Charles is a poet, retired litigator and visual artist. A second generation Californian, he graduated from Stanford University, UC College of the Law in San Francisco, and received an MFA in Fine Arts from Warren Wilson College. Since 1982 he’s lived in Connecticut where he practiced trial law and was honored multiple years with membership in Best Lawyers in America. He began writing poems and painting during a long mid-life illness. Since then his poems have been published in many magazines and journals, including Garrison Keillor's Writers Almanac, and his paintings have been widely exhibited. Charles’ first book, Blue for Oceans, was awarded the 2011 PEN New England Award as the best book of poetry published that year by a New England author. J.D. McClatchy called it “a wise and haunted book.” In 2025 Unbound Editions Press published his second book of poetry, titled Again. Alan Shapiro called it “a book impossible not to love.” Charles’ son Ross is an author and columnist for the New York Times. His daughter Jeanne is a film producer at Made Up Stories, a production company in Los Angeles. He lives in Weston, Connecticut, with his wife, the artist Julie Leff.