HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Michael Rosen
OR:
Michael Rosen on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

Michael Wayne Rosen (born 7 May 1946) is a British children's author, poet, presenter, political columnist, broadcaster and activist who has written 140 books. He served as
Children's Laureate Children's Laureate, now known as the 'Waterstones Children's Laureate' is a prestigious position awarded in the United Kingdom once every two years to a "writer or illustrator of children's books to celebrate outstanding achievement in their fie ...
from 2007 to 2009.


Early life

Michael Wayne Rosen was born into a Jewish family in
Harrow, Middlesex Harrow () is a large town in Greater London, England, and serves as the principal settlement of the London Borough of Harrow. Lying about north-west of Charing Cross and south of Watford, the entire town including its localities had a popul ...
, on 7 May 1946. His ancestors were Jews from an area that is now Poland, Romania, and Russia, and his family had connections to
The Workers Circle The Workers Circle or Der Arbeter Ring ( yi, דער אַרבעטער־רינג), formerly The Workmen's Circle, is an American Jewish nonprofit organization that promotes social and economic justice, Jewish community and education, including Yiddi ...
and the
Jewish Labour Bund The General Jewish Labour Bund in Lithuania, Poland and Russia ( yi, ‏אַלגעמײנער ייִדישער אַרבעטער־בונד אין ליטע, פּױלן און רוסלאַנד , translit=Algemeyner Yidisher Arbeter-bund in Lite, Poy ...
. His middle name was given to him in honour of
Wayne C. Booth Wayne Clayson Booth (February 22, 1921, in American Fork, Utah – October 10, 2005, in Chicago, Illinois) was an American literary critic. He was the George M. Pullman Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in English Language & Literature an ...
, a literary critic who was billeted with his father at Shrivenham American University. Rosen's father, educationalist Harold Rosen (1919–2008), was born in
Brockton, Massachusetts Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population is 105,643 as of the 2020 United States Census. Along with Plymouth, Massachusetts, Plymouth, it is one of the two county seats of ...
, but grew up in the
East End of London The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...
from the age of two after his mother left his father and returned to her native England. Harold attended
Davenant Foundation School Davenant Foundation School is a Christian Ecumenical secondary school, founded in 1680, currently in Loughton, Essex, England. History Foundation in Whitechapel In February 1680 the Reverend Ralph Davenant, rector of St Mary's Whitechape ...
and then
Regent Street Polytechnic The University of Westminster is a public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first polytechnic to open in London. The Polytechnic formally received a Royal charter in Aug ...
. He was a
secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
teacher before becoming a professor of English at the
Institute of Education IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society (IOE) is the education school of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties. Prior to m ...
in London and publishing extensively, especially on the teaching of English to children. Rosen's mother, Connie (née Isakofsky; 1920–1976), worked as a secretary at the ''
Daily Worker The ''Daily Worker'' was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, attempts were m ...
'' and later as a primary school teacher and training college lecturer. She had attended
Central Foundation Girls' School ''(By hope, by work, by faith)'' , established = 1726 as Bishopsgate Ward School , type = Voluntary aided comprehensive school , head_label = Headteacher , head = Carla Prince , founder = , address = 25– ...
, where she made friends such as
Bertha Sokoloff Bertha Sokoloff (born in Whitechapel, London; died 10 June 2018 aged 98) was a prominent figure within the Stepney Communist Party, and was its General Secretary in 1940 and 1941 during the Second World War. Early life Sokoloff was born in Whitec ...
. She met Harold in 1935, when both were aged 15, as they were both members of the
Young Communist League The Young Communist League (YCL) is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world. The name YCL of XXX (name of country) originates from the precedent established by the Communist Youth International. Examples of YC ...
. They participated in the
Battle of Cable Street The Battle of Cable Street was a series of clashes that took place at several locations in the inner East End, most notably Cable Street, on Sunday 4 October 1936. It was a clash between the Metropolitan Police, sent to protect a march by mem ...
together. As a young couple, they settled in Pinner, Middlesex. They left the
Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...
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. At around the age of 11, Rosen began attending Harrow Weald County Grammar School. He attended state schools in Pinner and Harrow, as well as
Watford Grammar School for Boys Go Forward with Preparation , established = 1884 ( Single-sex) , type = partially selective academy , religious_affiliation = , president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = Ian A. Cooksey , r_head_label = , ...
. Having discovered
Jonathan Miller Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE (21 July 1934 – 27 November 2019) was an English theatre and opera director, actor, author, television presenter, humourist and physician. After training in medicine and specialising in neurology in the late 19 ...
, 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 then working for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. Producing a programme featuring poetry, she persuaded him to write for it and used some of his material. He later said, "I went to
Middlesex Hospital Medical School Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, England. First opened as the Middlesex Infirmary in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally clos ...
, started on the first part of a medical training, jacked it in and went on to do a degree in English at
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. I then worked for the BBC until they chucked me out and I have been a freelance writer, broadcaster, lecturer, performer ever since—that's to say since 1972. Most of my books have been for children, but that's not how I started out. Sometime around the age of twelve and thirteen I began to get a sense that I liked writing, liked trying out different kinds of writing, I tried writing satirical poems about people I knew."


