The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Folk favourites:
Tae Sup Wi’ A Fifer
When revered author and “slam poet” Hollie Mcnish joins the bill at Tae Sup Wi’ A Fifer in Kirkcaldy tomorrow night, she hopes to be performing first so she is “not nervous” awaiting her slot.
But while she has consciously not researched the other performers – award-winning folk brothers Ye Vagabonds and the newly-formed duo of Nancy Kerr and Luke Daniels – it is not the first time she has attended one of Fife musician James Yorkston’s multigenre club night events.
“I went to Tae Sup last year as a punter and it was brilliant,” said the 35-year-old Reading-born Cambridge graduate, whose parents grew up in Stepps, east of Glasgow and who also recently went on a “wee holiday” to Fife, including the East Neuk.
“I was up visiting family and went to a gig. I spoke to James there. I went for a pizza with him.
“Then he just got in contact with me. “I generally love doing gigs in Scotland because my family are there. I try to get up every few weeks.”
As a full-time writer who loves poetry, Hollie has published three collections Papers, Cherry Pie and Plum, plus one poetic memoir on politics and parenthood, Nobody Told Me, for which she won the Ted Hughes Award.
She tours continuously all over the UK, Europe and beyond and is a big fan of online readings. Her poetry videos have attracted millions of views worldwide.
However, she laughs when quizzed about the definition of her style.
“I probably wouldn’t describe myself as a slam poet,” she said.
“A slam is a poetry competition. You can stand up and do anything, it just has to be under two minutes.
“I’ve only done three slams in my life but I always get classed as a slam poet.
“I would class myself as a writer I guess. But I guess slam poet sounds a bit cooler.”
At slam events, the audience holds up cards at the end to give marks out of 10. However, Hollie confirmed there will be no voting cards when she appears in Kirkcaldy.
“I’ll be doing about a half-hour set,” she added. “I’ve had three books out over the last five years. I’ll be reading a few bits and testing some new poems from my book due out in 2021.”
Hollie, who has a nine-year-old daughter, said her material can be “quite rude” and is “definitely aimed at a 16-plus audience”.
“I write quite a lot about sex basically,” she laughs. “I write a lot about my grandparents as well. They inspire me quite a lot. Some are soppy and love poems. Others are about things that some people think are taboo but shouldn’t really be taboo.”