Winner of the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry 2016
There were many things that Hollie McNish didn't know before she was pregnant. How her family and friends would react; that Mr Whippy would be off the menu; how quickly ice can melt on a stomach. These were on top of the many other things she didn't know about babies: how to stand while holding one; how to do a poetry gig with your baby as a member of the audience; how drum'n'bass can make a great lullaby. And that's before you even start on toddlers: how to answer a question like 'is the world a jigsaw?'; dealing with a ten-hour train ride together; and how children can be caregivers too.
But Hollie learned.
And she's still learning, slowly. Nobody Told Me is a collection of poems and stories taken from Hollie's diaries; one person's thoughts on raising a child in modern Britain, of trying to become a parent in modern Britain, of sex, commercialism, feeding, gender and of finding secret places to scream once in a while.

Nobody Told Me: Poetry and Parenthood

Literature & Fiction

McNish, Hollie

Poetry

Blackfriars

Review\nPiercing poetry . . . This is exactly what we all need. The inimitable words of poet/goddess Hollie McNish once again holds up honest, damn funny and refreshing takes on the everydayness of our lives: the social demands, sex and orgasms, our bodies, judgement from friends (and ourselves). Never have we needed her more―Francesca Brown, Stylist\nAn intoxicating mixture of poetry and prose, [Slug] is a taboo-busting delight . . . McNish's poems are direct, comic, tragic, warm, thought-provoking and often come with a sting in the tale, but her prose also flows off the page like red wine freely swilled with friends on a night out, or in . . . McNish effortlessly navigates the bitter and sweet throughout . . . There is an articulate approachability to all her writing . . . She is clear-sighted on why we need to talk about menstruation, masturbation and all sorts of gender and race inequalities, normalising these normal topics . . . McNish is eminently readable and relatable because she is both fallible and fascinating―Fiona Shepherd, Scotsman\nI love Hollie's poems. There is such raw honesty and warmth and often humour within them. She is one of the best poets we have―Matt Haig\nMcNish has a striking capacity for intimacy in places least expected. There are no tricks in her work, except like all the best magicians and wordsmiths, I can see what she's doing but not how she did it. The poetry world needs a Tracey Emin like the art world did. It's Hollie McNish―Lemn Sissay\nNo one blends honesty, humour and humanity quite like poet and author Hollie McNish . . . Mixing prose and poetry, it's an insight into McNish's mind, spanning topics from motherhood to masturbation. We love this reminder to stuff our lives full of joy while we can; a tribute to life itself―Red Magazine\nFunny, true, loving and lethal, Hollie McNish's new collection Slug is a total joy―Stylist\nAs I read every few pages of Hollie McNish's delightful new book, I was smiling, teeth out . . . . Slug is a sparkling mix of memoir, poetry, essays and short stories . . . Reading her feels like the relief you get when somebody else hears your most private worries and says: me too. She backs it all up with science, intimate confessions and wicked one-liners―Helen Brown, Telegraph\nI've loved her work for years―Jo Brand\nA new collection from the exciting and divisive Ted Hughes Award winning poet and author of Nobody Told Me. This time she's tackling birth, death and female body parts with her characteristic confrontational gaze―Claire Allfree, Metro (Ten gripping books to look out for in 2021)\nFor everyday pick-me-ups, rages, frustrations, joy and belly laughs, Hollie McNish's books of poetry and essays are best kept on your bedside table to break open as required . . . Laugh-out-loud funny - keep it close―Stylist\nGloriously earthy and accessible, McNish's mash-up of prose and poetry covers the modern female condition with lashings of wit, intelligence and irreverent wisdom―Waterstones (blog)\nHollie is a total wordsmith. She makes me howl with laughter one moment and burst into tears the next―Paapa Essiedu\nGorgeous fingering poems―Bryony Gordon, author of Mad Girl and The Wrong Knickers\nHollie always articulates exactly how I feel, like she lives in my head―Charly Cox, author of Validate Me and She Must Be Mad\nHonest and insightful, hilarious and impudent. We could all do with paying attention to what McNish tells us through her writing, where she directs our attention and the worlds she opens―Anthony Anaxagorou, author of After the Formalities\nSlug covers so much - motherhood, gender, lockdown, loss, sex and a multitude of other topics - and yet Hollie McNish explores each with such care, nuance and wit. Hugely moving, very funny, this is an irreverent, uplifting and sharp collection of prose, poetry and fiction―Anna James, former editor at The Bookseller and author of the Pages & Co series\nFrom the defiant title to the irreverent, incisive and transgressiv

