BOOKS
Laser Quit Smoking Massage
NEWEST PRESS, available April 1, 2024
I have a new collection of essays coming out this spring that you can preorder now. I think you might like it. This is how my publisher describes the book.
From prairie towns to sprawling cities, Laser Quit Smoking Massage revels in the peculiarities of the Canadian West. A unique and exciting new voice in Canadian literature, Cole Nowicki’s witty, insightful, and ever-curious reportage explores the evolving states of community, family, and belonging.
And here’s what Carleigh Baker, award-winning author of Bad Endings, said about the thing.
“Urban poodle art, corpse flowers, and Craigslist’s enduring humanity. These are the things that keep Cole Nowicki up at night. With warmth and wisdom to spare, Nowicki takes readers through a mix of imaginative and deeply entertaining topics. This is not just an essay collection, it’s a guidebook of curiosities and family histories usually reserved for locals. Laser Quit Smoking Massage is a lozenge of literary absurdity that might just as soon sell you a watch as blow your mind.”
Book cover by the wonderful Hiller Goodspeed.
Right, Down + Circle
ECW PRESS
I wrote a book about the history and cultural impact of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater that you can find at your local bookshop or order online now. I think you might like this one, too. Here’s what Michael Christie, Giller Prize-nominated author of the novels Greenwood and If I Fall, If I Die, had to say about the thing.
“With incisive and heartfelt writing, Cole Nowicki unlocks the source code of the massively influential cultural phenomenon that is Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, and finds wonderful Easter-eggs of meaning within. Even non-skaters will be wowed by this examination of youth, community, risk, and authenticity and gain a new appreciation of skateboarding’s massive influence upon our larger culture. This is my new favorite book about skateboarding, which isn’t really about skateboarding — it’s about everything.”
Photo via The Palomino.
TELEVISION
Post Radical – Vice
I worked as a writer and researcher on the acclaimed documentary series, which explores obscure skateboarding subcultures from around the world.
My jobs included writing the voice of the narrator and finding the subjects we showcased — from a Taekwondo/skateboarding instructor in Ethiopia to a group of intensely passionate individuals who turned a small Bavarian village into the world hub of fingerboarding.
Copywriting
SELECTED ESSAYS
Smooth Black Marble – Catapult
Laser Quit Smoking Massage – Maisonneuve
On Lasers and the Mortality of Parents – Vice
My Personal Medium, Brian Eno – Vice
On Ear Intruders & Insect Love – Vice
On Trolling in The Name of Art – Vice
The Last Wholesome Corner of The Internet – The Outline
The Search for Ziggy Nowicki – Invisiblog
Buddy – subTerrain Magazine
Pride & Plockwurst – PRISM
SELECTED SKATEBOARDING-RELATED WRITING
Bobby, Bolang, and those bootleg boards – Simple Magic
The Best Skate Videos & Parts of 2021 — QS Readers Poll Results (on Tristan Funkhouser in ‘Deep Fried x Baker’) – Quartersnacks
Inside Skateboarding’s New Counterculture – The Walrus
In Defence of Olympic Skateboarding – Vice
(Mostly) Alone – King Skateboard Magazine
The Everlasting Elissa Steamer – King Skateboard Magazine
The Arrival of Andy Anderson – King Skateboard Magazine
Todd Falcon is Dead (and We Killed Him) – King Skateboard Magazine
An Ode to The Full-Length Skateboard Video – King Skateboard Magazine
SELECTED PROFILES
Meet The Dark Lord of Vancouver Karaoke – Vice
Eric Spicely: Pro-Wrestler, MMA Fighter, Skateboarder – Vice
Colin Mochrie Comes Home – SAD Mag
Aaron Read – SAD Mag
SELECTED FICTION/HUMOUR
At The Rodeo, At The Fair – Joyland
A Straight, Horizontal Line – Bad Nudes
Comments on Jeff The Amazing Hypnotist’s YouTube Video Channel – McSweeney’s Internet Tendency
Good Person – Feathertale
In Flight – Echolocation
SELECTED POETRY
the old burying ground (★★★★★) – Peach Mag
love is blind – This Magazine, July/August 2021
unearthly being – Funicular Magazine, Issue 07
shine out – Funicular Magazine dot com (nominated for Best of The Net)
what we do is secret – King Skateboard Magazine