Roger McGough

Roger McGough is Presdient of the Poetry Society and a driving force for children’s literacy in the UK. He was awarded an OBE for services to poetry in 1997 and a CBE in 2010. Much travelled and translated, his poetry has gained huge popularity, especially from its widespread use in schools. A prolific writer, he is twice winner of the Signal Award for best children’s poetry book and recipient of the Cholmondeley Award. He is author of over 50 books, and presents ‘Poetry Please’ on BBC Radio 4. His latest poetry books are That Awkward Age (Penguin) and, for children, The Imaginary Menagerie (Frances Lincoln), which he also illustrated. His work is highly accessible, and this style of plain-speaking poetry, based on the lives and voices of people in the everyday world has ensured McGough a place in the public heart.


The Mersey Sound, the anthology that established McGough, Adrian Henri and Brian Patten as the ‘Liverpool Poets’ has sold over a million copies and has never been out of print (Penguin, 1967). Roger McGough is an Honorary Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University and an Honorary Professor at Thames Valley University. He has an MA from the University of Northampton and Honorary Degrees from the universities of Hull, Liverpool & Roehampton. His subtle and good-humoured poetry delights adults, whilst his writing for children specifically encourages them to question and celebrate the world around them.