Hi, I'm Alex. A picture of me looking out over the beach. Welcome! I am a text artist, programmer, and UCSC PhD Student.

I play with language

and am looking for a postdoc! Also, publishing poetry and making a slew of odd things - physical and digital (often textual).

My past lives include: Me as an art and media reporter. Me as part of a strange Columbia dual-master's degree.

Me as a computational linguistics student. Me as a confused engineer. Me as a confused writer. Me as a less confused maker of undefined things.

Me as an English major. Me as a CS major. Me as a backpacker. Me as a surfer. Me as a Montanan. Me as a New Yorker. Me as an Irish citizen (thank you grandma). Me as a Santa Cruzan. Me as a wanderer. Me as an ADHDer. Me as an <OTHER>.

I am interested in sculptural text, digital poetics, pataphysics, orality, games aimed at joy rather than fun, words-in-the-world, the intersection of critical design and practice based research,

critical literacy, digital literature, the avant garde, Borges, Cortázar, Leyner, critical readings of constraint, contemporary reading+writing, AI literacy, more than human design, design+social justice, baking bread, surrealism, pickling, publishing...

alexcalderw at gmail @xenoscope.bsky.social google scholar instagram

I play with language

and am looking for a postdoc! Also, publishing poetry and making a slew of odd things - physical and digital (often textual).

My past lives include: Me as an art and media reporter. Me as part of a strange Columbia dual-master's degree.

Me as a computational linguistics student. Me as a confused engineer. Me as a confused writer. Me as a less confused maker of undefined things.

Me as an English major. Me as a CS major. Me as a backpacker. Me as a surfer. Me as a Montanan. Me as a New Yorker. Me as an Irish citizen (thank you grandma). Me as a Santa Cruzan. Me as a wanderer. Me as an ADHDer. Me as an <OTHER>.

I am interested in sculptural text, digital poetics, pataphysics, orality, games aimed at joy rather than fun, words-in-the-world, the intersection of critical design and practice based research,

critical literacy, digital literature, the avant garde, Borges, Cortázar, Leyner, critical readings of constraint, contemporary reading+writing, AI literacy, more than human design, design+social justice, baking bread, surrealism, pickling, publishing...

alexcalderw at gmail @xenoscope.bsky.social google scholar instagram

Interactive

Nothing But

Ways of Knowing June 2025

A Prism June 2025

Writing and Poetry

Dadakuku Poem Collection June 2025

More coming soon! I am looking for publishers

for an unreleased chapbook of concrete poetry.

Miscellanea

CMPM 180: Moving Text July 2026

Relatively, Clock March 2026

The Funeral for the Internet July 2025

Beetle Chat June 2023

Borealfish February 2023

I play with language

and am looking for a postdoc! Also, publishing poetry and making a slew of odd things - physical and digital (often textual).

My past lives include: Me as an art and media reporter. Me as part of a strange Columbia dual-master's degree.

Me as a computational linguistics student. Me as a confused engineer. Me as a confused writer. Me as a less confused maker of undefined things.

Me as an English major. Me as a CS major. Me as a backpacker. Me as a surfer. Me as a Montanan. Me as a New Yorker. Me as an Irish citizen (thank you grandma). Me as a Santa Cruzan. Me as a wanderer. Me as an ADHDer. Me as an <OTHER>.

I am interested in sculptural text, digital poetics, pataphysics, orality, games aimed at joy rather than fun, words-in-the-world, the intersection of critical design and practice based research,

critical literacy, digital literature, the avant garde, Borges, Cortázar, Leyner, critical readings of constraint, contemporary reading+writing, AI literacy, more than human design, design+social justice, baking bread, surrealism, pickling, publishing...

alexcalderw at gmail @xenoscope.bsky.social google scholar instagram

Academics

Text Editors that Move July 2026

ELO 2026 (Algorithms & Imaginaries) writing tools paper language

Phraselette July 2025

Design of Interactive Systems Short Paper writing tools code paper system

Designing for Posthuman Critical Literacy November 2023

In2Writing '24 (CHI Workshop) writing tools paper

Journalism

Report on Fully Automated Disinformation January 2020