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Phil Brown Phil Brown i(A17026 works by) (a.k.a. Phill Brown; Phillip Brown)
Born: Established: 1956 Maitland, Maitland area, Hunter Valley, Newcastle - Hunter Valley area, New South Wales, ;
Gender: Male
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Works By

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1 Late Flowering i "Am I having a late flowering?", Phil Brown , 2021 single work poetry
— Appears in: StylusLit , September no. 10 2021;
1 y separately published work icon The Kowloon Kid : A Hong Kong Childhood Phil Brown , Yarraville : Transit Lounge , 2019 16790831 2019 single work autobiography

'From the author of Travels with My Angst and Any Guru Will Do, a vivid, nostalgic, and funny memoir of growing up in Hong Kong in the 1960s.

'Phil Brown's life begins in small town Australia — Maitland, NSW to be precise — but in 1963 his father Ted hankers to return to the Hong Kong of his childhood and to cash in on a construction boom in the burgeoning colony.

'Then under British rule, the world of Hong Kong is a truly fascinating place for gweilos or foreigners, both a colonial outpost and a region redolent with all the exoticism and contradictions of the Far East. The Brown’s home, in the garden suburb of Kowloon Tong, buzzes with characters: the family's amah, Ah Moy, frequent visitors such as the inscrutable Mr Lai, the spy-like Tony Parr, and family members such as Uncle Cyril. Not to mention the kid from across the road, Michael Hutchence.

'Combining recent visits to Hong Kong, where the author explores his childhood touchstones of the Kowloon Cricket Club, the beach at Shek O, the Peninsula Hong Kong and the bustling lanes of Kowloon, with an affectionate yet truly honest portrait of family, self and the 1960s The Kowloon Kid is an intimate and tender gem.'   (Publication summary)

1 Remember the Sidetracks? Phil Brown , 2017 single work autobiography
— Appears in: StylusLit , September no. 2 2017;

'

Fear gripped me as I stood on the stage and surveyed the crowd, their expectant faces turned upwards in hope. My mouth was dry and I felt a flush of embarrassment as I clutched the microphone in my sweaty palm. Maybe I should have thrown up before I came on? Too late now. Then the first spare notes of acoustic guitar started, picking out the intro to Happy Together by The Turtles.'  (Introduction)

1 The Battle of Kowloon Tong Phil Brown , 2017 single work autobiography
— Appears in: StylusLit , March no. 1 2017;

'Randy Munoz was the toughest kid in Kowloon Tong. For a start he had a knife. He first produced it on a YMCA camping trip we went on to some small, rugged islands in the Port Shelter group in the waters off Sai Kung in the eastern part of the New Territories.

We were bunked down in a huge shed on one of the islands because it was raining at the time and late at night contraband items including Scotch whisky (Johnny Walker red label to be precise) and Cuban cigars were produced by some of the older boys who must have been only 13 or 14. Randy, meanwhile, had his knife and during our weekend, which always reminds me of Lord of the Flies for some strange reason, we practised throwing it – sometimes at tree trunks, sometimes at the ground and sometimes at each other’s feet, nimbly jumping from side to side to avoid the blade.' (Introduction)

1 Heartfelt Tale to Be Considered for Award Phil Brown , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 26 August 2016; (p. 12)
'Working as a crisis counsellor gave Brisbane author Cass Moriarty the inspiration for her poignant debut novel. The Promise Seed is the story of a neglected boy and his friendship with the elderly man next door and it has been selected as one of eight finalists for the $10,000 The Courier-Mail People’s Choice Book of the Year Award. Voting for this year’s award is now open and The Courier-Mail writers Matthew Condon and Susan Johnson are also in the mix. ...'
1 The Business of Writing Phil Brown , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 27 August 2016; (p. 30)
'I’m very interested in the way writers work. Which is why I pounce on books such as Australian novelist Charlotte Wood’s The Writer’s Room (Allen & Unwin, $37). Inspired by The Paris Review interviews, Wood established The Writer’s Room Interviews in 2013, a bimonthly digital magazine with each issue featuring a long-form Q&A with an established Australian author. The point of the project, Wood says, was to engender “a deeper sharing of the creative experience among writers working in different genres”. ...'
1 Author Lands Place on Book Prize Shortlist Phil Brown , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 31 August 2016; (p. 24)
'Her latest book, The Landing, has been nominated for the $10,000 The Courier-Mail People’s Choice Queensland Book of the Year Award, part of the Queensland Literary Awards. Johnson’s novel is set by a lake somewhere near Noosa. She said it was inspired by the local landscape and, while there were many actual locations, the main setting and the people in her novel were purely fictional. ...'
1 The Artful Lodger Phil Brown , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 20 August 2016; (p. 22)
'Having a hotel named after you when you’re still alive is a compliment and quite handy. The acclaimed Australian artist Michael Johnson thinks so. Particularly when it means there’s a room available for him any time he needs it. ...'
1 Arts Phil Brown , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier–Mail , 6 August 2016; (p. 31)

