Jennifer L. Knox

Jennifer L. Knox was born in Lancaster, California. She received a BA from the University of Iowa and an MFA from New York University.

Knox is the author of Crushing It (Copper Canyon Press, 2020); Days of Shame and Failure (Bloof Books, 2015); The Mystery of the Hidden Driveway (Bloof Books, 2010); Drunk by Noon (Bloof Books, 2007); and A Gringo Like Me (Bloof Books, 2007).

Knox’s poetry is known for its darkly imaginative humor. The poet Patricia Smith writes,

I cannot imagine what the inside of her head must be like, all tango and blaring and pinball, locked in its relentless churn. I can’t believe that mere covers were able to contain this tender, this snorting laughter, these rampant truths.

Knox was the curator of the twelve-month crowdsourced poetry project, Iowa Bird of Mouth, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Iowa Arts Council. She has previously taught creative writing at Hunter College and New York University. Knox lives in central Iowa.