San Luis Obispo Supervisors have elected a new County Poet Laureate. Local writer and musician Caleb Nichols now holds the title, tasked with promoting poetry in the community.
Nichols plans to ignite local interest in poetry through events like pop-ups, workshops and readings.
“Maybe I’ll bring some poets from out of town, too, to do readings to showcase the larger world of poetry from beyond SLO County’s borders as well,” Nichols said.
Nichols said they want people to recognize poetry’s value as one of the oldest forms of artistic expression and making sense of the world.
“I am really looking forward to connecting with lots of people and working with lots of different people to put poetry at the forefront of the arts in SLO County,” Nichols said.
As a queer poet, Nichols often writes about identity and isolation, themes they hope will resonate with community members who share similar experiences.