Out of Nothing

James B. Nicola's poetry books are more than collections; each one takes the reader on a particular journey with a beginning, middle, and end. Manhat­tan Plaza (2014) "reads like a biography or memoir . . . with the thoughtfulness of an architect's blueprint or a tour guide's Baedeker," according to Vermont Literary Review, while Great Weather for Media observes that Stage to Page: Poems from the Theater (2016) "illustrates a life in the theatre, warts and all" and "would recommend [it] not only to readers . . . but also to poets who are interested in developing collections which follow a specific theme." Nicola's individual poems have appeared stateside in the Antioch, Southwest, and Atlanta Reviews, Rattle, Tar River, and Poetry East, and in many journals in Europe and Canada. A Yale graduate, he won a Dana Literary Award, a Willow Review award, and a People's Choice award (from Storyteller), and he was a featured poet at New Formalist. His nonfiction book, Playing the Audience, won a Choice award. Following the tradition of poets Stanley Kunitz, Elizabeth Bishop, and Frank O'Hara, Nicola moved from his native Worcester, Massachusetts, to New York City, where he makes his home. Lately he has been conducting both theater and poetry workshops at libraries, literary festivals, schools, and community centers all over the country, most notably the Kennedy Center¿/¿American College Theater Festival. Nicola is also a director, composer, lyricist, and playwright. His children's musical Chimes: A Christmas Vaudeville premiered in Fairbanks, Alaska, where Santa Claus was rumored to be in the audience on opening night. sites.google.com/site/jamesbnicola