Born in Carson City, Michigan, US, Knott received his MFA from Norwich University and studied with John Logan in Chicago.

[2][3] The Naomi Poems was well received and brought him to the attention of such poets as James Wright, who called him an "unmistakable genius.

His work often displayed a wry, self-deprecating sense of humor, and he was critical of what he saw as an epidemic of humorlessness in contemporary American poetry.

[7] Poets who cite him as an influence include Thomas Lux, Mary Karr, Stephen Dobyns, Denise Duhamel, Denis Johnson, and Janaka Stucky.

[7] One of Johnson's novels, Already Dead: A California Gothic, was inspired by Knott's "Poem Noir.