'In recent years, indigenous art has been the good news story of the art world. The milieu of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art has been a positive revelation.'

'Despite the unresolved problems facing indigenous Australia, to my mind Aboriginal art is the rose in the garden. In recent decades its flowering has been the most amazing story in the global art world. From the desert to the cities, it has blossomed in infinite variety. ...'

1 Arts Phil Brown , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 30 July 2016; (p. 37)
'I’ve never met Clive James and soon I will have the opportunity not to meet him again. I will be introducing him at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley at a session of the Queensland Poetry Festival (August 25-28). ...'
1 Stage Phil Brown , 2016 single work review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 16 April 2016; (p. 34)

— Review of Motherland Katherine Lyall-Watson , 2012 single work drama
1 Aboriginal Artist to Fly Solo at Venice Biennale Phil Brown , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 7 January 2016; (p. 39)
'Queensland artist Tracy Moffatt will represent Australia at the 2017 Venice Biennale and that's a first...'
1 Twists in the Tale Phil Brown , 2016 single work review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 9 January 2016; (p. 15)

— Review of No Free Man Graham Potts , 2016 single work novel
1 The Review of the Review Is Positive Phil Brown , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 20 October 2016; (p. 32)
'It seems like only yesterday, but it wasn’t. It was 2003 when journal Griffith Review (named after visionary former Queensland premier Sir Samuel Griffith)was launched. I can remember interviewing editor Julianne Schultz for the launch. It was a bright, sunny day and I recall that she was very enthusiastic, I was very enthusiastic and the vice-chancellor of Griffith University, Glyn Davis, was also enthusiastic. ...'
1 My Life : Volume One Phil Brown , 2016 single work review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 24 September 2016; (p. 18)

— Review of No Job for a Woman Sallyanne Atkinson , 2016 single work biography
'Former Brisbane Lord Mayor and one-time journalist Sallyanne Atkinson delivers the first of what may turn into a series of memoirs. ...'
1 War of Words Phil Brown , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 13 September 2016; (p. 6)
'A furore over potentially racist comments made by American author Lionel Shriver at the Brisbane Writers Festival has been defended by the festival director. ...'
1 A Heartfelt Tale Gains Book Prize Nomination Phil Brown , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 7 September 2016; (p. 21)

'writing about her brother’s death was the hardest thing Brisbane author Elspeth Muir has ever done.'

'Her book Wasted, which is subtitled A story of alcohol, grief and a death in Brisbane, is as moving as it is heartbreaking and has been nominated for The Courier-Mail People’s Choice Queensland Book of the Year award. ...'

1 Novel Debut of Suburban Sorrow and Salvation Phil Brown , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Courier-mail , 22 December 2015; (p. 37)

— Review of The Promise Seed Cass Moriarty , 2015 single work novel
'Working as a volunteer phone counsellor helping families in crisis left a lasting impression on Brisbane author Cass Moriarty...'
1 My Favourite Read Phil Brown , 2015 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 12 December 2015; (p. 12-13)
'Ten Queensland writers reveal their fabourite book...'
1 Treason and Triumph Phil Brown , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 5 December 2015; (p. 19)

— Review of Beneath a Rising Sun Peter Watt , 2015 single work novel
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