McNish and Wright Fill the Corn Hall

Posted on 28th February 2026

There wasn’t an empty seat in the house for a double bill of poetry at the Corn, with folk coming from far and wide to listen to Luke Wright and Holly McNish present their latest work. McNish enviously summed Wright’s ability to splice his poems into an overarching theme, blending narrative and oratory with wit and charm. Wright was equally self-deprecating, quick to assure us that it must have been McNish’s appearance that had filled the hall to bursting.

The truth of the matter is that they are two contrasting poets, equally skilled in their own ways. Luke Wright presented his new show, Later Life Letter, a touching exploration of what it feels like to be adopted. Growing up in a loving family, it would be easy to imagine he was the poster boy for adoption, and his poems were pregnant with warm affection for his mum, his dad and his half-brother. Yet what he described as a primal wound would not let him go, as the eponymous later life letter niggled away at him. If it is hard to tease out individual poetic highlights from his performance, it is only because he so artfully integrated them into a story that was as messy and inconclusive as it was relatable and heartfelt. This was a rare glimpse into Wright’s personal life, and was all the more affecting as a result.

By way of contrast, Holly McNish does little else but mine personal circumstance, her poetry born from experience, whether uncomfortable, confessional or uplifting. She may not think much of the Royal Family, but she loves her grandma, her daughter and a good horror story. She may not want to go on fun runs, but when confronted by a grape, knows exactly what to do with it. Topics ranged from the Virgin Mary to butter knives, all of it adding up to a tapestry of her life and the folk she shares it with. The session may not have had the style and polish of Luke’s structured performance, but there was enough warmth and self-depreciating good humour to more than make up for it.