Career

In 1969, Rosen graduated from
Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...
, and became a graduate trainee at the BBC. Among the work that he did while there in the 1970s was presenting a series on BBC Schools television called ''Walrus'' (write and learn, read, understand, speak). He was also scriptwriter on the children's reading series ''
Sam on Boffs' Island ''Sam on Boffs' Island'' is a British educational television series, made by the BBC, and aimed at developing the reading skills of 6- to 8-year-olds. First broadcast in 1972 as part of the '' Words and Pictures'' strand, it was one of the first ...
'', but Rosen found working for the corporation frustrating: "Their view of 'educational' was narrow. The machine had decided this was the direction to take. Your own creativity was down the spout." . Despite previously having made no secret of his
leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
views when he was originally interviewed for a BBC post, he was asked to go freelance in 1972, though in practice he was sacked despite several departments of the BBC wishing to keep employing him. In common with the China expert and journalist
Isabel Hilton Isabel Nancy Hilton OBE (born 25 November 1949) is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster based in London. Early life Hilton was educated at Edinburgh University, where she studied Chinese to post-graduate level. As Secretary of the entirel ...
, among several others at this time, Rosen had failed the vetting procedures which were then in operation. This longstanding practice was only revealed in 1985, and by the time Rosen requested access to his files, they had been destroyed. In 1974, ''Mind Your Own Business'', his first book of poetry for children, was published. In due course, Rosen established himself with his collections of humorous verse for children, including ''Wouldn't You Like to Know'', ''You Tell Me'' and ''Quick Let's Get Out of Here''. Educationalist Morag Styles has described Rosen as "one of the most significant figures in contemporary children's poetry" and one of the first poets "to draw closely on his own childhood experiences and to 'tell it as it was' in the ordinary language children actually use". Rosen played a key role in opening up children's access to poetry, both through his own writing and with important anthologies such as ''Culture Shock''. He was one of the first poets to make visits to schools throughout the UK and further afield in Australia, Canada and Singapore. His tours continue to enthuse and engage school children about poetry in the present. ''
We're Going on a Bear Hunt ''We're Going on a Bear Hunt'' is a 1989 children's picture book written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. It has won numerous awards and was the subject of a '' Guinness World Record'' for "Largest Reading Lesson" with a book-r ...
'' is a children's picture book written by Rosen and illustrated by
Helen Oxenbury Helen Gillian Oxenbury (born 1938) is an English illustrator and writer of children's picture books. She lives in North London. She has twice won the annual Kate Greenaway Medal, the British librarians' award for illustration and been runner-up ...
. The book won the overall
Nestlé Smarties Book Prize The Nestlé Children's Book Prize, and Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for a time, was a set of annual awards for British children's books that ran from 1985 to 2007. It was administered by BookTrust, an independent charity that promotes books and ...
in 1989 and also won the 0–5 years category. The publisher,
Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...
, celebrated the work's 25th anniversary in 2014 by breaking a ''
Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
'' for the Largest Reading Lesson. In 1993, Rosen gained an MA in Children's Literature from the
University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...
and subsequently gained a PhD from the
University of North London The University of North London (UNL) was a university in London, England, formed from the Polytechnic of North London (PNL) in 1992 when that institution was granted university status. PNL, in turn, had been formed by the amalgamation of the No ...
