Roger McGough: That Awkward Age

Roger McGough: That Awkward Age

Sunday 21 March 2010 at 19:30

In Hope Theatre, The Capstone Building

Followed by booksigning.
www.rogermcgough.org.uk

That Awkward Age
Roger McGough's eagerly-awaited new collection is a powerful testament to the miraculous in the everyday. Here he builds us his world: one of chance encounters and embarrassing moments, of big questions and small wonders. 'At that awkward age now between birth and death,' he addresses Alzheimers and wrestles with mortality. He resolves (and fails) to live every day as if it were his last, joins the Foreign Legion, jives in Macca's trousers, shares the pain of Mr Sappho and Lord Godiva and plans a prison break.
With his inimitable warmth, wit and wordplay, Roger McGough affirms his position as the pre-eminent poet of the magic moment - the happy collision of life, language and the imagination.

For adults & 14+.

'rueful, unpredictable observation to please the sharpest wits' The Independent

‘a poemy torch in dark corners' Ian McMillan Poetry Review

'profound surprises and lasting images on almost every line' Siân Hughes T.E.S.

'a witty and ingenious chronicler of British life, who manages a range of perennial themes with a deftness and agility that is hard to beat' The Poetry Society

'The patron saint of poetry ' Carol Ann Duffy

'Liverpool's own Poet Laureate' Daily Post

'He is a true original and more than one generation would be much the poorer without him ' The Times

'A word juggler who never misses a catch' Charles Causley

About the Author
Roger McGough is one of Britain's best-known poetry voices.
He was born in Litherland in the north of Liverpool and studied French at the University of Hull at a time when Philip Larkin was the librarian there. Returning to Merseyside in the early 1960s, he formed The Scaffold with John Gorman and Mike McGear. The band had several hit records including a number one in 1968 with their version of "Lily The Pink".

At about the same time a selection of Roger’s poems was published, along with work from Adrian Henri and Brian Patten, in a best-selling paperback volume entitled The Mersey Sound.

Since then he has been captivating children and adults alike with his unique blend of heart and wit for more than four decades. He has published almost a half century of poetry books, including many for children. His latest volume is That Awkward Age (Penguin) and, for children, All The Best, The Bees’ Knees and now Slapstick (all Puffin).
His autobiography Said And Done (Century) explores overnight fame with Lily The Pink, The Scaffold and Yellow Submarine, which he helped write for the Beatles. He also released a live concert CD, Lively.
Much travelled and translated he is now an international ambassador for poetry and was honoured with the Freedom of the City of Liverpool in 2001 and with a CBE in 2005.
In 2008, as part of the Capital of Culture celebrations, he successfully adapted Molière's play Tartuffe for the Liverpool Playhouse. He followed that in 2009 with The Hypochondriac, another Moliere adaptation.
He was Fellow of Poetry at Loughborough University (1973-5) and Honorary Professor at Thames Valley University (1993). He won a Cholmondeley Award in 1998 and in 2006 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Liverpool.

Roger now lives in London.

Last Updated ( Monday, 22 March 2010 )

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