Margot Douaihy

Margot Douaihy teaches in the areas of creative writing (popular fiction, poetry, and hybrid forms) and multimodal storytelling (VR poetry and VR noir). Her teaching emphasizes intersectional approaches to the craft and theory of creative writing, metacognitive creative writing, and critical-into-creative methodologies. Her pedagogy centers the student-writer as a vital and valued member within a responsive workshop. Her specialties are queer crime fiction and intersectional noir.

Her scholarly work with Cambridge University Press and the Journal of Creative Writing Studies examines the theoretical perspectives and decolonized structures that fuel innovation in the creation and critical study of literary texts. Most recently, she co-edited "Female Anger in Crime Fiction" (Cambridge University Press, 2024).

Douaihy is the author of multiple books of crime fiction and poetry, including the true-crime poetry project Bandit/Queen: The Runaway Story of Belle Starr (Clemson University Press), the documentary poetry collection Scranton Lace, and Girls Like You, a Lambda Literary Award Finalist.

Douaihy's USA Today bestselling queer crime novel Scorched Grace, the inaugural title of Gillian Flynn Books, which was named a Best Crime Novel by The New York Times, The Guardian, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, BookPage, Marie Claire, New Orleans Magazine, and others. Scorched Grace was named a Best Noir Novel by CrimeReads, a Massachusetts Book Award Longlist, Anthony Award for Best First Novel Finalist, International Thriller Writers Best First Novel Finalist, Winter Reading Group Indie Next List, Crime Writers' Association New Blood Dagger Award Longlist, New England Book Award Finalist, A Most Memorable Debut Mystery of the Year by Barnes & Noble, Left Coast Crime Award for Best Debut Mystery Finalist, Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Finalist, The Times (London) Crime Fiction Pick, Amazon Editors' Pick, Powell's Books Pick of the Month, a LibroFM and Kindle Bestseller, Irish Independent Summer Pick, Book Marks' Best Reviewed Novels of the Week, New York Public Library's Book of the Day, and Indie Next Pick by American Booksellers Association.

Blessed Water, the second novel in her mystery series, was named a Best Crime Novel of 2024 by The New York Times, Everand/Scribd, and Feminist Book Club. It's a Left Coast Crime Finalist for Best Novel of the Year and was a NPR Fresh Air Summer Pick.

Margot won the Saints & Sinners Emerging Writer Award, the Pinckley Prize in Crime Fiction, the F. Lammot Belin Award, and the Best Author of 2023 award from Boston Magazine.