Nico The Poet

04/05/2026

The Colorado Springs Q***r History Archive is open to contributions from the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ community and allies - that includes you!

The mission of this project is to document the writing, art, places, organizations, and people who have made and continue to make this community what it is, and to share this history relationally, geographically, and chronologically.

History is not just the past - it is what we create together for those to come. If there is someone you think you should be in this archive, yourself included, then please, contribute to the project! Information on how is on the project webpage.

The mission of this archive is to democratize access to our local history. To share the knowledge and stories that would have been otherwise lost or locked away in archives in other states.

You can learn more about local LGBTQ+ history by perusing the project, and by attending the landmarking event on April 11 that I am collaborating on with Colorado LGBTQ+ historian David Duffield , as both a part of my history research, and through my work as Outreach Coordinator at , to help us designate the places in Colorado Springs that have been home to the LGBTQ+ community that should become Colorado historic landmarks.

11/28/2025

I never expected to sell the entire first edition of my first full-length book of poetry, The Weeds Grow Anyway, within six months of releasing it. To say I am grateful would be an understatement. Thank you to everyone who made this book possible, who supported my efforts with resources, knowledge, and by ordering their own copy.

I am working on binding the second edition now. You can secure your own linocut-printed, hand-bound copy by preordering. The book is also available in an ebook format.

About the book: Nico Wilkinson's debut full-length poetry collection and handmade book 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 w**d, 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 q***ring the inhospitable landscape that is Colorado Springs, and America itself.

11/25/2025

11/25/2025

A sneak peek into my new digital zine / game The Labyrinth Beneath Your Feet, in which you play the minotaur, Asterius, and try not to get got by Theseus. The game will be released eventually. No set schedule yet. It's just a fun little personal project I'm working on as I explore the different forms that books can take.

11/24/2025

11/24/2025

One of a handful of highlights to come from my recent series of pieces, created as a part of the Heller Center Arts Exchange project and exhibition. It was nice to channel my long covid feelings into art.

11/11/2025

You can check out this piece, titled "I Taught Myself to Dance Alone," at the UCCS Heller Center for Arts & Humanities until November 20th! Tuesday and Thursday, 1p-6p, or Saturday and Sunday, 10a-2p.

Part of the series entitled "The Labyrinth Beneath Your Feet," this piece is a mourning of the community spaces, q***r bars, clubs, and open mics, that I once considered a second home, but are now mostly inaccessible due to widespread Covid denial. The words "WHAT IS AROUND YOU IS WHAT IS INSIDE YOU" are projected from the bottom of the piece in an endless circle, a reminder of our interdependence on our environments and each other, and our direct impact on the health and well-being of those around us.

The title of the piece is inspired by a lyric from the song "Minotaur Forgiving Knossos" by Moonface.

09/02/2025

A 3-for-1 poem deal for you today! A contrapuntal is a poem that can be read on the left, the right, or both halves can be read together to form one poem. I've been interfacing with this piece a lot while making the ebook for The Weeds Grow Anyway, as contrapuntals are kind of hard to format for reflowable ebooks. Ultimately, I converted it to an image and then added alt text of all the different readings of the poem. The ebook is available for either $7 or pay-what-you-want, and will soon be available via the Q***r Liberation Library!

08/15/2025

Reviews are in for The Weeds Grow Anyway, and my heart is bursting with the kindness that's been shared about the book. I am so glad it has reached, resonated with, and inspired you to share your thoughts! If you also want to share your thoughts, don't be a stranger! You can message me or review the book on Goodreads!

There are still a few copies left of the handmade first edition, but I am also excited to share that the book is also now available as an ebook for $7 on my website, or pay-what-you-want on itch.io!

I am so eternally grateful for the support folks have shown for this endeavor. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

08/11/2025

This post, featuring the amazing words of Mallory Everhart, is a celebration of time, and the heartbreak that is inevitable with its passing. I went to the Mercury Cafe last night for Andrea Gibson's memorial. I realized in being there that the last time I was there was Bennett's memorial a few years back. It is hard to contend with the inevitable changes of life - poets drift in and out, are born within these walls and pass away outside of them. Buildings change owners and names, as places that were once home start to feel strange. Still, I treasure the memories of all those Sunday night drives to and from Denver with Mallory, and I treasure the memories of the poets I got to share the stage with, and the 7-poet-minute intermissions, and the poets' goodbyes at the end of the night which at times could last longer than the slam itself, as though we weren't all about to see one another in just a week's time, never thinking a time might come where that poet goodbye might be the last.

Thank you Mallory, for always being down to make the drive with me all those Sundays. Yesterday included. Thank you, Mercury Cafe, for being both church and home during those years. Thank you to all the poets who made it so.

Go read Mallory's blog - Becoming Sanctuary. She puts it better than I do.

08/07/2025

Now that I am emerging from my post-release-and-shipping hibernation, I am excited to share the photos from the release show, taken by the fabulous Corri Mercy (.magick)

The show was everything I could have hoped for. It meant the world to be surrounded by friends and community to celebrate the completion of this project. I felt so loved, and I am so grateful.

Thank you to for hosting the event -- I couldn't have imagined a more gorgeous venue. (Go check out the Justice of the Piece exhibition if you haven't already!)

Thank you to for emceeing and being the hostess with the mostest, and for always making me feel seen with your kind words.

Thank you for DJ-ing and providing the most phenomenal soundtrack for the evening.

Thank [email protected] for your ability to capture moments with such vibrance and tenderness.

Thank you to .later and Brin for all their help in managing the preorder pickup and book sales. It got a little wild at the end there, and y'all really held it down.

Thank you to everyone who came out and shared this space with me. It means the world.