His words are hidden by the clouds...

Welcome to The County Quirk, a website dedicated to my work as a writer, poet, playwright, and speaker. Here you will find a sampling of my poetry and short fiction, novel excerpts, my speaking guide, and updates on my career as a struggling writer.

Welcome to The County Quirk, a website devoted to my life’s work as a largely failed but endlessly devoted writer who is enjoying a modicum of success. Here you will find short stories, poetry, nonfiction, updates on my debut novel, information about my lectures, and more. The County Quirk refers to my complicated relationship with the local community. I have never fit in, yet I somehow feel at home. It’s hard to explain. Please take your time, browse around, read a little, and maybe post a comment. My mission is simple: I want to contribute something meaningful to the world with my words.

Order my debut novel at Main Street Rag Publications.com

Click on the Justice House Shadows Tab to read an excerpt.

More Big News: My play The King and Queen of Foggy Flats won the 2025 Chickasaw Writer’s Prize and will be performed at the Chickasaw Civic Theatre in Mobile, Alabama June 25-28, 2026. Road Trip!

Looking Forward: My short story collection Children of Light will be released in February and my children’s book The Snow Wish in March. Stay tuned!

Check out the new poems at the bottom of this page! More are added (semi)regularly.

Thanks for visiting, R.H. Nicholson

“Blessed the traveler who journeys the length of the line.”

Dan Fogelberg

About the Author

R.H. Nicholson is a professor emeritus of English. He taught for forty years but is now (finally) focused on his own work, which has appeared in Ignatian Magazine,

Adelaide Literary Journal, Echo Ink, The Blue Lake Review, Big Window Review, Home Planet News, Otherwise Engaged, The Quiet Reader, Bare Hill Review, and elsewhere. His debut novel Justice House Shadows is now available from Main Street Rag Publications. His play The King and Queen of Foggy Flats won the 2025 Chickasaw Playwriting Prize and had its world premiere in June 2026 in Mobile, Alabama. His short story collection Children of the Light will be published in 2026 and his poetry collection Man Trapped in an Airtight Box will be released in 2027. He is a frequent public speaker, promoting the power and relevance of great literature.

He and his wife live in a small Ohio River Valley town with their Russian Blue rescue cat
Steinbeck. To learn more about his work visit www.thecountyquirk.com.

SHORT STORIES

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poetry

America Turning

I hear their angry voices
those left outside the circle
seething through the iron bars
caught up in the spectacle
teeth clinched
spittle at the mouth
eyes bloodshot
fists pumping…
they follow
because the peddler is
bold and confident
loud and certain
spectacular to watch
the new führer-
he hears them-
heil and all hail
he whips them into a frenzy
and they storm the palace gates
shatter the chandeliers
puncture the portraiture
burn the Duncan Fife furniture
piss on the great oval seal
and stand tall
with heaving chests
among the rubble
the charred remains
the ruin
and declare
“Victory!”

I Did Not Wail
(For Oliver)

I did not wail when you died,
did not stop my breath,
nor strike the clock
that hour
nor tear my sleeve abreast.
Tears did not overtake my guise
my heart did not stab with ache.
The sun still shown and wind still
whirled
the fallen leaves still raked.
Yet in my bones and in my depth
the brutal message cried,
severing every thread of joy
I clasped
under the winter sky.

American Haiku

My white kite tail fights
a bloodred, turbulent sky
above a scorched earth

Novels

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Speaking

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Plays

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Contact

Got a question about my work, a brilliant idea to share, or just want to say hi? My inbox is always open to readers, fellow writers, and coffee enthusiasts.

Drop me a line or fill out the form below.
Let’s chat!