Roberto Harrison was born in Corvallis, Oregon, in 1962, to Panamanian parents. A few months after his birth, he and his family moved back to Panama, where they lived until he was seven. In 1969, he and his family moved to Delaware. His first language was Spanish, and he did not begin learning English until arriving in Delaware. He has lived in various places throughout the United States including Boston, Bloomington, Indiana and San Francisco. He now lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he works as a Systems Librarian. He edits Crayon with Andrew Levy, and the Bronze Skull Press chapbook series.