In March 2019, Rowan McCabe set out to visit 12 locations across England, one every month. From there, he had three simple steps; knocking on strangers’ doors, to ask what is important to them; going away and composing a poem based on their answer, free of charge; and finally, bringing it back and performing it on their doorstep. Now he brings his experiences, and the impact of certain world events on them, to the Old Fire Station, alongside Tina Sederholm- Daily Info caught up with him to find out more.
Daily Information: How did the idea for Door to Door Poetry come about?
Rowan McCabe: The moment I had the idea I was walking down my street. I live in Newcastle upon Tyne, it’s a pretty normal row of terraces. It occurred to me that there’s about 300 people living all around me, and I don’t know any of them.
I don’t think that’s particularly unusual, is it? But for the first time I noticed how odd it was. I talk to strangers in lots of other places. In the pub, at the bus stop. So why is it when I walk past these people on my way to work, or when I’m off to the shops, I pretend I can’t see them? I was wondering if there might be a way to use poetry to explore that.
I was also thinking about what the role of a poet is, too. I come from a working class family, the idea of being a poet for a living feels a bit strange. So I was wondering about the idea of poetry being a ‘proper job’ and what that should even look like. Imagine if you clocked in every day, like an office worker, or a door-to-door salesman. That’s where I was at.
DI: What was the door-knocking process like? How did people respond to you?
RM: So this is how it works: I go to a street. I knock on a door. I count to 45 in my head. If no one answers, I carry on. But every now and again, someone answers. And when they do, I ask them if they have a minute and 10 seconds to spare. If they say yes, I do a poem for them. The poem asks them ‘What is important to you?’ Whatever that is, we have a conversation about it. It could be anything at all. I try to find a handful of people in every place I visit, then I go home and write the poems. 2 weeks later, I go back and deliver them. I perform each poem on the doorstep for every person, then I give them a written copy. The poems are always free. It felt really important that this was a gift, and not some kind of a business.
I had no idea what to expect when I first started. I didn’t know if anyone was even going to get involved. But the response was even more exciting and eye-opening and challenging than I could possibly have imagined. And once I’d been to 4 places around the North East, I decided in 2019 that I wanted to try and take this to 12 places around England, to find out whether most people in most parts of the country would open up to a stranger. And to see if you could capture a snapshot of the country in the 21st century.
DI: How did the pandemic affect the project?
RM: I was actually on my way to deliver the final 3 poems in March 2020 when the UK entered its first lockdown. It was that point when Johnson said: ‘Stay indoors, unless you need to go out, but don’t go out, unless you need to, then do, but don’t.’ I found myself stranded on the Essex coast, feeling confused and trying to figure out what I was supposed to do next. The weird thing was the whole project was always going to end in March 2020, so it was very strange timing.
DI: The project took you to 12 locations up and down the UK - do you have a favourite experience from your travels?
RM: There were a lot of moments I’ll never forget. Lundy Island is a nature reserve, so by definition it’s very picturesque. But I guess ‘favourite’ is a tricky word here. Some of the trips were ‘easier’, in the sense that they were less emotionally shocking. But the ones that were really shocking or quite challenging, those are the ones that have stuck with me the most. There’s things that happened that have changed me as a person, for the better. There was a moment in Boston in Lincolnshire. But there’s not really space to go into that here. I’ll tell you all about it if you come to the show.
DI: What did the experience teach you about the nature of writing poetry? Do you have any advice for fellow poets?
RM: I learned that lots of people who don’t think they like poetry can actually enjoy it. But they often worry that it’s going to be inaccessible, or have no relevance to their life. So I guess when I write now, more than ever, I’m thinking about who I would like to read the poem. Could it be enjoyed by someone who isn’t an expert in poetry? Should that person be able to connect with this? And if the answer is yes, perhaps writing a poem which is a very clever reworking of The Waste Land, retold from the perspective of Don Quixote who has been transported through time into the trenches of World War I and is inspired by a chance meeting with Wilfred Owen, perhaps that’s going to potentially exclude quite a large amount of people.
But then I try to avoid giving out any writing advice if I can. It’s such a personal thing. Ignore me and everyone else. Do what feels right.
DI: Describe the show in 5 words.
RM: Doors. Poems. Strangers. Golf flags.
Rowan will be performing Door to Door Poetry: Nationwide at the Old Fire Station alongside Tina Sederholm's This is Not Therapy on April 19th at 7:30pm.