About

About

Nico Wilkinson (they/he) is a poet, organizer, and artist based out of Colorado Springs, CO. They are the organizer of Keep Colorado Springs Queer, an award-winning open mic started in 2016. In January 2017 they released “Inauguration,” a collaborative book with Idris Goodwin which celebrated resilience in the midst of the hostile political climate. They are the 2017 champion of Capturing Fire, the national queer poetry competition and summit. Their full-length poetry collection, The Weeds Grow Anyway, is set to release Fall 2024.

CV

PUBLICATIONS FEATURING NICO WILKINSON

Poetry

• blessing from venetucci farm. Sunday Mornings at the River. 2024 Poetry Diary.

• trans day of i love you + interview. High Country News.

• everyone has a queer farm fantasy. the winnow. dual themed issue: home / liminal spaces (purchase here)

• affection infection and the train. Stoked Words Anthology.

• daydream. The Breakbeat Poets Vol. 4, Latinext. Haymarket Books.

• a poem in which the word ‘fingernails’ is replaced by ‘gender’. Suspect Press.

• how many times must i mourn this year. Colorado Springs Independent.

• Queer Etymology. Colorado Springs Independent.

• ways i could be buried with you and the train. Crab Fat Magazine. [Now defunct. R.I.P.]

• riverbed Rust + Moth.

• facts about manatees. Cactus Heart.

• the train. Voicemail Poems.

• grind. Hot Poetry Calendar, June poet and model. Olney // Bullshit Lit.

• the bees and the beekeeper speak. co-written with Mackenzie Beninati. Deep Overstock Journal Issue 17: Beekeeping.

Non-Fiction

• Peach Press hopes to elevate underrepresented voices. Colorado Springs Independent.

• The spirit of do-it-yourself is in doing ‘it’ together. Colorado Springs Independent.

• Mani Queen talks drag and the Springs scene. Colorado Springs Independent.

• The Origin of Us. Cipher Magazine.

• The Dead Dogs of Dale Street. Cipher Magazine.

• Packing Boxes. Cipher Magazine.

PUBLICATIONS BY NICO WILKINSON

We Grow Anyway, 1 and 2, Prickly Pear Printing

Inauguration, co-written with Idris Goodwin, printed and designed by Han Sayles, 

GALLERIES - FEATURED IN

We’re Here, We’re Queer! Letterpress Group Show, Zygote Press, Cleveland, OH, July 2023

Queer Narratives Gallery, Pikes Peak Arts Council, Colorado Springs, CO, June 2024

GALLERIES - CURATED

Planned Parenthood Reproductive Rights Gallery, The Gallery Below, Colorado Springs, CO, September, 2017, 2018

PRESS

• Poets Reflect on the Club Q Shooting in Colorado Springs. High Country News. 2022.

• Colorado Springs Poets ‘Process the Difficult Realities’ of Coronavirus Through Writing. CPR. 2020.

• Interview with Nico Wilkinson. Humanitou. 2019.

• Flowering in Adversity: Prickly Pear Printing moves poetry beyond trauma. Colorado Springs Independent. 2018

• Planned Parenthood's newest exhibit focuses on consent. Colorado Springs Independent. 2018. 

• Local poet Nico Wilkinson talks slam, self-love and turning poetry into a conversation. Colorado Springs Independent. 2016.

Podcasts

• Interview with the Colorado Springs LGBTQIA2+ Oral History Project. 2022.

• Aerik Francis and Nico Wilkinson: Poetry, Performance, and Perspective. The Western Colorado Writers Podcast. 2022.

• Nico Wilkinson, Melissa Lozada-Oliva, Emily Paige Wilson. Voicemail Poems. 2016.

AWARDS AND GRANTS

• Finalist in the Gasher Press Bennett Nieberg Transpoetics Broadside Prize. 2022. 

• Capturing Fire: International Queer Poetry Slam and Summit Champion. 2017.

• Pikes Peak Arts Council - Artist Microgrant for Inauguration. 2017. 

• Pikes Peak Arts Council - 2017 Award for Best Publication, “Inauguration.” 2017.

• Inclusion Award– “Keep Colorado Springs Queer” open mic. CS Indy. 2017.

• Utah Spit Love Poetry Slam - Regional Champion. 2016.

• Featured in [spectrum] LGBT Short Play showcase. “Chaos Magic.” Funky Little Theater Company.