Phantoms at the Phil

The Fourth Proceedings

In December 2007, Phantoms at the Phil returned to Newcastle's Lit & Phil (Literary & Philosophical Society), for a fourth triumphant year. The company gathered in the Lit & Phil Library for mulled wine and mince pies, then proceeded into the Mining Institute to hear readings of three brand new ghost stories from Chaz, Gail-Nina Anderson and Sean O'Brien (pictured, right, signing the book of the Third Proceedings).

The stories were:

• Not in Gateshead Any More by Sean O'Brien
• The Manor Ghost by Gail-Nina Anderson
• and Walking Wounded by Chaz Brenchley.

In addition to the traditional Lit & Phil sessions on 17th and 19th December, there was an additional event on the shortest night of the year, December 21st at Alnwick's Barter Books: Chaz and Gail-Nina Anderson were joined by Simon Morden (who previously manifested at the Second Proceedings) to tell ghost stories in the Old Waiting Room, Barter Books, Alnwick.

Buy the Book

Phantoms at the Phil: the Third Proceedings made its first appearance at the Fourth Proceedings described above. Uniform with the preceeding volumes, it contains six stories, those from the Third Proceedings and those from the original Midsummer Proceedings. The stories are:

• Sean O'Brien: The Cricket Match at Green Lock and In the Silence Room
• Gail-Nina Anderson: The Parasol and A Garland with Gloves
• Chaz Brenchley: Summer's Lease and The House of Mechanical Pain

It is a hardbound limited edition of 300 copies, published by Side Real Press in association with Northern Gothic, December 2007, and is available here at the special price of £10. Please note that these proceedings were not recorded, and that the third volume therefore, unlike its predecessors, does not contain a CD.

To buy the book, e-mail , or buy now, using PayPal - just indicate how many you want, then click the link to buy using your debit or credit card:

1 2 3 4 5 6 (If you want more than six, email for a special deal.)

The Book of the Second Proceedings is also still available, in limited numbers, at the same price (£10). To purchase, e-mail , or buy now, using PayPal - just indicate how many you want, then click the link to buy using your debit or credit card:

1 2 3 4 5 6 (If you want more than six, email for a special deal.)

We use PayPal to collect your payment, but you do not need to open a PayPal account to pay this way. Nor do we see your card details, as PayPal deal direct with your bank.

We regret that Book of the First Proceedings is out of print.

The Proceedings to Date

Click the links to go direct to further details.
The First Proceedings * The Second Proceedings * The Midsummer Proceedings * The Third Proceedings * The Second Summer Proceedings

The First Proceedings

Phantoms at the Phil was launched on Monday 13th December 2004, with a repeat performance on Wednesday 15th. Arts Council funding made it possible for the planned mix of ghostly stories, literary setting and seasonal refreshments to be further enriched with atmospheric music, and then recorded for posterity on a CD included in the book of the event.

Phantoms at the Phil (the first collection) is now out of print. It includes an audio CD, an introduction by Ramsey Campbell, master of the contemporary ghost story, and the three short stories from the 2004 proceedings:

• The Custodian by Sean O'Brien,
• The Dust Jacket by Gail-Nina Anderson, and
• Another Chart of the Silences by Chaz Brenchley.

The Second Proceedings

Once again, 2005's Phantoms at the Phil consisted of two sold-out readings, but with a difference. On Monday 19th December the contributors were, as last year, Sean O'Brien, Gail-Nina Anderson and Chaz Brenchley - "the Old Contemptibles", in Chaz'z words. They were followed on Wednesday 21st December by "the Young Pretenders": Ann Cleeves, Simon Morden and Carol McGuigan. The result was not just three, but six varied and entertaining new ghost stories -which can be read (or indeed listened to) in the Second Proceedings collection, still available in limited numbers only (see above).

The stories are:

• It Follows Therefore by Sean O'Brien
• The Chapel of St Thomas by Gail-Nina Anderson
• The Deadly Space Between by Chaz Brenchley
• The Midwife's Assistant by Ann Cleeves
• Seeing Things by Simon Morden
• The Dead Reckoning by Carol McGuigan

The Midsummer Proceedings

The Summer Solstice, June 21st 2006, marked an innovation in the now-traditional ghost story events at Newcastle's Lit & Phil: Midsummer Phantoms. The classic line-up of Sean O'Brien, Gail-Nina Anderson and Chaz Brenchley read three new stories -

• The Cricket Match at Green Lock by Sean O'Brien
• The Parasol by Gail-Nina Anderson
• Summer's Lease by Chaz Brenchley

The Third Proceedings

At the third annual Christmas edition of Phantoms at the Phil, on Monday 18th and Wednesday 20th December, 2006, the three founder members read again, providing four new stories, since Sean O'Brien read different stories at the two events.

The canonical listing, however, is:

• In the Silence Room by Sean O'Brien
• A Garland with Gloves by Gail-Nina Anderson
• The House of Mechanical Pain by Chaz Brenchley

The Second Summer Proceedings

The Second Summer Proceedings were held on Thursday 2nd August 2007; the company assembled, as is traditional, in the library of the Lit & Phil, and, having partaken of refreshments, were led by a guide through the library of the adjoining Mining Institute and down into that institution's lecture theatre. (Read Chaz'z account of the event in his LiveJournal).

The new stories written for, and read on, this occasion were:

• Features of the Text by Sean O'Brien
• Summer Shadows by Gail-Nina Anderson
• The Summer House by Chaz Brenchley

The Literature North-East web site has an interview with Chaz about Phantoms at the Phil.