Hollie McNish

Hollie McNish is a published UK poet based between Cambridge and Glasgow, who is known for her incredible live s.

Her first two poetry collections – Cherry Pie and Papers – were published by Burning Eye Books. An album, Versus, which made her the first poet to record at Abbey Road Studios, London. 

In 2016, Little Brown published her memoir of poetry and parenthood, Nobody Told Me. It has been translated into 3 languages to date and won the Ted Hughes Prize for Poetry 2016. In June 2017, Picador published her third poetry collection, Plum, to critical acclaim. Plum was named in the Rough Trade Book of the Year list.

She has co-written the play Offside (Methuen), with Sabrina Mahfouz, and a new version of Antigone (Fleet) for Storyhouse in 2021.

In 2021, her book, Slug & other things I’ve been told to hate (Fleet), was a Sunday Times Bestseller, as was the follow up, Lobster & other things I’m learning to love (Fleet), reaching 3rd spot on the charts. Both have been published in French, to much acclaim.

Her latest collection, Virgin (Fleet), was published in October 2025.

"Her rhymes have a driving quality, urgent words pinning down fleeting feelings" - Observer

“I 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

“I've loved her work for years” -- Jo Brand

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