James Bowen is a former Big Issue seller and author of A Street Cat Named Bob, which tells his life story. A former drug addict who slept rough on the streets of London, James began selling The Big Issue in Islington in 2008 with feline sidekick Bob. Since its publication in 2012, A Street Cat Named Bob has sold more than one million copies, spent over 45 weeks at the top of the Sunday Times’ bestseller list, and has been translated into 35 languages. James and Bob's story has also been transformed into a film of the same name, which starred actor Luke Treadaway (as James) alongside Ruta Gedmintas, Joanne Froggatt and Anthony Head. James continues to write a series of exclusive pieces for The Big Issue, detailing the pair's continued global adventures.