AT HOME: A Toast to the People: Hollie McNish & Wana Udobang
This A Toast to the People film features Hollie McNish and Wana Udobang in an electric performance.
Join Hollie McNish and Wana Udobang for an electric night of performance poetry and spoken word in the International Festival’s Old College Quad venue. Expect a celebration of contemporary storytelling at its finest.
Not easily categorised, Glasgow-based Hollie McNish is a writer who loves writing. She has released two spoken word albums and a collection titled Plum since winning the UK Poetry Slam in 2009, and her new book Slug…and other things I’ve been told to hate was released in May of this year. McNish’s new poems often go viral, reaching millions on YouTube and she has also won the 2016 Ted Hughes Award for her poetic memoir Nobody Told Me.
She performs along with Wana Udobang for this A Toast to the People event. Udobang is a storyteller and artist working at the intersection of writing, poetry, performance and film. She has released three studio albums as a poet and for her work in journalism has been awarded numerous fellowships, including the International Women’s Media Foundation Fellowship. Udobang has spent the last five years developing and curating Culture Diaries, an archival project and Pan-African artist network that uses multi-platform storytelling to document African artists. She is a 2021 University of IOWA International writing residency fellow.
A Toast to the People brings together two spoken word artists, each performing their own set of performance poetry that includes a specially commissioned piece inspired by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson’s ‘A Toast to the People’. Following their sets, the two artists take part in an exclusive discussion about their work and the pervading issues and themes of today.
This digital performance is available to watch online until 10 December 2021 at 11pm. Please book a free ticket to watch this performance at home.
Unfortunately, it has not been possible to provide BSL interpretation for this event. BSL interpreted versions of Hollie McNish and Wana Udobang's 'A Toast to the People' commissions will be available on our YouTube channel.
In partnership with Edinburgh International Book Festival
Made possible through the PLACE programme
Our digital programme offers audiences the opportunity to discover artists from this year's International Festival at home for free.
All events are free, but donations are welcomed. You can donate when booking your ticket, or by visiting our Support Us page.
To join these online conversations, please book a free ticket. You'll then receive a confirmation email with full details on how to view.
At the time of the event, you'll need to return to the At Home event page and login to your account to view. You can watch in a web browser on your computer or mobile device, or use Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Apple Screen Mirroring or an HDMI cable to watch on a television screen. There's more information on how to connect and troubleshoot any issues on our At Home Support page.