Writing Podcast Episode 683: Philip Howell tours English bar-rooms in his latest book, 'Pub'

29/09/2025 56 min
Writing Podcast Episode 683: Philip Howell tours English bar-rooms in his latest book, 'Pub'

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Episode Synopsis

We’ve all been to a pub. They’re places to meet friends, meet lovers, to celebrate, commiserate and even do weekly trivia. But do you REALLY know pubs? This is the question author Philip Howell poses and attempts to answer in his latest book, the aptly named Pub. Philip joins us to discuss the inspiration for this book, the pitching process, researching topics and his overwhelming love of one particular app! 00:00 Welcome05:12 Writing tip: Night-time whiteboards07:49 WIN!: The Butterfly Thief by Walter Marsh10:09 Word of the week: ‘Vexillology’12:10 Writer in residence: Philip Howell12:55 Describing ‘Pub’ as a concept and book14:00 History vs Geography in this book15:33 Inspirations for writing this book19:06 The pitching process21:53 The structure of the book23:30 Choosing what to leave out28:05 Range of writing topics and side hustles30:42 The social dynamics of pubs32:52 Writing popular geography vs academic34:49 Research methods and tools36:53 The importance of readability in writing37:21 Love of Scrivener40:35 Repurposing cut content42:41 Australian pubs?43:20 On being an expert in ‘pubs’45:40 Future projects48:31 Philip’s writing tip52:17 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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