The Weeds Grow Anyway
Releasing June 27th! Available for pre-order now!
Nico Wilkinson's debut full-length poetry collection "The Weeds Grow Anyway" is a celebration of that which lies beyond resilience in the face of adversity: audacity. Writing from Colorado Springs amidst a time of anti-trans violence, they examine the relationship of trans people to this world through the lens of nature's relationship to humans. What makes a plant into a weed, something deemed unacceptable to the landscape? The poetry within - much like the local flora and trans people who live there - is rooted in the experience of queering the inhospitable landscape that is Colorado Springs.
The release show will be at GOCA at UCCS, June 27th at 6:30pm. Books will be available for pickup at the event, and any remaining preorders will be shipped out in the week following.
I will be touring the book following release. If you’re interested in me coming to your show, school, or event and sharing my work, please contact me here.
The Making of the Book
I started assembling my poems into a manuscript in 2023, and in doing so, I struggled to picture the Word document I was assembling them into as a capital-B “Book,” so I decided to experiment with formatting the poetry into a hardcover book, which I bound in May, 2023. In doing so, I remembered my love of editing and bookbinding, and decided I might as well create the books myself.
With the help of The Press at Colorado College and Ladyfingers Letterpress, I designed, carved, and printed the covers using linocut and risograph printing in June, 2024. In the months since I’ve worked on figuring out the best construction of the book, as well as re-working the manuscript with the help of some friends who have offered edits and feedback. The book is set to release June 27, 2025 at The Galleries of Contemporary Art at UCCS in Colorado Springs.
