Two things were key in the development of Nicolas Calmes and his poetry: video games and skateboarding.

Young Nicolas explored many virtual worlds and one of them was Tony Hawk’s Underground 2. The game introduced him to skateboarding, which changed his life. Besides redefining his sense of self and the way he looks at his environment, skateboarding culture introduced him to punk rock and hip hop. Both influence his writing. His poems are written to a rap beat and characterized by the brutal honesty and inherent criticism of punk mentality.

The Prix Laurence was his foray into the literature scene. His poems got him second place in 2016, and first place and the Prix du Public in 2017. This in turn got him involved in poetry slam. He became national champion in 2022, made it to the finals at the European Poetry Slam Championship and represented Luxembourg at the World Poetry Slam Championship in 2023.

Publisher-shy, he sells DIY-printed versions of his work-in-progress poetry collection out of the trunk of his car.

He studied English at the University of Luxembourg and Arts & Culture at Maastricht University. He freelances for culture dot lu and Radio 100,7.