Alexandra Chasin (born 1961) is an American writer of fiction and non-fiction based in New York. She currently serves as the Mellon Chair in Humanities for the Bard Prison Initiative.
Biography Chasin was born in 1961, in Boston, Massachusetts. She attended Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, where she received her bachelor's degree in European Cultural Studies in 1984. In 1993, Chasin earned her Ph.D in Modern Thought and Literature from Stanford University.Alexandra Chasin , Stanford University. Retrieved 2 January 2017 She received her master's degree in fiction writing, in 2002, from Vermont College of Fine Arts.
Chasin joined Boston College in 1993 where she served as assistant professor for six years. She taught American Studies and Women's Studies in the English Department at Boston College.Undergraduate Catalog 1994–1995. Boston College. p. 41. Retrieved 2 January 2017 In 1999, she was appointed as a visiting faculty in English at the University of Geneva.Chasin teaches U.S. culture and literature at the University of Geneva Retrieved 2 January 2017 Chasin served as an instructor at Columbia University for one year from 2005 to 2006 where she taught Feminist theory as well as literary and cultural studies.Feminist Theory Workshop Spring 2006. Columbia Law School. Retrieved 2 January 2017. The Short Review. Retrieved 2 January 2017 In 2006, she joined The Eugene Lang College at The New School where she served as associate professor in Literary Studies until 2026.Alexandra Chasin at The Lang College. The New School for Liberal Arts. Retrieved 2 January 2017
Works Chasin has published several books of fiction and non-fiction.The University of Chicago Press Book, About the author. University of Chicago Press. Retrieved 2 January 2017 Her first book Selling Out: The Gay and Lesbian Movement Goes to Market was published in the year 2000 by St. Martin's Press.Alexandra Chasin. Selling Out: The Gay and Lesbian Movement Goes to Market. St. Martin's Press; 2000. .Chick-fil-A and The Gays: The Problem with Consumer Activism Slate (magazine) Retrieved 10 January 2017 The book focuses on the gains and losses that have been attained by marketing of LGBT community.Selling Out: The Gay and Lesbian Movement Goes to Market Review Publishers Weekly Retrieved 2 January 2017Review at Booklist Booklist Retrieved 2 January 2017 Chasin published her second book, Kissed By in 2007.Alexandra Chasin is the author of Kissed By (FC2, 2007) Los Angeles Review of Books Retrieved 2 January 2017Kissed By By Alexandra chasin reviewed by Ryan Call Retrieved 2 January 2017 The book was published by University of Alabama Press.Kissed By published by University of Alabama Press Retrieved 2 January 2017 In 2012, her third book Brief was published which also debuted as an app for the iPad.Brief debuted as an iPad app Retrieved 2 January 2017Brief at Jaded Ibis Press Retrieved 2 January 2017 Chasin's fourth book, Assassin of Youth: A Kaleidoscopic History of Harry J. Anslinger's War on Drugs was published in the year 2016 by University of Chicago Press.Greater Boston author readings for Jan bostonglobe.com Retrieved 10 January 2017Assassin of Youth: A Kaleidoscopic History of Harry J. Anslinger's War on Drugs. The University of Chicago Press. Retrieved 2 January 2017 The book tracks the cultural currents that produced prohibitionist drug policy in the U.S.ASSASSIN OF YOUTH A Kaleidoscopic History of Harry J. Anslinger’s War on Drugs by Alexandra Chasin Kirkus Reviews Retrieved 2 January 2017Assassin of Youth: A Kaleidoscopic History of Harry J. Anslinger's War on Drugs (Review). Book Verdict. Retrieved 2 January 2017
Chasin's writing has appeared in several print media such as Unsaid, Post Road, AGNI, Denver Quarterly and Chain. She has also written for online magazines including Exquisite Corpse, elimae, Diagram and Big Other. The film, Composer and I, was adapted from the original story written by Chasin. Composer and I is an adaptation of a short story of the same name published in Kissed By. Retrieved 2 January 2017 The film premiered at the Athens Film Festival in April 2012.Composer and I, Premiere: Athens Film Festival, April 2012 Retrieved 2 January 2017
Chasin was the founder and artistic director of Writing On It All, a public participatory writing project, from 2013 to 2018.Artistic Director Alexandra Chasin is Associate Professor of Literary Studies at Lang College Retrieved 2 January 2017Coming this summer to New York: legalised graffiti The Art Newspaper Retrieved 10 January 2017
Chasin was a Live Feed Creative Resident at New York Live Arts from 2018 to 2020 with director Zishan Ugurlu. Their full-length performance, Fragments, Lists, & Lacunae, featured Judith Butler and was produced by Live Arts in February 2020.
Awards and Honors Fellowship, John Simon Guggenheim Foundation - General Nonfiction (2019) Residency, Live Feed, New York Live Arts (with Zishan Ugurlu) (2018) New York State Council on the Arts Grant for Writing On It All (2015) New York City Housing Authority Grant, with Historic House Trust for LatimerNOW / Writing On It All (2015) Fellowship, Leon Levy Center for Biology at City University of New York (2013)Former Biography Fellows at Leon Levy Center for Biology Retrieved 2 January 2017 Fellowship, New York Foundation for the Arts - Fiction (2012)New York Foundation for the Arts, Past Fellows . New York Foundation for the Arts. Retrieved 2 January 2017 Residency, The MacDowell Colony (2012) Residency, Yaddo Artist Colony (2011) Bunting Institute Fellowship, Radcliffe College (1996) Radcliffe Research Partnership Grant and Presidential Discretionary Fund Award (1996) Dissertation Fellowship, Whiting Foundation (1990)
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