Perkins lived in the East Village, Manhattan from 1963 to 1969, working as a bookstore owner, caseworker, and remedial reading teacher.
He associated with Samuel R. Delany, Andrei Codrescu, Thomas M. Disch, John Wieners, Rene Ricard, Ira Cohen, Ray and Bonnie Bremser.
Perkins' book Evil Companions[4] caused a sensation when it appeared in 1968, and was described by Samuel R. Delany in his introduction to the 1991 edition as "an astonishing, rich and fascinating classic".
(About The Secret Record, Gay Talese wrote, "Some of the most interesting and perceptive literary criticism in recent years has been done by Michael Perkins.")
About Carpe Diem: New and Selected Poems, Henry Weinfield wrote in Notre Dame Review, "Michael Perkins writes with clarity, precision, directness, and with a quiet simplicity and sense of rectitude that are increasingly rare in contemporary poetry.