Slug: and other things I've been told to hate

Fleet

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'An intoxicating mixture of poetry and prose, Slug is a taboo-busting delight' SCOTSMAN 'One of the best poets we have' MATT HAIG 'She writes with honesty, conviction, humour and love' KAE TEMPEST The new collection of poetry and prose from the Ted Hughes Award-winning author of Nobody Told Me From Finnish saunas and soppy otters to grief, grandparents and Kellogg's anti-masturbation pants, Slug is a book which holds a mirror lovingly up to the world, past and present, through Hollie's driving, funny, hopeful poetry and prose. Slug is about the human condition: of birth and death and how we manage the possibilities in between. 'The inimitable words of poet/goddess Hollie McNish once again hold up honest, damn funny and refreshing takes on the everydayness of our lives . . . Never have we needed her more' STYLIST 'Hollie always articulates exactly how I feel' CHARLY COX 'A tribute to life itself' RED

Slug

British & Irish

Review\nThe world needs these poems - and so does every parent . . . Interspersed with passages of spiky, penetrating prose, they offer a series of vivid snapshots of the highly emotional, frequently paranoid and always sleep-deprived experience of the first-time parent . . . The world needs this book. It should be required reading for anyone thinking of having a baby, or even anyone who knows someone who is thinking of having a baby. And I can't help wondering if these islands would be a happier and more pleasant place to live if Nobody Told Me was made a compulsory sex-ed set text in our schools. Politicians, please take note―Scotland on Sunday\nThe things no one tells you before you have a baby are numerous - Hollie McNish turns them into epic poems about the transformation of your body and Mr Whippy vans. You'll learn a lot―Grazia\nMcNish does not shy away from discussing the pain, emotional and physical, the fraying of self that comes with sleep deprivation, the poo, snot, seepages and leakages, but she also captures the bliss and wonder. Her rhymes have a driving quality, urgent words pinning down fleeting feelings, and her prose is warm and conversational, like speaking to a friend―The Observer\nFrom a poem about morning sickness to a story about enduring a public toddler tantrum, [Hollie McNish] provides beautifully written solidarity covering both the trials and the joys of being a parent―10 Best Parenting Books, Independent\nHollie's poems are deep and delicate. They move across you in a way that's so gentle you almost don't realise how they've gone straight for the gut till you're thinking of them, by accident, days later. She writes with honesty, conviction, humour and love. She points out the absurdities we've grown too used to and lets us see the world with fresh eyes. Her poetry is welcoming, galvanising and beautiful. She's always been one of my favourites―Kate Tempest\nIt's a moving and profoundly personal account. Yet at the same time, Nobody Told Me offers an insight into the shared, unspoken experiences of many mothers. McNish describes Nobody Told Me as 'All the things I couldn't talk about.' It feels like time that we started talking―The Skinny\nHer poetry has never shied away from issues of gender, race, commercialism and parenthood but it always delivers touching and accessible insights, and this book will surely do the same―The Big Issue\nFor a lyrical take on pregnancy and parenthood, look no further than Nobody Told Me: Poetry and 
Parenthood from award-winning poet Hollie McNish. This beautifully written book includes a series of 
poems and stories, lifted from Hollie's personal diaries on becoming a parent, and documents her journey 
from pregnancy to taking her child to pre-school for the first time―Independent\n'This book should be required reading for anyone thinking of having a baby, or even anyone who knows someone who is thinking of having a baby' 
Scotland on Sunday\n'Fascinating and honest' 
Mumsnet\n'Like talking to a friend' 
Observer\nWinner of the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry\nThere were many things that Hollie McNish didn't know before she was pregnant. How her family and friends would react; that Mr Whippy would be off the menu; how quickly ice can melt on a stomach. These were on top of the many other things she didn't know about babies: how to stand while holding one; how to do a poetry gig with your baby as a member of the audience; how drum'n'bass can make a great lullaby. And that's before you even start on toddlers.\nBut Hollie learned.\nAnd she's still learning, slowly. Nobody Told Me is a collection of poems and stories; Hollie's thoughts on raising a child in modern Britain, of trying to become a parent in modern Britain, of sex, commercialism, feeding, gender and of finding secret places to scream once in a while.

