Hollie McNish is a poet and author based between Cambridge and Glasgow. She was the first poet to record at Abbey Road Studios, London and won the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry for her poetic parenting memoir – Nobody Told Me – of which The Scotsman stated ‘The World Needs this Book’. She has published five further collections of poetry – Papers, Cherry Pie, Plum, and Slug and Lobster, both Sunday Times bestsellers, with translations in French (Je Souhaite Seulement Que Tu Fasses Quelquechose De Toi) and Spanish (Cosas Que Mis Abuelas).
“Funny, so smart and refreshingly honest”
Sarah Millican
Her latest collection is ‘Virgin’…
Virgin: one little six letter word that holds such incredible power. The power to pressure, to judge, to harm, to praise, to profit, to punish. But virginity is also just a concept, a man-made label that has been pressed upon people for centuries in numerous cultures worldwide.
In this much-anticipated collection of poetry, Hollie McNish unpicks the role this word has played in her own life, as well as others, with her trademark mix of humour, fury and compassion. Whether considering if Mary was a fan of her own nick-name, to rejoicing her annual excitement in ice cream vans, to looking back on how ridiculously she ate mashed potato with her family after apparently ‘losing’ her own virginity, Hollie examines the tracks this concept makes throughout so many lives in her own inimitable way, and the possibilities of freedom.
A book signing will follow after the gig. Support act to be announced.
Adult content warning – 14+