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Leeds Lit Fest 2026

Following the release of his new book, The Door-to-Door Poet, as well as a hit programme on BBC Radio 4, Rowan McCabe returns to the stage with Hard Knocks, a show of spoken word and comedy 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 all across England, knocking on strangers' doors and writing bespoke verses for them, for free, on any subject of their choosing. It’s a bit like the Avon lady, but with rhymes.

Standard tickets for this event are priced at £10, but we have also included an option to buy a £12.50 ticket if you would like to support Leeds Lit Fest by giving a little more.