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Women's Health

'funny, so smart and refreshingly honest' Sarah Millican A brand-new collection from the award-winning poet, the companion piece to the Sunday Times bestselling Slug. This book is written out of both hate and love for the world As people, we are capable of both love and hate; amazement and disgust; fun and misery. So why do we live in a world that is constantly telling us to hate, both ourselves and others? We are told to be repulsed by our own bodies, bodies that let us laugh and sweat and eat toast; to be ashamed of pleasure; to be embarrassed by fun. In this brand-new collection, Hollie McNish brings her inimitable style to the question of what have been taught to hate, and if we might learn to love again. 'Never have we needed her more' Stylist 'I've loved her work for years' Jo Brand 'She writes with honesty, conviction, humour and love' Kae Tempest

Lobster: and other things I’m learning to love

About the Author\nHollie McNish is an award-winning poet based between Cambridge and Glasgow. She won the Ted Hughes Award for Nobody Told Me and has published three other collections - Plum, Cherry Pie and Papers.\nA modern retelling of Sophocles' classic play, Antigone, by bestselling writer and poet Hollie McNish\nAs the daughter of Oedipus, Antigone was dealt a cruel hand at birth - even within the bounds of Grecian tragedy. When her brothers are slain fighting for the throne of Thebes, Antigone finds herself pitted against her uncle, the newly crowned King Creon. In defiance of the king, Antigone buries her brother's body, a choice she may pay for dearly.\nIn this new adaptation, we see Sophocles' play reignited by bestselling poet and writer Hollie McNish. Hollie's considered retelling brings Sophocles' original text to a modern-day audience, illuminating the remarkable resemblances between ancient Greek thought and the society we grapple with today.\n'[Hollie McNish] writes with honesty, conviction, humour and love . . . She's always been one of my favourites' Kae Tempest\nFrom the Back Cover\nAs the daughter of Oedipus, Antigone was dealt a cruel hand at birth - even within the bounds of Grecian tragedy. When her brothers are slain fighting for the throne of Thebes, Antigone finds herself pitted against her uncle, the newly crowned King Creon. In defiance of the king, Antigone buries her brother's body, a choice she may pay for dearly.\nIn this new adaptation, we see Sophocles' play reignited by bestselling poet and writer Hollie McNish. Hollie's considered retelling brings Sophocles' original text to a modern-day audience, illuminating the remarkable resemblances between ancient Greek thought and the society we grapple with today.

