Editor Biographies
Editorial Bio of Philip Wright
Writing and editing as Philip Writes on Medium as part of ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications
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In this post, we introduce Philip Writes, an inspiring writer and supportive editor on Medium. He volunteered to be an editor of Illumination Integrated Publications on Medium.
Our publications include ILLUMINATION, ILLUMINATION-Curated, ILLUMINATION’ S MIRROR, ILLUMINATION Book Chapters, Technology Hits, SYNERGY, Readers Hope, Illumination Videos and Podcasts, Illumination Gaming, Lampshade of Illumination, and ILLUMINATION’s Blog. Details are provided in the onboarding pack.
It is a reasonably safe bet to say that the first sentence you will hear from someone who knows Philip when asked to describe him is, “Where to begin?”
Philip will tell you he never ‘began’ writing. He has no recollection of starting. It was simply a chore assigned to him to keep him out of the way of his older siblings while they helped get dinner ready.
“Go write a story to read to everyone during dinner.” His innocent little mind thought this meant all chores were fun. Well, at least he entered the workforce with a positive attitude.
Philip always had a soft spot for animals and still does. In high school, he transferred from the American Midwest to the American Southwest, where they offered horseback riding as an option for P.E. Philip chose that class. It turned out the teacher was also a horse broker.
She had Philip come by every weekend to help break and train. He, in turn, proved to do exceptionally well with the horses. That led to more work at a ranch in the foothills and Philip very nearly went to a top equestrian college of the day.
Yet he also deeply loves Astronomy and all the Earth Sciences. To that end, he took a Career Enrichment course in Aeronautics in high school that he completed successfully, along with his FAA Ground School exam.
Embry Riddle Aeronautic University in Florida began sending feelers out to him as well. As it happens, a tragedy struck just 19 days after Philip turned 18. He did not pursue school again until his mid-twenties for Geology.
Philip also loves to cook Italian Comfort food. He has his grandmother’s old cookbook in which one recipe states, “Cook in a warm oven till done.” Ah, Italian cooking!
While he no longer makes his own pasta, his sauces are homemade, and everything is prepared just as his little Italian grandmother taught him while he stood on a chair to see the kitchen counter.
He loves to grill as well, charcoal or wood, please. He can also knock out a homemade pizza in no time. Yes, he does like his Chicago Deep Dish.
The majority of Philip’s work experience revolves around Manufacturing and Sales. While he genuinely does not care for sales, he has shown an aptitude for it, so he utilizes it when necessary.
Manufacturing was always his heart, though, from $4.15 USD/hr to Production Manager, Materials Manager, Master Scheduler, Master Planner, and finally Plant Manager within three years, it was all second nature to him.
Once he discovered the nuances of managing people, and not just running crews, both he and his workers truly enjoyed coming to work.
Everything was looking great; he had an instant family with two stepdaughters and a newly built home, and then, in a plot twist worthy of a Rob Zombie film, he learned that a genetic disorder was causing his minor health issues and it was beginning to travel to formerly unaffected areas of him.
Daily bleeding since his mid-20s had left him chronically anemic, and that was just one symptom. In the late twenties, while at work, it hit him extremely hard on the sales floor.
There was a mess. He no longer had a job within a few months. The disorder started causing even more problems as it spread where it chose. As his health deteriorated so did his ability to earn, Philip has battled homelessness for the past ten years. As of this writing, he is, in fact, sheltered homeless.
Like many souls, it seems there are so many more these days, Philip has been through a lot in his life. From the tragedy of watching his father’s accidental death unfold in front of him as a teenager to the health issues and homelessness, he has had his share of pain, sorrow, and depression.
Despite all of that, though, he is still here. Regardless of how sick, lost, or hopeless his situation has left him feeling he keeps in mind something he brashly decided in his younger years “Time Enough for Death in the Grave.”
He also likes to borrow a line from the film “Yellowbeard” which quite simply states “They’ll have to kill me before I die.”
Philip has always been adventurous and he has the ligament damage and a bit of precious metal in one leg to prove it. He chose a lifestyle of as much adventure and new experiences as he could fit in a lifetime.
During his life, he has/is or was Phi Beta Kappa, climbed four different 14,000-foot peaks, is a certified Scuba Diver, Cave Diver, Night Diver, Wreck Diver, Avid Outdoorsman (he still insists snow-camping is much warmer than you think,) Race Car Mechanic, MX Pit Mechanic, Kickboxer and many more things that simply can’t be added here.
