Pop Up Poetry Exhibition by Rowan McCabe

Monday - Saturday (10am - 4pm)

Rowan McCabe is a poet and theatre maker from Newcastle upon Tyne. His work has been commissioned by BBC Radio 3, Channel 4 and the National Trust. He has performed across the UK and Europe.

In summer 2023, Queen’s Hall invited Rowan to be poet in residence on Hexham high street. He ran a project called Pop Up Poetry, which involved standing on the pavement with a large yellow sign, emblazoned with the words ‘Free Poems’.

Rowan approached passers-by with a series of cards. Each of them had a key word written on. Participants chose a word that appealed to them and Rowan performed a short poem on that subject. He then asked for a suggestion for a new poem.

This exhibition is the result of those suggestions. Special thanks are due to everyone who stopped to talk, including Sarah, Steve, Emma, Dianne, Tracy, Nick, Harvey, Lex, Fred, Shona, Niamh, Joe and Laura.

To visit Rowan's website, click here.

Photo credit: Jay Dawson, Shutter Productions

Supported by the Hexham Culture Network, led by Queen’s Hall Arts as part of Hexham’s High Street Heritage Action Zone.

Funded by Historic England, Hexham’s High Street Heritage Action Zone was an ambitious project seeking to deliver cultural activity that boosted the town centre and enhanced awareness of the Conservation Area. It aimed to revitalise Hexham’s historic town centre making it a more attractive, engaging and vibrant place for people to live, work, invest and visit.