Ted Pearson grew up on the San Francisco Peninsula. After early musical training, he began writing poetry in 1964. He subsequently attended Vandercook College of Music, Foothill College, and San Francisco State University. In 1976, he published his first book, The Grit, and began his ongoing association with the San Francisco Language Poets. Recent books include Durations (2022), Overtures (2023), and Early Autumn (2024). Chamber Music is his thirtieth book of poetry. He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, with his wife, Sheila Lloyd, and their dog, Kofi.