Philip Atkinson

Phil was born November 4th, 1953 at Sedgefield, County Durham, England at Hardwick Hall. From there, his mother took him back home to Witton Park where he spent the first decade of life with his dad, four brothers and three sisters. You can read about the circumstances of his family leaving the village in his novel "The King Street Kids."

They moved to Newton Aycliffe, one of the experimental new towns that were the UK's hope for post-war Britain to become a reinvented nation. It was there he met life-long friends who were instrumental in his life. He was indentured as an apprentice and became a journeyman mechanical engineer.

He lived for a time on a beach in the south of France, emigrated, scrubbed pots in a hospital, eventually graduated from the University of Victoria with a BA in Fine Arts to pursue a 20-year career with the government of British Columbia in Communications.

Phil is proud to be, as late friend and celebrated artist Ted Harrison described him, a 'Son of County Durham,' and has compiled a collection of local stories in 'Folk Tales from North East England.'

Phil's second novel, "Singing Stones and Blue Trout' is set in mid-20th century North of England and looks at the life of Ben, for whom things change for the better when he is adopted by Nelson Greenwood, a countryman who shares his wisdom and kindness.

Phil lives on 'the edge of the world,' Vancouver Island, on Canada's Pacific coast. He is married and has two daughters, a son and (last count) five grandchildren.