Alexandra Barbara Grilikhes (December 1, 1932 – February 8, 2003) was an American writer, librarian, critic, novelist, and poet based in Philadelphia.
Early life and education Grilikhes was born in New York City, the daughter of Anatol Israel Grilikhes and Blanche Krainin Grilikhes. Her parents were both born in Russia; her father was an engraver and artist and her mother was a bookkeeper, violinist and poet.1930, 1940, 1950 United States censuses, via Ancestry. She graduated from Queens College, then earned a master's degree in library science at Columbia University. Career Grilikhes taught poetry at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and was a librarian at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. In the 1970s and 1980s, she produced the International Festival of Films by Women, hosted public radio programs, and was poetry editor for the weekly Philadelphia City Paper. She spoke at the American Dance Guild conference in 1989. She was editor and publisher of the literary magazine American Writing, from 1990 to 2002. Her 2001 novel Yin Fire was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award. She also wrote spoken-word scores for dance performances, and gave readings with the Improvisational Poetry Group.
Publications Grilikhes's poetry often focused on women artists, mythologies, and female deities. Her work was published in College Art Journal, The American Scholar, Feminist Studies, Grand Street, The Women's Review of Books, and Bridges, and collected in several books and anthologies. "Three poems: Melancholia, Bronze Aquamanile, The Twelvetones of Plainchant" (1960, poems)Grilikhes, Alexandra. "Three Poems. Melancholia. Bronze Aquamanile. The Twelvetones of Plainchant" College Art Journal 19(4)(1960): 330-331. "Antonioni" (1971, poem)Grilikhes, Alexandra. "Antonioni" The American Scholar (1971): 700. "On March 23, John Ashbery (Reading His Poems)" (1972, poem)Grilikhes, Alexandra. "On March 23, John Ashbery (Reading His Poems)" The American Scholar (1972): 424. Isabel Rawsthorne Standing in a Street in Soho, and Other Poems (1972) Body/With Words: Poems for Dance (1976) Sea Agon (1976) City Poems (1977) "Watching the Dance" (1978, poem)Grilikhes, Alexandra. "Watching the Dance" Feminist Studies 4(1)(1978): 159-160. On Women Artists: Poems, 1975-1980 (1981) "Key" and "The Answers" (1982, poems)Grilikhes, Alexandra. "Key" Grand Street 1(4)(1982): 138-139. "Something to Say" (1985, poem)Grilikhes, Alexandra. "Something to Say" The Women's Review of Books 2(6)(1985): 12. The Blue Scar and other poems (1988) "Traveling", "Story", and "Close the Door" (1993, poems)Grilikhes, Alexandra. "Traveling", "Close the Door", and "Story", Bridges 3(2)(1993): 53-55. Shaman Body (1996, book of poetry)Pierce, Sue. "Blurring the Edges (review)" The Lesbian Review of Books 5(3)(April 30, 1999): 8. "Mangled" (1998, poem)Grilikhes, Alexandra. "Mangled" The Lesbian Review of Books 1 (1998): 3. "Inanna in Winter" and "Roy's Mother" (1999, poems) Yin Fire (2001, novel)Kingsbury, Kathryn. "Yin? Yang? (review)" Lambda Book Report 10(1)(2001): 23.
Personal life Grilikhes died in 2003, at age 70, from breast cancer, in Roxborough, Pennsylvania. She was survived by Elizabeth Weiss, her partner of twenty years. Her brother Michel Grilikhes was a noted television and event producer, married to actress Laraine Day. Grilikhes was Jewish and a parishioner of Congregation Mishkan Shalom.https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/inquirer/name/alexandra-grilikhes-obituary?id=11637177
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