Of his adult poetry, The Pacific Rim Review has written "He is certainly one of the most imaginatively inventive poets in the country," while critic Bernice Lever has opined "Robert Priest’s poems will speak to many generations."

Priest's plays, novels and songs have earned him awards and recognition in Canadian literary circles and a growing worldwide readership.

His father spent seven years in the British Navy, and his mother, a part-time standup comedian was a member of the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS), popularly known as the Wrens.

Growing up in Scarborough, Priest developed a love of literature from the fanciful stories his mother often told before bedtime and later from the books available to him from the bookmobile – a mobile public library.

Among his volumes of children's poetry, Daysongs Nightsongs and The Secret Invasion of Bananas and Other Poems (2002) are on a recommended reading list compiled by the CBC.

His book of poems Reading the Bible Backwards (2008 ECW Press) reached number 2 on the Canadian poetry charts its sales exceeded only by those of Leonard Cohen.

2024 saw the release of the Jaymz Bee produced collection: People Like You and Me which featured a mix of poems and songs backed by the cream of Toronto's jazz musicians.