Arts > Theatre
Hollie McNish
Norwich Arts Centre
22/06/17
Acclaimed UK poet and YouTube sensation Hollie McNish’s poems are written straight from the heart. Covering motherhood, sex and families amongst a myriad of other subjects, and most importantly, only writing about her own experiences and feelings she’s been adopted by many who may never have read a line of poetry before. Her honesty and beautiful writing style has led to published work, including her latest collection Plum, from which she’ll be reading at the Arts Centre this month. I spoke to her about taking her two year old on tour, respecting her gran and running workshops with teenagers.
On your upcoming tour you’ll be returning to Norwich Arts Centre to read from your brand new book Plum, your first full length collection. It’s a semi autobiographical account of the life of a young woman from 7 to 30 with a mixture of recent poems mixed with writing from your younger self. Why did you choose not to make it 100% autobiographical?
It is 100% autobiographical really! It’s poems about everything and anything, about growing up as you say from 7-30. All just poetry and stories from my life or from friends lives (I’ve asked their permission to share the embarrassments!). There are no fictional people in the poem, save one based on Lady Chatterley.
Cherry Pie was inspired by advice from your grandparents, and displays an innate respect for the elderly and their wisdom. You seem to like to look out for those who are rarely given an honest voice in society and culture – the elderly, mothers, young people. Do you feel a personal responsibility to speak up for them?
Not at all, no. I don’t feel personally responsible for anyone except my kid. I just mainly hang around mothers and kids right now, as I think most parents tend to do, so most of what I learn comes from them. I speak to my gran twice a week on the phone and we get on really well. I think older people are more interesting in general cos they’ve got more stories to tell. That said, I think kids can be very wise too. Especially about how to be happy. They know that more than any of us.
Nobody Told Me covers the scary and often odd world of pregnancy and motherhood. I imagine writing those poems was quite a lifeline for you at the time?
Yeah I think so. I can’t remember a huge amount of the writing process, just like I can’t remember a huge amount of life then! But writing often helps me get my thoughts in more of a calm order. And there was so much then I had no idea about that I needed it, I guess.
With Glaswegian parents, you grew up in Berkshire and studied in Cambridge. What did this melting pot of backgrounds and influences mean to you when you started writing?
I’m not sure it affected my writing at all. It definitely affected my Christmas presents (tartan towels and tartan mugs and mini bagpipes and...) and the inability of any French exchange students to understand my mum or dad, but the writing was never really about that. The main thing it has affected recently was being asked to write something for the Women’s England Football Team. I’m still working that one out!
You studied at King’s College Cambridge, and did a Masters in Development Economics. How did you jump from that to poetry?
I’ve just always written, so I carried on. I didn’t write hardly anything at Cambridge but when I was studying Economics I wrote loads on the topics there – lots about migration. Then after I’d finished my Masters, my partner at the time basically shoved me onto a microphone and it all took off from there. But I didn’t quit my day job for another five years. I was also very lucky that people shared my poems a lot.
When you won the UK Slam Poetry Competition in 2009, did you imagine you’d be able to be a poet full time, or make enough to live on through it?
No, but I also don’t think I wanted to be! I’d just finished a Masters in Development and Economics and the idea of doing something I saw as unpractical as poetry wasn’t massively appealing. As for living from poetry, I feel very very lucky to do that now. A mix of touring and more commercial things have enabled that really. Commercial things that I’m still proud of and glad to have done, though I understand the arts isn’t often keen on that side of my life.
It’s one thing to write, but quite another to perform. Have you ever suffered from nerves, or forgotten your words?
Yeah, still do. I don’t forget my words because I never recite from heart. I have my book in my hand, which means I no longer vomit before gigs from nerves about forgetting my words. I also got bored of having to be so rigid about what to read if it was all by heart. The last book I did was 450 pages long. I’m not learning that. I’ve not got enough time and I’d rather spend time on other things than stressing over not having a book in my hand!
Who are your own favourite poets, both old and new?
At the moment, my two favourite books are Physical by Andrew MacMillan and How You Might Now Me, by Sabrina Mahfouz
You’re part of Point Blank Poets, a collective of some of the most exciting spoken word poets in the UK, performing all over the world to raise awareness of various issues. You recently wrote a play with Sabrina Mahfouz about football. What has being part of a collective given you?
Friends and support, and a lot more fun than I’d have had alone writing.
Your work has led you to some interesting projects, like A Hot Cup Of Tea With Hollie McNish. What else have you got coming up that’s excited you?
I’m really excited to be working with Storyhouse in Chester as a guest curator at their Literature Festival in November. It’s a huge new building in the centre of the city which combines the city public library with the cinema and theatre. It’s an amazing place, a library where you can stay till 10pm reading, buy a glass of wine and where the books aren’t fixed in one place but bend their way through all the spaces in the building. And the windows in the kids library double as glass drawing screens. The place is really so inspiring. I’ll be decorating the building with words for them! Not quite sure how just yet.
You also do Page To Performance, running workshops in spoken word and poetry slams. What has surprised you most about doing this?
How much young people have got to say but how little they’re ever asked to talk about their own opinions or feelings.
You’ve come a long way since your first collection was published in 2012. How do you feel you’ve developed as a poet and a performer?
I genuinely have no idea. A little less nervous I guess. Better at meeting audiences afterwards. As for the poetry, I’m really no expert so not sure I’d know if it’s changed at all!
YouTube has been your medium of choice to share your poems. How does it make you feel to see how popular they are on there?
Nervous and very honoured. Nervous cos it puts you in a place where people who hate you can see you and tell you so. Honoured for obvious reasons I think. I do about 40 gigs a year and only put up about four poems a year so I’m not sure it’s my medium of choice over live gigs. But I do love YouTube for how democratic it has made the arts – poetry in particular. It is available to everyone, and not everyone wants to or would or can afford or get to live performances. So, then, YouTube is great.
Your first album Versus came out in 2014, and was recorded at Abbey Road. What was that like?
Lovely. Nerve-wracking. I cried cos a friend from primary school came. I also forgot my words at that gig and had to stop it and go get my book from my bag. I forgot my words a lot. I had a two year old. I’m not apologising for it!!
You’ve collaborated with Kate Tempest amongst others. Who else would you like to work with in the future?
I’d like to work more with UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative and Donald Trump, in two very different ways!
What’s the line that you are the most proud of writing?
Men are having breakdowns. Girls are having Botox
Cunnilingus is censored more than rape scenes or blow jobs.
It sums up my opinion on everything that is strange and unnatural and so wrong with our culture in terms of it’s gender categories and sexual censorship regulations/morals. I also like the half rhyme of Botox and blow job. I’m not saying this is a good poem, but I like it the best right now!!
How are you finding juggling being a mother and going out on tour?
OK and not OK. But OK mainly. But that is only because her dad is an actual dad and looks after her half of the time. So I’m not juggling anything really. I’m relying on other people to share it. I also take her on the tour a lot. But that I love. It is much harder than going alone, but a lot more fun. If I finish a gig and she hasn’t needed a wee halfway through the show, I feel I’ve done well. It lowers my bar a bit!
Hollie McNish is at Norwich Arts Centre on 5th July. Tickets available from norwichartscentre.co.uk