Rob Cowen
Rob Cowen (born 1976) is a British writer.[1] and journalist.
Writing[edit]
Cowen's writing deals with landscape, nature and the interrelations between time, people, history and place.[2] His work is known for its poetic language and its blurring of traditional fiction and non-fiction genres[3], most notably in his second book, Common Ground[4](2015), which "often seems to exist between definitions, straddling as it does memoir, journalism and fiction simultaneously..."[5]. As well as publishing creative non-fiction, Cowen has written essays, short stories and poems and is a travel and nature journalist.[6]
In 2019, Cowen's poem Letter to a Starling, was featured in Letters to the Earth (Harper Collins) alongside contributions from Yoko Ono, Mark Rylance, Kate Tempest, Laline Paull, Jay Griffiths and Jackie Morris.[7] A version of the poem, called Starling, also appeared in the 2020 book Red67 (British Trust for Ornithology), a collection of works by writers and artists to support conservation projects that help British birds on the 'red' or endangered list.[8]
Cowen's 2015 book Common Ground (Hutchinson), about a patch of edgeland on the outskirts of the northern English town of Harrogate, was voted third in a 2018 poll to find the UK's favourite nature book, as announced on BBC Winterwatch[9]. In 2015, Common Ground was selected as a ‘Book of the Year’ in The Times, The Express and The Independent, and voted a ‘Top Ten Readers’ Choice’ in The Guardian[10]. It was also shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize[11], Portico Prize for Literature and Richard Jefferies Society Prize. In 2016, Common Ground featured in Keeping On Keeping On, the memoir, essays and diaries of Alan Bennett, in which he described it as, "Cracking… Vividly and movingly described… Having finished it, I feel deprived."[12] In 2016, Cowen announced that he would be collaborating with folk singers Nancy Kerr and Martin Simpson to create a spoken word and song play that expanded the themes and stories of the book. The show 'On Common Ground' appeared at King's Place, London, in December 2016.[13] Common Ground was published in the US as Common Ground: Encounters with Nature at the Edges of Life by University of Chicago Press in 2016.[14]
In 2016, Cowen contributed a short story 'The Promise' to Spring: an anthology for the changing seasons[15], edited by Melissa Harrison, and published by Elliott & Thompson and The Wildlife Trusts.
In 2011, Cowen's first book Skimming Stones and Other Ways of Being in the Wild (Coronet), won the Roger Deakin award from the Society of Authors. It was published in 2012[16]. Cowen has also written extensively on travel and nature for the Telegraph, and reviewed books for the Guardian[17]. His poems, reviews and essays have also appeared in Caught By The River, the New York Times[18] and other magazines and newspapers.
Music[edit]
In between writing, Cowen has written, recorded and released music, collaborating with and featuring musicians including Danny Thompson, Beverley Craven[19], Tom McConville and Gavin Harrison.[20]
In 2009, he released his single 'Heartache'[21] through Self-Raising Records, the label of Bright Light Bright Light. This was followed up with the single 'City Lights'. Both featured remixes by James Yuill and Bright Light Bright Light.[22]
Together with his band, The Dissidents, Cowen wrote and recorded the fifteen-track album Saturday Night and Sunday Morning[23], which was released by Your Hands Music in 2012 through Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music.
Personal life[edit]
Cowen attended Leeds University where he was studied History of Art.[24]
Bibliography[edit]
- Skimming Stones and Other Ways of Being in the Wild (Coronet, 2012).
- Common Ground (Hutchinson, 2015).
Short stories[edit]
- The Promise (appeared in Spring: an anthology for the changing seasons, Elliott & Thompson, 2016).
Poetry[edit]
- Letter to a Starling (appeared in Letters to the Earth, Harper Collins, 2019).
- Bantry Bay (Caught By the River, 2017).[25]
- Rain on The South Country (Caught by the River, 2015).[26]
Discography[edit]
Albums[edit]
- Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (Your Hands Music, 2012).
Singles[edit]
- City Lights (Self-Raising Records, 2009).
- Heartache (Self-Raising Records, 2009).
Awards[edit]
- 2011 Roger Deakin Award winner for Skimming Stones and Other Ways of Being in the Wild
- 2015 Richard Jefferies Society Literary Prize shortlisted for Common Ground
- 2015 The Portico Prize For Literature shortlisted for Common Ground
- 2016 Wainwright Prize shortlisted for Common Ground
External links[edit]
- Cowen's official website
- David Higham Associates - literary agent website
- Interview with Rob Cowen at Unofficial Britain
- Audio interview with Rob Cowen at Leeds Bookend Festival
- Audio interview with Nancy Kerr and Rob Cowen
References[edit]
- ↑ "Rob Cowen". David Higham Associates. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
- ↑ COMMON GROUND | Kirkus Reviews. Search this book on
- ↑ "Nonfiction Book Review: Common Ground: Encounters with Nature on the Edges of Life by Rob Cowen. Univ. of Chicago, $29 (352p) ISBN 978-0-226-42426-2". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
- ↑ "Rob Cowen". www.penguin.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
- ↑ "Common Ground by Rob Cowen | Caught by the River | Caught by the River". www.caughtbytheriver.net. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
- ↑ "Rob Cowen". The Independent. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
- ↑ "Press Releases". Letters to the Earth. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
- ↑ Couzens, Dominic (2020-02-24). "Love is... on the endangered list: why 67 writers have penned heartfelt message to Britain's rare birds". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- ↑ "UK's favourite nature book: Finding common ground with Rob Cowen - Arts and Humanities Research Council". ahrc.ukri.org. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
- ↑ Bausells, Marta (2015-12-11). "Readers' top 10 best books of 2015". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
- ↑ "Wainwright Prize", Wikipedia, 2019-08-15, retrieved 2020-06-02
- ↑ Bennett, Alan (2016-10-20). Keeping On Keeping On. Profile. ISBN 978-1-78283-255-3. Search this book on
- ↑ folkradiouk (2016-11-15). "Nancy Kerr: Words and Music 1-3 December at Kings Place | Folk Radio". Folk Radio UK - Folk Music Magazine. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
- ↑ Common Ground. Search this book on
- ↑ "Elliot & Thompson | Spring". Retrieved 2020-01-10.
- ↑ "Coronet Books", Wikipedia, 2019-10-01, retrieved 2020-01-10
- ↑ Cowen, Rob (2016-07-20). "White Sands by Geoff Dyer review – travel and the meaning of life". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
- ↑ Cowen, Rob (2017-04-15). "Opinion | Where Nature Gets to Run Amok". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
- ↑ "Beverley Craven", Wikipedia, 2020-05-24, retrieved 2020-06-02
- ↑ "Gavin Harrison", Wikipedia, 2020-02-13, retrieved 2020-06-02
- ↑ "Heartache - Rob Cowen and the Dissidents | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
- ↑ Heartache, retrieved 2020-06-02
- ↑ Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, retrieved 2020-01-10
- ↑ Abel, Antoinette. "UK's favourite nature book winner announced". www.leeds.ac.uk. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
- ↑ "Bantry Bay: a poem by Rob Cowen | Caught by the River | Caught by the River". www.caughtbytheriver.net. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
- ↑ "Rain on The South Country | Caught by the River | Caught by the River". www.caughtbytheriver.net. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
Rob Cowen[edit]
This article "Rob Cowen" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Rob Cowen. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
