Frances Presley was born in Derbyshire, grew up in Lincolnshire and Somerset, and lives in north London. She studied at the universities of East Anglia and Sussex, and later worked on community development and anti-racism projects, as well as at the Poetry Library. She has pursued collaborations with artists and other poets, such as Irma Irsara, Elizabeth James, Peterjon Skelt and Tilla Brading. She has written various essays and reviews, especially on innovative British women poets. Her work is included in many anthologies, including Infinite Difference: Other Poetries by UK Women Poets (edited Carrie Etter, Shearsman, 2010), and A Ground Aslant - Radical Landscape Poetry (edited Harriet Tarlo, Shearsman, 2011). Shearsman Books publish her Collected Poems in two volumes in 2022 to mark her birthday.