. Margaret Meek Spencer supervised his work and continued to support him throughout her life.Rosen is well established as a broadcaster, presenting a range of documentary features on British radio. He is the presenter of
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
's regular magazine programme ''
Word of Mouth Word of mouth, or ''viva voce'', is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one pe ...
'', which looks at the English language and the way it is used. The English Association gave '' Michael Rosen's Sad Book'' (2004) an Exceptional Award for the Best Children's Illustrated Books of its year in the 4–11 age range. The book was written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by
Quentin Blake Sir Quentin Saxby Blake, (born 16 December 1932) is an English cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and children's writer. He has illustrated over 300 books, including 18 written by Roald Dahl, which are among his most popular works. For his ...
. It deals in part with bereavement and followed the publication of ''Carrying the Elephant: A Memoir of Love and Loss'', which was published in November 2002 after the death of his son Eddie (aged 18), who features as a child in much of his earlier poetry. Rosen's ''This Is Not My Nose: A Memoir of Illness and Recovery'' (2004) is an account of his ten years with undiagnosed
hypothyroidism Hypothyroidism (also called ''underactive thyroid'', ''low thyroid'' or ''hypothyreosis'') is a disorder of the endocrine system in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone. It can cause a number of symptoms, such as po ...
; a course of drugs in 1981 alleviated the condition. In 2011, he collaborated with his wife, Emma-Louise Williams, to produce the film ''Under the Cranes'', with Rosen providing the original screenplay (a play for voices called ''Hackney Streets''), which Williams took as a basis with which to direct the film. It premiered at the Rio Cinema in Dalston, London, on 30 April 2011 as part of the East End Film Festival. Rosen has previously taught children's literature on the MA in education studies at the University of North London and its successor institution,
London Metropolitan University London Metropolitan University, commonly known as London Met, is a public university, public research university in London, England. The University of North London (formerly the Polytechnic of North London) and London Guildhall University (f ...
. He was formerly a visiting professor of children's literature at
Birkbeck, University of London , mottoeng = Advice comes over nightTranslation used by Birkbeck. , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £4.3 m (2014) , budget = £10 ...
, where he taught children's literature and devised an MA in children's literature, which commenced in October 2010. Since September 2014, he has been at
Goldsmiths, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wor ...
, as professor of children's literature in the Department of Educational Studies, teaching an MA in children's literature. He is also a patron of the
Shakespeare Schools Festival Please note: Shakespeare Schools Festival became Shakespeare Schools Foundation in 2016. The Festival is the charity's flagship project. The Shakespeare Schools Festival is the world's largest youth drama festival. Schools who participate perfor ...
, a charity that enables schoolchildren across the UK to perform Shakespeare in professional theatres. Rosen was the subject of the
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
's ''
Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usu ...
'' programme on 6 August 2006. In March 2021, Rosen released the book ''Many Different Kinds of Love: A Story of Life, Death and the NHS'', an account of his experience being hospitalised with
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
a year earlier, including his own poem for the NHS 60th anniversary These are the Hands''' being pinned to his bed or wall.


