Tyler Keevil

Published Author

Tyler recently graduated from Aberystwyth University with a PhD in Creative Writing. He started out writing “shorter fiction because for a new writer it seemed the best way to experiment and learn the craft”. He does not see publication as a requirement for writing. In effect the advice he gives is: “Don’t wait around for an editor or producer to tell you that you’re good enough, just go for it.” Tyler has lived by his advice and has successfully published three books so far. His debut novel Fireball (2010) was longlisted for Wales Book of the Year and received the Media Wales People's Prize 2011. His second novel The Drive (2013) was shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year, winning the People's Choice Award. His most recent collection of short fiction, Burrard Inlet, has received a roster of accolades: it was nominated for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize, the Frank O'Connor Short Story Award, and The Wales Book of the Year Award, and stories that feature in it have won the Frome Festival Short Story Competition, the Cinnamon Press Short Story Prize, and the Writers' Trust of Canada Journey Prize.

Tyler is also involved with filmmaking and screenwriting. Tyler's short films have screened at festivals in Canada and across the UK one of which received the People's Choice Award at the Vancouver Reelfast Film Festival. More recently, Tyler has been working as a script editor and story consultant and his short story ‘The Herd’ has been optioned to be adapted into a feature film. Tyler is also involved in organising and leading writing workshops, one-to-one mentoring schemes, interactive theatre and storytelling, school visits, education outreach, community theatre, and much more. He is particularly interested in artistic endeavours that combine or explore literature and drama, writing and performance, the written and spoken word.

“I chose to undertake my PhD at Aberystwyth because I had recently completed my MA in Creative Writing there and I’d had a great experience. Our student cohort was a close-knit group and the‌ lecturing staff were inspiring and encouraging: Tiffany Atkinson, Matthew Francis, Kelly Grovier, and Jem Poster.  My Creative Writing supervisor was fundamental to the development of the project: his experience and expertise enabled him to provide invaluable advice throughout the process.  It was a six-year creative journey; for the main portion of my thesis I wrote a road novel, The Drive, which was subsequently accepted for publication by Myriad Editions.  To acquire the doctorate, you also write an accompanying reflective-critical essay, and that was an interesting challenge in its own right.  Overall, my experience studying Creative Writing at Aberystwyth, both as an MA and PhD student, was very positive and memorable: the department had a supportive ethos and a strong creative culture, inside and outside the classroom.  Long may that continue.”