Antigone: A New Adaptation of the Classic Greek Tragedy

Religion & Spirituality

“Hollie McNish is breaking boundaries and showing that poetry has a place and a role in the 21st century.”  ―James McMahon, CBS Tennessee Celebrate the ride–its joy, its labor, its freedom. In our world of fossil fuel dependence, insisting on the value and beauty of riding a bicycle is a subversive  and necessary act. And, as any rider will tell you, the act is fun!  Why I Ride is an ode to the experience of the rider that was collaboratively produced by the award winning lead poets of the UK arts collective, Page to Performance, and the Cambridge kids who participated in their summer 2013 workshops. Each stanza of the poem receives its own page spread and is accompanied by a bicycle-themed photo in either vibrant color or classic black and white. A video of Hollie McNish reading the poem over footage of Cambridge kids enjoying the ride is also available on YouTube. The book is a multimedia feast based around verse that any reader will find accessible and to which any rider will relate. A percentage of all profits from sales of the book will be donated to 350.org. Why I Ride is a book for your body as much as your mind–it eggs on the muscles, evokes the wind in your hair. “Why do you ride?/ And if you could but you don’t/ Why not?” ___ HOLLIE is a UK poet who has released two poetry albums and one first written collection, Papers. She was 2009 UK poetry Slam Champion, coming 3rd in the World Poetry Slam Finals, behind the US and Canada, She has had over 2 million hits on youtube and was the first poet ever to record and perform at Abbey Road Studios, London. She was the 2013 Slambassadors judge, the UK’s biggest youth poetry slam and has been running spoken word workshops for over 5 years. INJA is a professional emcee who has been leading lyric writing and recording workshops with young people, including N.E.E.T and hard to reach, for over 10 years. He works with hiphop, drum n bass, dubstep and grime and has toured all over the UK Europe and as far as China, Brazil and Colombia.  He is the current host of the UK and World DMC’s, the worlds biggest Dj-ing Championships.

Why I Ride: Because a Bike Pedal Lasts Longer Than a Gas Tank

Green Writers Press

The women you've seen play today, we are more than football players, more than athletes and sportspeople of the very highest degree. We are heroines or heroes - or however you wanna say it – and we should be taking our place on posters and platforms and TV stations, changing the way perfect is thought of, changing the way girls can be brought up. Offside tells the story of women's football in the UK through the eyes of a modern professional female footballer as she seeks to find a future in the game through exploring its past.Mickey is alone in the locker room; she deliberates with herself about the biggest decision of her life, her career, her love – her football. But in a world where sexism is rife and a feeling of self-limitation reduces opportunities, fear makes for poor decisions while joy flourishes in the unlikeliest of places.Offside has been researched with top women's teams, Manchester City Women's FC and Millwall Lionesses, where many players, sports scientists and others who are integral to the development of the game have been interviewed to gain an in-depth insight into their world. The play blends a dramatic narrative with performance poetry and chanting to evoke the pace and passion of the women's game.The production, by Futures Theatre, has been developed in partnership with the National Football Museum, Manchester, and the IWM, London.

Offside (Modern Plays)

Mahfouz, Sabrina

Dramas & Plays

Methuen Drama

Cherry Pie is 2015 collection from Ted Hughes Award and Arts Foundation Award winner Hollie McNish, inspired by her grandparents' advice on newspapers, war, sex and tinned cherries. The poems collected in Cherry Pie hold personal meaning for Hollie and are also those which have been frequently requested by audiences in theatres, pubs, festival tents, schools and youth clubs up and down the UK. The book is illustrated by some of Hollie's favourite artists and illustrators.Cherry Pie includes Hollie's poem Mathematics (1.9 million hits on YouTube) as well as Bungalows and Biscuits which was shortlisted for Best Factual New Media Content About Older People's Issues in the Older People in Media Awards. Her poetry has received over 3.5 million YouTube views; more than most political speeches, less than a cat dancing to 80's pop music.

Cherry Pie

Burning Eye Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by McNish, Hollie. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by McNish, Hollie

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by McNish, Hollie. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Nobody Told Me: Poetry and Parenthood

Slug: and other things I've been told to hate

Slug

Nobody Told Me: Poetry and Parenthood

Lobster: and other things I’m learning to love

Antigone: A New Adaptation of the Classic Greek Tragedy

Why I Ride: Because a Bike Pedal Lasts Longer Than a Gas Tank

Offside (Modern Plays)

Cherry Pie