bp Nichol is one of the world's foremost writers of "experimental" literature, but whereas that word may be challenging to some, Nichol's work is playful, delightful, and often challenging. Whether it be poetry, prose, visual poetry, conceptualism, or essays in pataphysics, Nichol is always surprising. He lived from 19441988 and published many books, most of them with Canada's legendary Coach House Press, which now exists on a lane in Toronto named for Nichol.