Crews, Judson

Southwestern author, printer and educator. Born in Waco, Tex. Lived in various areas, including Albuquerque, N.M. Has been published in about 300 periodicals.

Judson Campbell Crews was born on June 30, 1917 in Waco, TX; BA (1941), MA (1944), and studied Fine Arts (1946-47) at Baylor Univ.; pursued graduate study at Univ. of Texas at El Paso, 1967; landscape architect in Waco, 1936-39; publisher of Motive press (Waco, TX) and Este Es Press (Taos, NM), 1946-66; printer at Taos star, El crepusculo, and Taos News Publishing Co., 1948-66; lecturer in social development studies, Univ. of Zambia, Lusaka, 1974-78; wrote numerous books of poetry and contributor to some 350 periodicals, including Beloit poetry journal, Poetry now, Wormwood review, Puerto del sol, and Southwestern American literature.

Judson Crews (1917-), poet and author.

American poet, editor of various little magazines, publisher, and book dealer. Also wrote under numerous pseudonyms as Willard Emory Betis, Trumbull Drachler, Cerise Farallon (Mrs. Trumbull Drachler, maiden name Lena Johnston), and Tobi Macadams.

Biography

Judson Campbell Crews was born on June 30, 1917 in Waco, Texas; BA (1941), MA (1944), and studied Fine Arts (1946-47) at Baylor University; pursued graduate study at University of Texas at El Paso, 1967; landscape architect in Waco, 1936-39; publisher of Motive press (Waco, Texas) and Este Es Press (Taos, New Mexico), 1946-66; printer at Taos Star, El Crepusculo, and Taos News Publishing Company, 1948-66; lecturer in social development studies, University of Zambia, Lusaka, 1974-78; wrote numerous books of poetry and contributor to some 350 periodicals, including Beloit Poetry Journal, Poetry Now, Wormwood Review, Puerto del Sol, and Southwestern American Literature .

Judson Crews, noted southwestern author, printer and educator, was born in Waco, Texas on June 30, 1917. After growing up in Central Texas, he traveled extensively, living in areas as diverse as Albuquerque and Zambia. He married photographer and author Mildred Tolbert on October 19, 1947 (divorced Jan., 1980), with whom he had two children (Anna Bush and Carole Judith). Crews attended Baylor University, from which he received a BA in 1941 and a MA in 1944. He also studied Fine Arts there from 1946-1947. He worked as an educator at Wharton County Junior College (1967-1970), University of New Mexico-Gallup Branch (1971-1972), and at the University of Zambia (1974-1978). He has also been involved in social work.

Crews has done work as both an author and a publisher. Amongst the presses he has been involved in are Motive Press (Waco, TX.) and Este Es Press (Taos, NM). After first being published in 1935, Judson Crews has been published over 600 times in about 300 periodicals. In addition to appearing in such literary journals as Poetry, Points, The Window and Foxfire, he has written many books of poetry, including Angels Fall, They Are Towers (Este Es Press, 1965), and The Noose, A Retrospective: Four Decades (Duende Press, 1980). He has also appeared in such anthologies as An Uninhibited Treasury of Erotic Poetry (Dial Press, 1963) and City Lights Anthology (City Lights, 1974).

Judson Campbell Crews, American author and small-press publisher, was born on June 30, 1917, in Waco, Texas, the youngest of seven children born to Noah George and Tommie Farmer Crews. Following his father's suicide in 1936, Crews worked as a landscape architect in Waco. He then attended Baylor University (A.B., 1941). Crews also started publishing a number of literary magazines, including Vers Libre (1937) and Motive (1940), the latter established along with Crew's bookstore of the same name.

Following graduation Crews published his first book of poetry, Psalms for a Late Season, which was printed by Iconograph Press (1942). Crews served with the U.S. Army Medical Corps during World War II (1942-1944). After which Crews completed a Master of Arts in sociology and psychology (1944) from Baylor University and studied fine arts (1946-1947). Following graduation Crews moved out West, spending time in Washington, Oregon, and California, where he befriended Henry Miller, a relationship he later reflected on in his books Henry Miller and My Big Sur Days: Vignettes From Memory (1992) and The Brave Wild Coast: A Year with Henry Miller (1997).

After living in California Crews moved to Taos, New Mexico, where he established Este Es Press (1946-1966) and worked as a printer for Taos Star, El Crepusculo, and Taos News Publishing Co (1948-1966).

Crews and Mildred Tolbert (1919-2008), a photographer and writer, were married on October 19, 1947. Crews and Tolbert had two daughters: Anna Bush Crews (1948-) and Carole Judith Crews (1950-).

While in Taos, Crews continued to publish literary magazines such as The Flying Fish (1948), The Deer and Dachshund, in collaboration with Tolbert and Wendell Anderson, which continued on as Suck-Egg Mule (1951), Taos (1951), Poetry Taos (1957), and The Naked Ear . In addition to publishing authors such as Robert Creeley, Charles Bukowski, and Carol Bergé, Crews also published his own writings including The Heart in Naked Hunger (1958), Inwade to Briney Garth (1960), A Unicorn When Needs Be (1963), Hermes Past the Hour (1963), and Angels Fall, They Are Towers (1965). Throughout his career Crews wrote under several pseudonyms, including Willard Emory Betis, Trumbull Drachler, Charley John Greasybear, Cerise Farallon, and Toby Macadams.

Crews returned to graduate school at the University of Texas at El Paso in 1967. At various points in his career Crews balanced his artistic life with careers in social work and as an educator in sociology and psychology. Crews was employed as a caseworker for the El Paso Country Child Welfare Unit (1966-1967), instructor for Wharton Junior College, Wharton, Texas (1967-1970), psychological counselor and community services coordinator for Community Mental Health Service, Gallup, New Mexico ( 1970-1971), lecturer at the University of New Mexico Branch College, Gallup, New Mexico (1971-1972), and director of the intensive care unit at the State School for Girls, Chillicothe, Missouri (1973).

Following a separation from Mildred Tolbert in 1972, Crews moved to Africa where he was a lecturer in social development studies at the University of Zambia, Lusaka (1974-1978). While in Africa Crews began writing an autobiography, which remains unpublished. Following his return to the United States, Crews and Tolbert finalized their divorced (1979). Crews returned to Taos where he published more books, including a collection of poems The Clock of Moss (1983) edited by Carol Bergé.

Crews died in Taos, New Mexico, on May 17th 2010.

Mildred Tolbert was born in Amarillo, Texas on January 8, 1919. After two years of college Tolbert moved to Taos where she practiced photography, a skill she later taught as a civilian photography instructor at Lowry Field in Denver, Colorado (1943). Tolbert worked in photography laboratories (including Leco Photo Service) in New York for two years before returning to Taos. Tolbert studied literature at the University of Texas at El Paso (1966) and the University of Houston (where she graduated with a bachelor of arts in 1970). In 1973 Tolbert received a fellowship from the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico, an artist residence program based in Taos. Tolbert's works were included in exhibitions at the Shipley Gallery (2005) and the Harwood Museum (2006). Crews died in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico, on January 22, 2008.