YouTube poop fame

Circa 2008, Rosen performed 60 poems and stories for his website, the footage being recorded by his son, Joe Rosen. He chose YouTube as the
video hosting An online video platform (OVP), provided by a video hosting service, enables users to upload, convert, store and play back video content on the Internet, often via a structured, large-scale system that may generate revenue. Users will generally u ...
platform, unaware that the performances could be accessed outside of his website and downloaded. By 2011, multiple Pennsylvanian YouTube Poopers uploaded remixes of the performances, editing Rosen's poems to "make them utterly obscene," usually with sexual references. After receiving letters of complaint from parents of children who accidentally stumbled upon the videos, Rosen sent copyright strikes to the editors' YouTube channels, leaving them with little choice but to take down the videos. This garnered him backlash from the YouTube Poop community; one editor filmed himself delivering a disparaging "Statement to Michael Rosen," and another wrote a
manifesto A manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus or promotes a ...
against Rosen. Meanwhile, Rosen began email correspondence with multiple "Poopers," who told him it was not their fault that the children's parents had allowed them to surf the net. This changed Rosen's mind, and upon forgiving them, he became "even more of a massive hero" to the Pennsylvanian YouTube Poopers. Rosen likened the videos to humorously obscene photo collages he had created in his youth; for example, placing a cutout of a man's head atop a photograph of a nude woman's body. In 2011, Rosen said "to his millions of YouTube fans,"
Hi, Poopers! It's so wonderful what you've done with all my YouTube performances. I'm so grateful to you! It's been so wonderful to see my face turned into ''(smushes his face into a contorted position)'', and all those words chopped up. I love you, Poopers; I love you!
Circa 2011, Rosen continued correspondence with YouTube poopers Zorg and ImperialLobster, who both continued to send him their creations and wish him happy birthday with quotes from his own poetry. In 2012, Rosen issued a warning on his website, saying, "Quite a few people have fun taking my videos and making new versions of them, known as 'YouTube Poops'. Many of these are not suitable for young children. I am not responsible for either the words or pictures of these." Circa 2015, Rosen put a similar warning on his YouTube channel's "about" page. In 2019, Rosen claimed there were "about 4,000 YTPs" of Rosen performing his poems and stories. He stated, "Some are very funny...I'm fond of the funny ones. I have tried to get the racist, antisemitic ones taken down." As of 2022, YouTube Poop memes continue to garner Rosen recognition. He stated in an interview with ''CGTN Europe'':
It's amazing to be a meme. I mean, how ridiculous! Here's me, 76; I get stopped in the street by 17, 18, nd19 year olds saying, "Oh, you're the meme guy! Do the thing!" (*pops lips* Nice!) and they film me. I didn't expect to be a cult, and that's where I am; here's where I am. It's incredible.
In Rosen's above quote, his fans request that Rosen quote his 2008 poem, "Hot Food." The poem's refrain involves an impression of Rosen's family members eating hot potatoes, after which Rosen pops his lips and exclaims, "Nice." This quote is perhaps the most proliferated Michael Rosen
internet meme An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
. For example, a 2020 YouTube Poop of the "Nice" clip has garnered 66 million views, accruing roughly 10 million more views than the original poem.


Politics


Jeremy Corbyn

In August 2015, Rosen endorsed
Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialist ...
's leadership campaign in the Labour Party election. He contributed to ''Poets for Corbyn'', an anthology of poems from 20 writers. In the same month, he was one of many Jewish public figures who signed an open letter criticising ''
The Jewish Chronicle ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
''s reporting of Corbyn's association with alleged antisemites. In 2016, along with others, he toured the UK to support Corbyn's bid to become
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
. 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. 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".


Other

In August 2010, he contributed to an e-book collection of political poems entitled ''Emergency Verse – Poetry in Defence of the Welfare State'', edited by Alan Morrison. Rosen stood for election in June 2004 in London as a
Respect Coalition The Respect Party was a left-wing to far-left, socialist political party active in the United Kingdom between 2004 and 2016. At the height of its success in 2007, the party had one Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons and nineteen ...
candidate. He is a supporter of the
Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
campaign. He has written columns for the ''
Socialist Worker ''Socialist Worker'' is the name of several far-left newspapers currently or formerly associated with the International Socialist Tendency (IST). It is a weekly newspaper published by the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) in the United Kingdom since ...
'' and spoken at conferences organised by the Socialist Workers Party.


