Wing, by Nico Demers

Poetry, chapbook, 32 pages, from Bottlecap Features.

Demers' collection is thematically weaved together by one of his family's traditions, hunting. Although Demers is not much of a hunter himself, he developed an intimate relationship with nature having been raised by a father who was steeped in the practice of living off the land. Wing outlines this rugged lineage to confront generational wounds of manhood and Demers’ tumultuous relationship with his father. The poetry survives in the wilderness and feeds off the land, often encountering the haunting images of birds, the mythical beauty of deer, and what it means to hunt and become the hunted.

The wild essence of Wing celebrates one’s nuanced connection to life and death, it shines on the small magic of existence, and provides a sense of gratitude and hope for what lies in front of us and beyond the hills. In all the chaos, Wing points to one truth, that life is “a feathered, beastly impermanence.”

Nico Demers is a writer born and raised in San Diego, CA. He is a first-generation American of Mexican and French-Canadian descent. Donning a raccoon cap and his typewriter, Demers’ work started gaining traction online three years ago under the moniker “Bucknife”. Since then, he has been recognized in various magazines including The Daily Aztec, Rambl Mag, The Pace Press, and Vroom Literary Magazine. In 2022 Demers self-published two chapbooks, Guts and Crow, and in 2023 released his first full-length collection, Belly. While his early work tangibly reflected the beatnik movement, his untethered spirit has taken shape in a style that is distinctly his own. In 2024, he received his degree in English Literature with an emphasis on creative writing from San Diego State University. When not writing, Demers splits his time between surfing and running his Janitorial company.