Rob Cowen & Robert Macfarlane | The North Road
Sat 26 Apr 2025 | 10:00am - 11:00am


Rob Cowen is one of our most original voices on nature, place and people. His work Common Ground was voted one of the nation’s favourite nature books of all time in a BBC poll. In his new and profoundly personal book, the award-winning author journeys the Great North Road, weaving the people, history and places in a work of unforgettable prose. Join Cowan in discussion with festival honorary patron Robert Macfarlane who describes the books as ‘Radical and beautiful. Haunted and haunting… A dazzlingly inventive work of literature.’.
Venue: TTP Stage (Cambridge Union)
Duration: 1 hour
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Author Biography
Rob Cowen is an award-winning writer and author, hailed as one of the UK’s most original voices on nature, place and people. His first book, Skimming Stones, won the Roger Deakin Award from the Society of Authors. His second book, Common Ground was shortlisted for the Portico, Richard Jefferies Society and Wainwright Prizes and voted one of the nation’s favourite nature books of all time in a BBC poll. His follow-up, The Heeding, was the best-selling debut book of poetry in 2021. Rob has contributed to the New York Times, the Guardian and the Independent and written radio programmes for the BBC. He lives in North Yorkshire.
Chair Biography
Robert Macfarlane is an author and academic. He regularly writes for publications including the Guardian and the Times. His writing often blurs ideas of genre and form and he regularly collaborates with artists, film-makers, photographers and musicians. His first book, Mountains of the Mind won the Guardian First Book Award and the Somerset Maugham Award. His other works include, The Old Ways, Landmarks as well as The Lost Words and The Lost Spells, children’s books of nature spells created in partnership with artist Jackie Morris. His most recent book was Underlands (2019). Robert a Fellow at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and an Honorary Patron of the festival.