[1][2] Charman initially trained as a nurse and worked in social welfare.

Charman continues to teach writing classes and is based in Auckland.

[1][2][3] Charman's poems are often set in the suburbs of New Zealand and draw on issues that relate specifically to women, including topics such as sexuality, victimisation, and motherhood.

She is known for her stylistic choices such as using limited punctuation and capitalisation, including lowercase for the pronoun 'I'.

[2][1] Collections of poetry published by Charman include: She has also been publishing in several anthologies including The New Poets: initiatives in New Zealand poetry (1987, edited by Murray Edmond and Mary Paul)[5] and Yellow Pencils: Contemporary Poetry by New Zealand Women (1988, edited by Lydia Wevers).