Charles Alexander (born 1954) is an American poet, publisher, and book artist. He is the director and editor-in-chief of Chax Press. Alexander also served as the Director of the Minnesota Center for the Book Arts from 1993 until 1995, and as book artist there through 1996. Alexander lives in Tucson, AZ with his wife the visual artist Cynthia Miller and his two daughters. In 2006 he received the

Arizona Arts Award Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

and in 2021 he received the

Lord Nose Award Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or a ...

for excellence in independent literary publishing.

Life and career

Alexander learned bookmaking techniques studying with

Walter Hamady Walter Samuel Haatoum Hamady (September 13, 1940 - September 13, 2019) was an American artist, book designer, papermaker, poet and teacher. He is especially known for his innovative efforts in letterpress printing, bookbinding, and papermaking. ...

at the University of Wisconsin Department of Fine Arts in Madison, Wisconsin during the late seventies and early eighties.

Publications

Alexander's books of poetry include ''Hopeful Buildings'' (Chax Press, 1990), ''arc of light'' , ''dark matter'' (Segue Books, 1992), ''Pushing Water: parts one through six'' (Standing Stones Press, Morris, MN, 1998), ''Pushing Water: part seven'' (Chax Press, Tucson), ''Four Ninety Eight to Seven'' (Meow Press, 1996), ''Etudes: D & D'' (Quarry Press, 1997), ''near or random acts'' (Singing Horse Press, 2004), and ''Certain Slants'' (Junction Press, 2007). He is also the editor of ''Talking the Boundless Book''. Since 1997 he has been working on a long serial poem entitled ''Pushing Water'' which is still in process.

Teaching and performance

Alexander has collaborated in a poem/visual art mark commissioned by the Phoenix Public Library, created with his wife, Cynthia Miller, as well as several projects with Orts Theater of Dance, including ''Urban Gaits'' and ''Balanced Edge''. His poem, ''Aviary Corridor'', set to music for string quartet, piano, flute, and soprano voice by the American composer

Tim Risher Tim Risher (born 1957) is an American composer. Risher received his B.A. in Music at the University of Central Florida and his M.M. in music composition from Florida State University. While living in Tallahassee, Florida, Risher was a member of ...

, premiered at the University of Washington in April 2007, with Alexander as writer/artist in residence. He read for the Double Change series in Paris in June 2007. Alexander is a part-time faculty member at Naropa University's Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics in Boulder, Colorado, Pima Community College and the University of Arizona.

Chax Press

Chax Press is a publisher of experimental and avant-garde poetry run by Alexander. The press publishes trade paperback and handmade fine arts editions. The press was established in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

in 1984, continuing the work of Black Mesa Press that Alexander had begun in 1981 in Wisconsin. The first book published was ''French Sonnets'', by

Jackson Mac Low Jackson Mac Low (1922–2004) was an American poet, performance artist, composer and playwright, known to most readers of poetry as a practioneer of systematic chance operations and other non-intentional compositional methods in his work, whi ...

. Chax Press continues to publish about 10 titles a year. Chax Press is funded by grants from organizations such as the Tucson-Pima Arts Council and the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

, the Fund for Poetry, by its income from book sales and by donations from individuals.

References

External links

Charles Alexander page at the University of Buffalo EPC

Action Bound, from Tucson Weekly

What's Love Got to Do With It? Chax Press presents a poetic lovefest, from Tucson Weekly

Chax Press website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Charles 1957 births Living people 20th-century American poets Book artists Naropa University faculty University of Arizona faculty 21st-century American poets Book arts