As documented in this book, he’s been through a lot: a chronic illness, the loss of a child, and his own brush with death, and whilst that has had a huge effect on him, this book shows that, whilst it may not be easy, these things don’t have to define your life, and you can find the positives amongst them.

Middlesex Lecture". Michael Rosen. 14 September 2017. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021 . Retrieved 15 January 2021. In April 2010, Rosen was given the Fred and Anne Jarvis Award from the National Union of Teachers for "campaigning for education". In July 2010, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Nottingham Trent University. Rosen with his wife Emma-Louise Williams, at their home in London. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian Talk to a member of staff at the auditorium entrance if you have a disability that means you can’t queue, or you need extra time to take your seat. They can arrange priority entry for you as soon as the doors open. Rosen has been involved in campaigning around issues of education and for the Palestinian cause. In August 2010 Rosen contributed to an eBook collection of political poems entitled Emergency Verse - Poetry in Defence of the Welfare State edited by Alan Morrison. He has written columns for the Socialist Worker newspaper and spoken at conferences organised by the Socialist Workers Party, but has never been a party member. He stood for election in June 2004 in London as a Respect Coalition candidate. He is a supporter of the Republic campaign.a b Armitstead, Claire (8 September 2017). "Michael Rosen: 'Realising that poetry was performance was my eureka moment' ". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021 . Retrieved 11 May 2019. In our lives, terrible things may happen. Michael Rosen has grieved the loss of a child, lived with debilitating chronic illness, and faced death itself when seriously unwell in hospital. In spite of this he has survived, and has even learned to find joy in life in the aftermath of tragedy. Rosen attended state schools in Pinner and Harrow, and Watford Grammar School for Boys. Having discovered the range of Jonathan Miller, he thought "wouldn't it be wonderful to know all about science, and know all about art, and be funny and urbane and all that". His mother was by this time working for the BBC. Producing a programme featuring poetry, she persuaded her son to write for it, and used some of the material he submitted. Subsequently, in his own words: I guess I have sad thoughts every day. But I try not to be overcome by them’: Michael Rosen. Photograph: Pål Hansen/The Observer

Rosen's mother, Connie (née Isakofsky; 1920–1976), worked as a secretary at the Daily Worker and later as a primary school teacher and training college lecturer. She had attended Central Foundation Girls' School, where she made friends such as Bertha Sokoloff. She met Harold in 1935, when both were aged 15, as they were both members of the Young Communist League. They participated in the Battle of Cable Street together. As a young couple, they settled in Pinner, Middlesex. They left the Communist Party in 1957. Rosen never joined, but his parents' activities influenced his childhood. For example, their acquaintance with the bohemian literary figure Beatrice Hastings made an impression on him as a child. In April 2011, Rosen was awarded an honorary doctorate at the Institute of Education, University of London, and in July 2011, an honorary doctorate by the University of the West of England. Rosen was selected to be the guest director of the 2013 Brighton Festival. Author Michael Rosen out of intensive care". BBC News. 23 May 2020. Archived from the original on 23 May 2020 . Retrieved 23 May 2020. Michael Rosen – NTU Honorary Graduate – 22nd July 2010". YouTube . Retrieved 27 November 2012. [ dead YouTube link]Frot, Mathilde (20 January 2022). "Activist's widow pays tearful tribute". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023 . Retrieved 5 April 2023. Rosen is the author of 140 books of poetry and prose, and is our former Children’s Laureate. He is tall and lanky; when he sits down at his desk it is like watching a long piece of paper fold itself into creases. It’s more than two years since he left hospital after a near-lethal battle with Covid. And though while in hospital nurses shaved his jaw clean, now his beard has returned and so has his good humour, so that he more closely resembles the Rosen people know: scruffy, daffy, softly playful. The Trusty Servant May 2022". Winchester College Society. 1 May 2022. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023 . Retrieved 26 March 2023. Rosen says both books are a direct result of his brush with death. “After having Covid, I was in a state of reverie for at least three months. Forty days of having drugs put in you, plus Covid, will do that. In that reverie my mind was darting to and fro, thinking about Eddie, my mum, my dad and whether I would ever work again. In my mind, it sort of brought it all together.”

Ideas to change the world. Marxism 2010". Socialist Workers Party. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016 . Retrieved 7 February 2010.Ian McMillan's writing lab: Michael Rosen interview". OpenLearn. 26 January 2007 . Retrieved 12 March 2014. . a b c Rosen, Michael (23 May 2012). "Confessions of an accidental communist". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016 . Retrieved 4 December 2016. Our Supporters". Republic.org. Archived from the original on 31 May 2009 . Retrieved 27 November 2012. In November 2019, along with other Jewish public figures, Rosen signed an open letter supporting Corbyn, describing him as "a beacon of hope in the struggle against emergent far-right nationalism, xenophobia and racism in much of the democratic world" and endorsing him in the 2019 UK general election. [38] In December 2019, along with 42 other leading cultural figures, he signed an open letter endorsing the Labour Party under Corbyn's leadership in the 2019 general election. The letter stated that "Labour's election manifesto under Corbyn's leadership offers a transformative plan that prioritises the needs of people and the planet over private profit and the vested interests of a few". [39] [40] In April 2011, Rosen was awarded an honorary doctorate at the Institute of Education, University of London, [62] and in July 2011, an honorary doctorate by the University of the West of England. [63] Rosen was selected to be the guest director of the 2013 Brighton Festival. [64]