The Door-to-Door Poet

My Adventures Across England
Writing rhymes for strangers on any subject they choose – as featured on BBC Radio 4

A madcap literary mission across England

‘A book that knocks on doors of language, of possibility, of love and of humanity. Open your door and let this book in . it’s as though the angel of poetry has written a knock knock joke that finds its way to your heart’ Ian McMillan

What would you do if a stranger knocked on your door and offered to write you a poem?

Rowan McCabe wanted to find out. In doing so, he became the world’s first Door-to-Door Poet. He banged on people’s doors and asked what was important to them. He then went away and wrote a poem about it, free of charge, which he brought back and performed on their doorstep.

Rowan tried the project with his neighbours in Newcastle upon Tyne. Emboldened to find that nobody punched him in the face, he then set out on a tour of England, knocking on the doors of Moss Side in Manchester, Jaywick in Essex, the remote island of Lundy and many places in between. 

This book is a funny and uplifting account of that journey. It tells the stories of the residents Rowan met and is punctuated by the thoughtful and often laugh-out-loud poetry that he wrote for them. The Door-to-Door Poet is a joyful and compelling portrayal of one very unusual mission and the many and varied voices that make up a nation.

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