Born in Detroit MI and migrating to Long Beach CA in his early twenties, Nicks has labored as a factory worker for Ford Motor Company; a parcel sorter for UPS; a plant attendant and then laboratory technician for The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts; a science advisor and technical writer for an Irvine CA-based museum exhibitry developer; a public school teacher for a small district in eastern L.A.; and a field biologist for a team engaged in various projects along the Southern California coast, The San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mts., and The Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.  He has written over 1,100 poems and song lyrics.