SLO County poets laureate Kevin Clark and Caleb Nichols
Caleb Nichols is an accessible poet.
And now they (Nichols prefers the pronoun “they”) are San Luis Obispo County’s newest Poet Laureate, officially recognized by the Board of Supervisors, after the SLO County Arts Council put his name forward to follow in the footsteps of other notable laureates, including Kevin Clark, Jeanie Greensfelder, Dian Sousa, Kevin Patrick Sullivan, and the first ever so-designated (in 1999), Ray Clark Dickson.
Nichols’ first official event was the Arts Council’s Inaugural Poet Laureate Reading on January 24 in the historic Milking Parlor next to the Octagon Barn in San Luis Obispo.
California’s tenth Poet Laureate, Lee Herrick, joined Nichols, outgoing laureate Kevin Clark, and award-winning poet and author MT Vallarta in celebrating the power of poetry to connect and inspire the community. They read before a standing-room only crowd.
“I think I was selected because of my previous involvement with promoting poetry in San Luis Obispo through the SLO Book Bike,” Nichols says. “And because of my publication record and Ph.D. in creative writing.”
SLO Book Bike is a “queer-owned, bike-powered, pop-up book shop” that connects readers and writers through readings, workshops, and pop-ups “on a decidedly irregular basis.”
Nichols has many plans for poetry events in the county. “So far it’s been a whirlwind and a pleasure to work with SLO County Arts and others on planning readings and initiatives like the new Poet Laureate Office Hours.”
You can request a virtual appointment to visit with and get to know Nichols through their “Office Hours”—to share poems, ask questions, or talk about poetics, publishing, books, and more.
Editor’s Note: You can read two of Nichols’ poems, Catch and Hunting for the Northern Lights Near Trefor, on SLO Review.