Caleb Nichols is a writer and musician from California. Caleb has a PhD in Creative Writing from Bangor University in North Wales. They are the Poet Laureate of San Luis Obispo County, California.
Poetry
22 Lunes (Unsolicited Press, 2020)
TEEMS///\\\RECEDES (Kelp Books, 2021)
Chan Says & Other Songs (Bottlecap Press, 2023)
Soft Animal / O Anima (Gasher, 2023)
One For Joy, Two For Sorrow (Broken Sleep, 2024)
Non-Fiction
Don’t Panic: A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Panicking (Broken Sleep, 2022)
Selected Poems
Menai Strait, Transcript of Questions and AI Responses to New Submissions to the Turing Test (Anthropocene)
Stop Scrolling (The Lickety Split)
Magic Feather (Dear Poetry Journal)
Princess Diaries No. 12 (Longleaf Review)
Ken (Academy of American Poets)
Life on Mars (Hoax)
6 Erasures of Yelp Reviews of the Taco Bell on Santa Rosa Street (Fruit Journal)
Music
Let’s Look Back (kill rock stars, 2023)
She Is Not Your Shadow (kill rock stars, 2023)
Chan Says & Other Songs (kill rock stars, 2023)
Ramon (kill rock stars, 2022)
Essays
“Merry Melancholia: On Christmas Music, Joy, and Grief.” Talkhouse, December 2016.
“William, It Was Really Something: Queer Longing in Music and Poetry.” Talkhouse, September 2020.
“Public-Private Partnerships Are Quietly Hollowing Out Our Public Libraries.” Truthout.org, November 2021.
“What Made Mr. Mustard Such A Mean Old Man? On Queering the Beatles. Talkhouse, June 2022.
Review of “Queer Nature”, Poetry Wales, 58.2, Winter 2022.
Interviews
“A Poem Is Never Done” (Longleaf Review)
“How I Wrote The Poem: Bus Stop, Gwynedd” (Poetry Wales)
“A Conversation with the Reluctant Therapist” (KCBX)
“Tour Stories: The Check-In with Caleb Nichols” (Ruinous Media)
“Queering the Beatles” (Another Kind of Mind)
Shows & Readings
2025
24 January - San Luis Obispo, CA - Octagon Barn (SLO County Arts Reading)
2024
25 January - Los Angeles, CA - Jr. High
29 Feb - San Francisco, CA - Kilowatt (Noise Pop w/ Califone)
13 June - Glasgow, UK - The Old Hairdresser’s (w/ Dayydream, Radio Banter)
17 June - Edinburgh, UK - Typewronger (Poetry Reading)
18 June - Glasgow, UK - Good Press (Poetry Reading)
19 June - Nottingham, UK - JT Soar
20 June - Liverpool, UK - Dead Ink Books (Poetry Reading)
21 June - London, UK - The Shacklewell Arms (w/ Felicette, Spring Major)
22 June - Paris, FR - Silence Kills
5 October - Morro Bay, CA - The Siren w/ Goodnight Texas
7 November - Liverpool, UK - A Lovely Word Poetry Reading - Liverpool Everyman (Hope St.)
21 November - Wrexham, UK - the Magic Dragon w/ Elliott’s Graveyard and Long Neck Lass
23 November - Nottingham, UK - JT Soar w/ Joe and the Shitboys
28 November - Manchester, UK - David Berman Celebration at Manchester Poetry Library
2023
26 October - San Luis Obispo, CA - SLO Brew Rock
30 March - Leeds, England - Wharf Harbor w/ Trust Fund
31 March - Edinburgh, Scotland - Lovecrumbs Poetry Reading w/ Randall Mann
2 April - Glasgow, Scotland - The Flying Duck w/ Trust Fund
3 April - Bangor, Wales - Tafarn Y Glob w/ Tegid Rhys
5 April - Sunderland, England - Pop Records w/ Trust Fund
6 April - Liverpool, England - Kaz Stockroom w/ Sara Wolff and Trust Fund
7 April - Birmingham, England - The Juke w/ Trust Fund
8 April - London, England - The Cavendish Arms All Dayer w/ Trust Fund and more.
9 April - Oxford, England - Divine Schism Matinee - FREE!
6/2 - Portland, Or - Show Bar w/ Doubleplusgood
6/3- Corvallis, OR - Bitterhalf Booking Presents A Garden Ball w/ Doubleplusgood
6/4 - Seattle, WA - The Sunset Tavern w/ Doubleplusgood
6/5 - Boise, ID - Neurolux w/ Jesse Blake Rundle
11 August - London - Cavendish Arms
20 August - Liverpool - Birkenhead Arts Palace
26 August - Belfast - The American Bar
27 August - Glasgow - Ushi’s
28 August - Edinburgh - Typewronger
2022
2/24 San Francisco, CA - Makeout Room w/ MAITA
2/25 San Luis Obispo, CA - A Satellite of Love w/ MAITA
2/26 Los Angeles, CA - Jr. High w/ MAITA
6/17 San Luis Obispo, CA - Live Oak Music Festival
6/25 Los Angeles, CA - Permanent Records Roadhouse
6/28 San Francisco, CA - Brick and Mortar Music Hall
6/30 Portland, OR - Music Millennium In-store
7/1 Corvallis, OR - Common Fields / Old World Deli
7/2 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
7/3 Seattle, WA - High Dive
9/21 NYC - TV Eye w/ Colleen Green
9/23 Providence, RI - AS220 w/ Colleen Green
9/25 Reykjavik, Iceland - Gaukurinn
9/27 Glasgow, Scotland - Glad Cafe
9/28 London, England - The Victorian
12/7 Faenza, Italy - Clan Destino
12/8 Terni, Italy - Fat Art Club
12/9 Bologna, Italy - Efesto House
12/10 San Salvo, Italy - Beat Cafe
12/11 Parma, Italy - Donka Street Bar
12/13 London, England - Cavendish Arms
2021
12/1 Los Angeles, CA - Permanent Records Roadhouse w/ Foxx Bodies
12/4 San Luis Obispo, CA - A Satellite of Love w/ Little Wings
Contact
Send Caleb an email.