Philip Hugh Bowen (born 1949) is a British poet, playwright, performer, teacher and biographer. He grew up in Liverpool, where he taught from 1972 to 1979. During the 1980s, he was a publican before becoming a full-time writer in 1992. He lives in Cornwall and works all over the country as a performer and writer in schools.
Books
Poetry What the night says That Was Peter Glaze – Ure Press – 1993, The Professor’s Boots – Westwords – 1994, Jewels & Binoculars (Ed) – Stride 1994, Things We Said Today (Ed) Stride -1995, Variety’s Hammer – Stride – 1997, Starfly – Stride – 2004, Nowhere’s Far – New & Selected Poems 1990–2009 – Salt Publications,
As contributor
Hepworth –Westwords – 1993, Return to Sender – Headlock – 1994, The Bridport Anthology – Sansom - 1995, The Forward Anthology – Forward – 1998, Paradise for Sale – Arts Council Collection – 1998, Welsh Routes – Liverpool Community Spirit – 2006, Hidden Histories – Exeter University – 2007, You Have Been Warned – Oxford - 2008,
Prose
A Gallery to Play to – the story of the Mersey Poets – Stride – 1998, Updated and republished – Liverpool University Press - 2008.
Plays
A Handful Of Rain: New York City, Edinburgh, Swansea, New End Theatre – 1999 - 2002, The Same Boat: Swansea, Cardiff and at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2003/4, The Other Side of the Words: Swansea Penzance in 2004 – St Ives 2006, Chimney Kids– (a musical for children with Paul Butler): Camborne, 2004, Swansea 2006, Anything But Love: New End London 2007, Swansea 2008, St Ives Festival 2009, Cheltenham Literature Festival 2010 Parlez Vous Jig Jig: Swansea, 2004, 2006, Shakespeare Link, Powys, Rosemary Branch, London 2008. A Case of the Poet: London 2006, Hull 2007,
Other publications
Crafting Poetry – Original Writing for GCSE Readings by Phil Bowen – DMEC The Blue Hand DVD (DMEC) Adventures in Poetry – Radio 4 - Tonight at Noon – Adrian Henri 2004 Centre of the Creative Universe – Liverpool & the Avant-Garde – Liverpool University Press and Tate Liverpool – 2007 . Revisiting Allen Ginsberg’s Liverpool trip in 1965….
Radio, Television and Film
Poetry Please Write Out Loud Something Understood The Archive Hour Adventures in Poetry - Radio 4 Happy Birthday Poetry - Radio 2 London Weekend TV Laughing Gas (Andrew Lanyon Films) - Mister Aquaviva Pilot for Theta Films 2007/08
Awards
The Ralph Lewis Award 1997 (Sussex University) The Bridport Prize 1998 Runner Up
External links Poetry Lesson The Playwrights Database - Phil Bowen Phil Bowen: Generosity and Power in Poetry – from a talk by the poet and playwright at the fiftieth anniversary celebration at The Dylan Thomas Festival 2003 Phil Bowen on topofthetree