Margot Douaihy is an accomplished author, educator, and editor, who hails from Scranton, Pennsylvania and currently resides in Northampton, Massachusetts. She earned her BA in Writing from the University of Pittsburgh and a PhD in Creative Writing from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom. Douaihy has established a significant reputation in the literary world, particularly in the genres of crime fiction and poetry.
Douaihy's work has been widely recognized and honored, with accolades including a Mass Cultural Council Artist Fellowship in 2022, The Florida Review Humboldt Poetry Prize (Runner-Up) in 2021, Aesthetica Magazine Creative Writing Award (Finalist) in 2021, Ernest Hemingway Foundation Hemingway Shorts (Finalist) in 2021, Lambda Literary Award Poetry (Finalist) in 2015, and First Book Foundation of Greater New Orleans Grant (Winner) in 2009. Her poetry collections, such as "Bandit/Queen: The Runaway Story of Belle Starr, Scranton Lace, Girls Like You," have been published by reputable presses, including Clemson University Press and Factory Hollow Press.
In addition to her achievements in poetry, Douaihy has made her mark in the world of crime fiction with her debut novel, "Scorched Grace," published by Gillian Flynn's imprint with Zando. This lyrical crime novel has garnered critical acclaim, including being named a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, a Best Book of 2023 by Marie Claire and BookPage Readers’ Choice, and one of the most anticipated crime books of the year by Crime Reads and LGBTQ Reads.
Beyond her writing, Douaihy is a dedicated educator and mentor, holding teaching positions at various institutions such as Marywood University, Franklin Pierce University, and the Creative Alliance of New Orleans. She has also been an active member of several professional organizations, including the Association of Writers & Writing Programs, Sisters in Crime, the Radius of Arab American Writers (RAWI), and the Creative Writing Studies Organization, which she helped found. In Fall 2023, Douaihy will join Emerson College as an Assistant Professor in Popular Fiction Writing and Literature. Her work as a co-editor of the Cambridge University Press Elements in Crime Narrative Series and Multimodal/Multimedia Section Editor of Journal of Creative Writing Studies further showcases her commitment to reshaping crime writing scholarship with a focus on the contemporary, the future, inclusivity, and decoloniality. Douaihy is represented by United Agents, Laura Macdougall (literary) and Jennifer Thomas (screen).