Michael Rosen: Rosen's Almanac

What are words? They're the beginning of our stories: portals to treasured memories, to the strange sayings unique to our own families and the beloved people that say them to us. 

In his marvellous new book “Rosen’s Almanac”, prolific polymath Michael Rosen returns to the colloquial words and expressions that have always fascinated him, including as long-time presenter of BBC Radio 4’s “Word of Mouth”.  

From conversation icebreakers including “Which end of the bath do you sit?” to greetings including “Whaddup fam?”, it provides a glorious year-round treasury of sayings from different regions and cultures. Each entry is accompanied by delightful anecdotes, many of them hilarious, and many gleaned from Rosen’s own life. For example, when feeling restless his father would remark, “I’ve been running around like a fart in a bottle”. 

We are delighted to welcome Michael to Stroud Book Festival in an event for anyone who loves language.