"I THINK," says Hollie, "that 'amazing' and 'guilt' are the most common words in the book apart from 'the' and 'and'. This is not surprising, given that the award winning viral poetry superstar Hollie Mcnish has an astounding talent for expressing the paradox of parenting – how something can be exquisitely beautiful yet simultaneously the most challenging thing you will ever do.

This is why, on Thursday evening at the Hive in Worcester, I found myself in a room full of well over 100 women (and a few men) from all walks of life, all laughing, weeping and nodding as Hollie shared with us some extracts from her collection of poetry and diaries; Nobody Told Me.

Hollie has an innate ability to make her audience feel as though she can see inside their heads.

She describes common themes such as waiting for labour, the pain of childbirth, the dichotomy of balancing mothering with being a partner, and the self consciousness of breastfeeding in public (her breastfeeding poem "Embarrassed" was made into a short film last year following a crowdfunding campaign).

Hollie manages to say what we have all thought at one time or another, in such a way that we feel relief and joy as we listen.

This comes from the realisation that it's not just us – we ARE normal – as she stands in front of us, quietly yet passionately describing motherhood in an honest, raw and beautiful poetic form.

She is not purely a 'parenting poet' – her stunning piece 'Mathematics' is a brilliantly observed poem about immigration (search for it on YouTube, it's well worth a listen) and she has recently co-written a play about female footballers.

However, it seems that motherhood is where she found her biggest and most passionate audience.

She delivers her poetry with an unassuming and humble attitude, as though still surprised by the reception she receives. Well, Hollie, take it from Worcester – you really are 'amazing'.