Alfred Corn was born in Bainbridge, Georgia in 1943 and raised in Valdosta, Georgia.

Corn graduated from Emory University in 1965 with a B.A. in French literature. Corn earned an M.A. in French literature at Columbia University in 1967.

Corn travelled to France on a Fulbright Scholarship where he met Ann Jones, whom he would later marry. After he and Ann Jones divorced, he was partnered with the architect Walter Brown in the years 1971-1976,and then with J.D. McClatchy from 1977 until 1989.

In 1976, Corn published his first book of poetry All Roads at Once.

Corn was awarded the 1982 Levinson Prize by Poetry Magazine.

Corn received an Award in Literature from the Academy of Arts and Letters in 1983 and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1986. In 1987, he was awarded a Fellowship of the Academy of American Poets.

In 1997 Corn wrote the novel, Part of His Story.

As of 2008, Corn has written nine books of poetry, one novel, and one book of essays.