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)

Pool (Taco Bell Quarterly)

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.