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With the release of his new book The Door-to-Door Poet (Eye Books) set for September 2025, as well as a new programme on BBC Radio 4 following swiftly after, Rowan McCabe returns to the stage with Hard Knocks, a show of comedy and spoken word about community and connection.

Rowan likes making a nuisance of himself with poetry. Over the past 10 years he’s been poet in residence in a pizza takeaway, in William Wordsworth’s childhood home and, once, on a miniature steam train. He’s also the world’s first Door-to-Door Poet and in 2019 he travelled across England, knocking on strangers’ doors and writing bespoke verses for them, for free, on any subject of their choosing. It’s a project that’s been featured in the Guardian and on BBC Breakfast.

Hard Knocks is a collection of all new material that lifts the lid on some of the most funny and challenging moments of this unconventional career path. Expect tales of mistaken identity, odes to self-care, and ruminations on time travelling public officials, all delivered with Rowan’s trademark warmth and wit.