Atlanta Journal-Constitution

On The True and Authentic History of Jenny Dorset:
“An original comic triumph.” — The Charleston (S. C.) Courier

On Crossing Wildcat Ridge:
“Philip Lee Williams abandons familiar genres to create a unique and beautiful work lying somewhere between poetry and prose, between the scientist’s analysis and the mystic’s meditation . . .A generous and gentle sharing.” — The Bloomsbury Review

“Crisp with detail, the sections snap and curl like wind rolling over a ridge. Williams is thoughtful and reading his book creates a sense of peace . . . even his autumnal words seem silver and bright.” — The Sewanee Review

On The Divine Comics:
“Williams has done one hell of a job updating hell, purgatory and paradise for today’s savvy seekers of a great story and/or the white rose. Observers—such as the readers of this novel—left standing in the dark wood for eternity will sooner or later shout, as James Joyce might put it, “Here Comes Everybody,” for Dante’s epic poem and Williams’ update some 690 years later are both masterpieces describing the human condition. This is not to say everybody must use The Divine Comics as a personal heaven and hell travel guide. After all, how will we know at any moment whether we’re in or out of Whitman Bentley’s dream? As Williams says many times in the novel as an author commenting on the story he’s telling, “It’s a question well worth our attention.”

The Divine Comics is, indeed a comedy. But rest assured that before you reach that happy ending, The Lords of the Inner Kingdom, will capture your attention and then leave you breathlessly rolling in the aisles at a Vaudeville show filled with enough black humor to last a lifetime, and then some. — Malcolm R. Campbell, “Malcolm’s Round Table”

Podcast about Philip’s Award-Winning Epic Poem “The Flower Seeker”