Charles Bernstein was born on April 4, 1950, in New York City. He attended the Bronx High School of Science and served as an editor for the school’s newspaper. In 1968, Bernstein enrolled in Harvard College, Massachusetts, where he studied philosophy and wrote for and edited literary magazines. In 1973, he graduated from Harvard and pursued further education at a British Columbia, Canada, college on a fellowship. Afterwards, Bernstein moved to Santa Barbara, California, and worked as a writer for medical and healthcare companies. He married his high school sweetheart, Susan Bee, in 1977, after the couple moved back to the east coast and settled in New York City.

In 1975, Bernstein embarked on an impressive publishing career. His first collection of poems, Asylums, was printed that year. Since then he has released almost thirty books. His volumes of poems, as well as his sets of essays, have become important pieces of literature in contemporary poetry. Bernstein also devoted much of his career to the promotion and innovation of modern poetry; in 1978 he and Bruce Andrews founded, edited, and published L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E, a highly influential literary magazine that featured the poetry and prose of up-and-coming writers. While the publication operated on a very minimal budget, the response to the content was significantly widespread. L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E ran until 1981.

In addition to his rigorous poetry writing and publishing schedule, Bernstein has also edited poetry anthologies, published a collection of translated French poetry, and written librettos for operas. He also co-founded The Electronic Poetry Center, a website based at the University of New York at Buffalo, where Bernstein is currently a Professor of Poetry and Letters and directs the Poetics Program.