Well, none of it killed him. So he took up Skydiving. Still alive. Insert a shrug here.
Through all of this, he found his way to Medium. He started reading and commenting, and on March 31st, he finally got real and published a new story.
The commenting led to conversations, and he found the most amazing, supportive, and wonderful friends. When he saw an announcement made by Dr Mehmet Yildiz expressing the need for editors, he offered to volunteer and was accepted as he has remarkable writing and interpersonal skills.
If there is one thing Philip would like for people to remember after reading this, it is that no matter how bad it is, because sometimes it’s awful, push through it.
When your brain is shutting down so frequently and so hard that your body follows suit, find a way to look in a different direction mentally so that when you can get your body to move, it’s so hard when it’s that bad, you have a direction to go.
For better or worse, your experiences will forever be a part of you, but they are not your sum. You can walk your own path again. Carpe Diem.
And so he writes.
Philip wants to share his three recent writings with our readers.
Thank you for reading these beautiful stories of Philip Writes and following his profile. You may contact him on ILLUMINATION’s Slack workspace where he supports our writers.
You can also connect with Philip on X-Twitter (see what he did there?), Substack, LinkedIn, Instagram — philip_writes23, and #TheFineRabble.
You might also check recent editorial introductions from our team.
You can learn about our other editors’ backgrounds from this collection curated by ILLUMINATION-Curators.
We updated some of our submission guidelines so please review them if you are a writer of these publications.
ILLUMINATION-Curated: New Submission Guidelines 2023 by ILLUMINATION-Curators
Submission Guidelines: Illumination Integrated Publications from August 1st, 2023 by Suzanne E.
Readers Hope: New Submission Guidelines 2023 by Dr Mehmet Yildiz
Technology Hits: Submission Guidelines 2023 by ILLUMINATION Amplifiers
ILLUMINATION Book Chapters: Submission Guidelines 2023 by ILLUMINATION
You might also check our new Let’s Make Invisible Stories Visible collection compiled by our editor Elin Melaas.
If you are interested in joining our editorial team, please feel free to contact our chief editor Dr Mehmet Yildiz, on Illumination’s Slack Workspace.
You may check out the criteria for our volunteer editorial role.
If you enjoyed this story, you might also check out a few other remarkable writers, such as Yogesh Haribhau Kulkarni (PhD), Dr. ADAM TABRIZ, Mark Sanford, Ph.D., Keri Mangis, Ayodeji Awosika, Raymond M.E. Aguirre, and Hakima T A N T R I K A, Melissa Kalt, whom Dr Mehmet Yildiz featured recently.
These top writers produce outstanding and authentic content that informs their readers.
You might find more interviews with other great writers in the attached collection and explore their inspiring and engaging content on Medium.
Sample Curated Collections for New Readers
Here are our latest curated collections by ILLUMINATION, ILLUMINATION Amplifiers, and ILLUMINATION-Curators for your enjoyment.
Critical Documents for Our Writers
Every writer contributing to our publications must review these guiding policies before submitting their stories. We are tolerant, but these are non-negotiable rules.
Writing Challenges and Prompts
Helpful Resources for Writers and Readers
Starter Kit for Writers of ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications
Improving the Quality of Writing Using an Editorial Checklist
Five Tips to Become a Prolific Writer Despite Full-Time Work
And let’s welcome new writers who joined us today.
Crystal Gillis, Brain Balance Labs, Luka Brzić, Bowen Smyth, Hema Ravi, Ramanan, Mohammed Hilili, James McDonald, Gaurav Mori, Pal Dru Koi, Hinduja, Oleks Gorpynich, Justin McLaughlin, Jennifer Ulie, PhD, Christina Daniels, Anand Raj, Patricia Dietrich, Christina Rizzo, Ida Silfverskiöld, Paul S. Marshall, Annika Hotta, Christopher Pierznik, Productivity,Time management,Success hacks, Robert E. Saunders, Leahprior, Alexandra Axente,
Invitation to New Writers
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ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications include:
ILLUMINATION ILLUMINATION-Curated ILLUMINATION’ S MIRROR ILLUMINATION Book Chapters The Lampshade of ILLUMINATION Technology Hits SYNERGY Readers Hope Illumination on YouTube Illumination Gaming ILLUMINATION’s Blog EUPHORIA by Dr Mehmet Yildiz
