Caleb Nichols has been appointed Poet Laureate of San Luis Obispo County by the SLO County Arts Council, and will serve a two-year term starting in 2025.
On October 29, the SLO County Board of Supervisors recognized Nichols for “building a literary arts community in San Luis Obispo through hosting workshops, readings, and literary events via the SLO Book Bike,” and expects the new Poet Laureate to “elevate the exposure, participation, and celebration of poetry in San Luis Obispo County through the lens of the people.”
Nichols is a lecturer in the English Department at Cal Poly, having graduated from Cal Poly with a master of arts degree in English literature. SLO Book Bike is a curated pop-up book shop specializing in poetry, fiction and memoir.
The Poet Laureate program is designed to raise the awareness of poetry in the region and to help celebrate the literary arts. Nichols is expected to serve as an advocate for poetry, literature, and the arts, to lead community projects that make poetry more accessible, and to contribute to SLO County’s poetry and literary legacy.
Nichols joins past Poets Laureate such as Kevin Clark, Jeanie Greensfelder, James Cushing and the county’s first recipient of the honor, Ray Clark Dickson.