Awards and honours

Rosen was appointed the sixth British
Children's Laureate Children's Laureate, now known as the 'Waterstones Children's Laureate' is a prestigious position awarded in the United Kingdom once every two years to a "writer or illustrator of children's books to celebrate outstanding achievement in their fie ...
in June 2007, succeeding
Jacqueline Wilson Dame Jacqueline Wilson (née Aitken; born 17 December 1945) is an English novelist known for her popular children's literature. Her novels have been notable for featuring realistic topics such as adoption and divorce without alienating her lar ...
, and held the honour until June 2009, when he was succeeded by Anthony Browne. Rosen signed off from the Laureateship with an article in ''The Guardian'', in which he said, "Sometimes when I sit with children when they have the space to talk and write about things, I have the feeling that I am privileged to be the kind of person who is asked to be part of it". In 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Exeter. In January 2008, Rosen was presented with an honorary doctorate by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust and the
University of East London , mottoeng = Knowledge and the fulfilment of vows , established = 1898 – West Ham Technical Institute1952 – West Ham College of Technology1970 – North East London Polytechnic1989 – Polytechnic of East London ...
. In November 2008, he was presented with an honorary master's degree at the
University of Worcester , motto_lang = la , mottoeng = ''Aspire to Inspire'' , established = 1946 – Worcester Emergency Teacher Training College 1948 – Worcester Teacher Training College 1976 – Worcester College of Higher Education 1997 – ...
and the
Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...
(Knight of the Order of Arts and Literature) at the French ambassador's residence in London. In April 2010, Rosen was given the Fred and Anne Jarvis Award from the
National Union of Teachers The National Union of Teachers (NUT; ) was a trade union for school teachers in Education in England, England, Education in Wales, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It was a member of the Trades Union Congress. In March 2017, NU ...
for "campaigning for education". In July 2010, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by
Nottingham Trent University Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as a new university in 1992, although its roots go back to 1843 with the establishment of the Nottingham Government School of Design, w ...
. 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 The University of the West of England (also known as UWE Bristol) is a public research university, located in and around Bristol, England. The institution was know as the Bristol Polytechnic in 1970; it received university status in 1992 and ...
. Rosen was selected to be the guest director of the 2013
Brighton Festival Brighton Festival is a large, annual, curated multi-arts festival in England. It includes music, theatre, dance, circus, art, film, literature, debate, outdoor and family events, and takes place in venues in the city of Brighton and Hove in Engla ...
. In 2021, Rosen received the annual J.M. Barrie Lifetime Achievement Award from the charity Action for Children's Arts, "in recognition of his tremendous work championing the arts for children as well as his achievements as a performer and author." In 2022, Rosen was awarded an honorary fellowship of the Royal College of Nursing by an expectational and unanimous vote of the RCN Council during the organisation's annual congress; with RCN President Dr Denise Chaffer citing Rosen's lived experience, patient advocacy, and ongoing COVID-19 public awareness work as contributory factors.


Personal life

Rosen has been married three times and has five children and two step-children. His second son Eddie (1980–1999) died at the age of 18 from
meningococcal septicaemia Meningococcal disease describes infections caused by the bacterium '' Neisseria meningitidis'' (also termed meningococcus). It has a high mortality rate if untreated but is vaccine-preventable. While best known as a cause of meningitis, it can a ...
, and his death was the inspiration for Rosen's 2004 work ''
Sad Book ''Michael Rosen's Sad Book'' is a 2004 non-fiction book by English children's author Michael Rosen. Illustrated by Quentin Blake, the book deals with the topic of grief. Although it is marketed as a children's book, Rosen explicitly mentions on ...
''. Rosen lives in
North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nort ...
with his third wife, Emma-Louise Williams, and their two children. In March 2020, during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, Rosen was admitted to hospital with suspected
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. He was moved into the ICU and back to a ward, before again being moved back to ICU. He left the ICU after 47 days. He was moved to a geriatric ward at
Whittington Hospital Whittington Hospital is a district general and teaching hospital of UCL Medical School and Middlesex University School of Health and Social Sciences. Located in Upper Holloway, it is managed by Whittington Health NHS Trust, operating as Whitting ...
and returned home in June.


References

;Other sources * *. *; video on YouTube *


Further reading


Articles

*


Book reviews

*


News reports

*. *. *. *. *. *. *. *


External links

*
Michael Rosen blog
(active March 2020)
artificedesign
Rosen's official
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel * *
Michael Rosen
at Penguin Readers' Group (archived 28 September 2013) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rosen, Michael 1946 births Living people 20th-century British writers 21st-century British writers Alumni of the University of North London Alumni of the University of Reading Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford Anti-Zionist Jews British Children's Laureate Bundists Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Children's poets English children's writers English educational theorists English Jewish writers English Jews English male novelists English male poets English people of American-Jewish descent English people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent English people of Polish-Jewish descent English people of Romanian-Jewish descent English people of Russian-Jewish descent English republicans English socialists English YouTubers Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Internet memes Internet memes introduced in 2007 Jewish anti-Zionism in the United Kingdom Jewish novelists Jewish poets Jewish socialists Labour Party (UK) people People educated at Watford Grammar School for Boys People from Harrow, London People from Pinner Respect Party politicians YouTube channels launched in 2007 English male YouTubers