Write Stuff NE

County Durham mum whose son drowned says deaths in rivers and lakes during heatwave are devastating - Latest From ITV News Watch the latest from ITV News - Fiona Gosling visits schools to teach children about the dangers of water, following the death of her son Cameron in the River Wear in 2015.

Over 100 sign ups to the in the first 2 weeks! Plenty of time to get signed up and started on your reading challenge!

Newcastle Libraries challenges all adults in Newcastle (and beyond) to read 3 library books this Summer! ✨🌞

Collect your bookmark challenge tracker from any library branch to get started. Find out more: https://libraries.newcastle.gov.uk/adultreadingchallenge

Our beautiful Reading Scarf has made its way to Bedlington Station, bringing a cosy reminder of the joy of reading to everyone passing through.

The Reading Scarf is travelling around Northumberland, spreading a love of books wherever it goes…

Where will it turn up next? Keep an eye out you might spot it soon at a library or community space near you!

“Perhaps the simplest advice I can offer parents concerned about preparing their children for the world is this: let them play more.” - Sir Ken Robinson, taken from ‘You, Your Child and School’ (Penguin, 2018)

In celebration of ’International Day of Play’

LEGO UNESCO UNICEF The LEGO Foundation

Adults…

A powerful reminder from Sir Ken Robinson’s manifesto “Imagine if… Creating a Future for Us All” written by Sir Ken Robinson and Kate Robinson.

👇 Comment INSPIRE and we’ll send you a free mini-course from co-author, and co-founder of the Sir Ken Robinson Foundation, Kate Robinson: Imagination, Creativity & Innovation, as an introduction to Sir Ken’s life’s work.

Today the art world lost one of its giants: David Hockney (1937–2026). Ray Bradbury's words feel especially fitting. Through his paintings, drawings, prints, and decades of creative exploration, Hockney leaves behind a remarkable legacy of beauty, colour, and ways of seeing the world anew. His work will continue to inspire and enrich lives for generations to come. 🎨🖌️🌿

Artwork by David Hockney 🎨🖌️

The paperback of The Door-to-Door Poet comes out on the 4th of June! I am very excited and also a bit relieved.

I've been grafting away at this over the past few months and it's been full on. I know what you're thinking: "You've already written the book Rowan, how hard could that possibly be?" Well, let's just say, if you ever decide to change the formatting of pretty much every paragraph in a 50,000 word book, DON'T DO IT. Jesus it was horrible. And it's the kind of change that literally no one will notice apart from me.

Either way, I'm proper chuffed with how it's come out and I'm very grateful to Eye Books for putting up with my ridiculous demands. The Door-to-Door Poet is £10.99 in paperback and it's now available to pre-order from all good book shops, including Waterstones and that one that's named after a rainforest. You can also get it straight from my online shop as well:
https://rowanmccabespoetryshop.company.site/The-Door-to-Door-Poet-Paperback-p837155018

I’ve never seen one of these before. A wind phone. Si King shared it on Instagram the other day.

I think it might be a Japanese idea originally where there’s a disconnected phone in a garden.

People go there to talk to the people they’ve lost. Not because anyone answers or because it “fixes” grief.

Just because sometimes love needs somewhere to go. I think that’s beautiful.

We spend so much time pretending we’re fine, moving on, staying busy, “being strong”

Meanwhile, a little old rotary phone in the wind is quietly reminding people that missing someone is normal. That continuing the conversation is normal.

Love it x