Professional experience

University of Liverpool Continuing Education logo
In Sept 2024, Phil joined the University of Liverpool’s Continuing Education Part-time Tutor Panel and he is teaching Creative Writing evening classes in flash fiction from Feb - April 2025, as well an exhibition-related workshop at the VG&M in Nov 2024 and a 2-day Summer School workshop inspired by Oulipo in July 2025.
Floral Civilians logo designed by Colette Whittington (riso print floral lettering) and the National Lottery Community Fund logo (crossed fingers and pink text)
In Oct and Nov 2024, Phil ran free creative writing workshops at District House in New Brighton alongside artist Colette Whittington who ran zine-making and print-making workshops, all as part of the Floral Civilians project. These workshops have been made possible with funding from the Community Lottery Fund.
Writing on the Wall and National Museums Liverpool logos (black and pink text, respectively, on a white background).
In 2023, Phil ran the ‘Flashback: Canning Dock Flash Fiction Competition’ in collaboration with Writing on the Wall and National Museums Liverpool. This included developing writing exercises and prompts, delivering free creative writing workshops in Merseyside libraries and shortlisting the entries.
Science Museum Group logo (white text on a black background)
In June 2021, Phil was selected as one of 22 writers to work on 'Science Fictions: Journey Through Objects with Bedwyr Williams', responding to the Science Museum's new National Collection Centre. The Science Fictions anthology launched in Oct 2024 at the opening of the Hawking Building.
PechaKucha logo
In April 2020, Phil gave an online PechaKucha presentation as part of a 'lockdown special' PechaKucha Leamington Spa event. The evening of '20 images x 20 seconds' talks and readings raised £1,160 in donations towards making scrubs for NHS and health workers.
Victoria Baths Weekend of Words leaflet cover featuring a large pink question mark on a purple background.
In April 2019, Phil was commissioned to write a short story for the Victoria Baths Weekend of Words. Invited to respond to Manchester's Water Palace along with five other writers, the stories were performed at the Arts Council England-funded event on Saturday 8 June 2019.
Sabotage Reviews and Saboteur Awards logos. Sabotage Reviews appears on a blue background with a jellyfish. Saboteur Awwards appears on an abstract sparkly background. White text reads 'Reviewing indie lit since 2010'. Black text reads 'Home of the'
In March 2019, Phil was appointed as the new Fiction Editor at Sabotage Reviews. He has been responsible for recruiting a team of volunteer contributing reviewers, sourcing short story collections, anthologies, novellas and short fiction journals for review, and editing and publishing reviews to the Sabotage Reviews website. He has also helped run the annual Saboteur Awards. Please note that the Sabotage Reviews website is down (since late 2024) but past reviews can be viewed on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. The Saboteur Awards are currently on hiatius (no awards took place in 2024 or 2025).
Vestal Review banner with white text on a blood-orange background. The text reads: 'Vestal Review: The Longest Running Flash Fiction Magazine in the World'
Between July 2019 and June 2020, Phil was a First Reader at Vestal Review - the oldest magazine of flash fiction (established in Boston in 2000). After a brief hiatus in summer 2020, Vestal Review relaunched under David Galef as a digital magazine. Phil is now a Contributing Editor and has read over 1,000 submissions, putting recommendations forward for publication.
Exterior of FireFit Youth and Community Hub in Toxteth, Liverpool. The building has a glass entrance and a red roof, and yellow railings on the steps in front.
In May 2024, Phil delivered a short story workshop for 'Write Generation' — a development programme for a group of 11–17-year-olds — at FireFit Youth and Community Hub in Toxteth, Liverpool.
Front cover of Pulp Idol First Chapters 2024. White text on a wine red background reads 'Pulp Idol'. The Writing on the Wall logo appears in the bottom right of the image.
As one of the editors of Pulp Idol Firsts 2024, Phil was paired with a finalist in the Pulp Idol competition to help refine their first chapter up to a publishable standard for inclusion in the anthology.
Anthology book covers for Stragne Abrasions and The Manchester Anthology 2017. Strange Abrasions features red abstract marks on a black background, while the Manchester Anthologyu features a fishtank.
In addition to having stories featured in Strage Abrasions (2021) and The Manchester Anthology 2017, Phil was also an editor for both publications.
Phil was invited to read and assess competition entries for the Brighton Short Story Prize in July 2018.
Phil was interviewed by Zeroflash.org in April 2018 for the Zeroflash 'Get into writing' Q&A series.
Web project lead for the development of a multi-partner website for Manchester’s successful bid to become a UNESCO City of Literature.

One of three editors of The Manchester Anthology 2017 as well as fiction editor

An excerpt from Phil’s short story ‘Lorem Ipsum’ also features in the collection of fiction and poetry by Centre for New Writing master’s students. The anthology features a foreword by award-winning science fiction author Geoff Ryman.

Part of the wider editorial team for The Manchester Anthology 2016.

Phil proofread fiction submissions by fellow Creative Writing MA students.

A book launch for The Manchester Anthology 2016 was hosted at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation on Thursday 8 September 2016.

Wrote the script for ‘Shoot Liverpool: A Novel Adventure’, June 2009

Phil collaborated with London-based Shoot Experience to create an interactive photography event at Liverpool’s Bluecoat.

He scripted a story which sent participants off around the city centre, capturing segments of the tale with their cameras. The event culminated in an exhibition of photographs at Open Eye Gallery.

Writing festivals and conferences

  • Edge Hill Festival of Ideas 2019 (including Chris Power and Tessa Hadley)
  • Cork International Short Story Festival 2019 (including Julian Barnes and Kevin Barry)
  • Flash Fiction Festival 2018, Bristol + 2017, Bath
  • Man Booker 50 Festival at the Southbank Centre, 2018, London (including Kazuo Ishiguro)
  • Greenwich Book Festival 2018, London (including Toby Litt)
  • Northern Short Story Festival 2016 – 2019, Leeds Carriageworks
  • Writing on the Wall’s WoWFest, 2008 – 2025, Liverpool
  • Manchester Literature Festival, 2012 – 2024
  • National Creative Writing Graduate Fair / National Creative Writing Industry Day 2016 – 2021, Manchester
  • Place Writing Festival 2017, Manchester
  • Northern Lights Writers’ Conference 2017, Sale
  • London Short Story Festival 2015 + 14 (including a Toby Litt masterclass in 2015)
  • Bristol Festival of Ideas 2013 (including George Saunders)
  • In Other Words Literary Festival 2013, Liverpool
  • Chapter & Verse Literature Festival, Bluecoat, 2008 – 2011, Liverpool
  • Digital Universities UK Conference 2024, University of Exeter
  • Content>>Ed Conference 2023, The Lowry, Salford Quays
  • Copywriting Conference 2019, Barbican, London
  • Content>>Ed Conference 2019, Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh
  • Content>>Ed Conference 2018, 30 Euston Square, London
  • Communications and Marketing Conference 2017 + 2018, The University of Manchester
  • Copywriting Conference 2017, The Crystal, London
  • Arts Marketing Association (AMA) conference 2010, Curve Theatre, Leicester
  • Arts Marketing Association (AMA) conference 2009, Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds