Skip to content

Prompt to Page with Dorian Hairston

A JCPL librarian interviews published writers about their favorite writing prompts. These exercises can help inspire, focus, and improve your creative writing.

Brought to you in partnership with the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning.

Listen to Episode 51

Poet and educator Dorian Hairston encourages all writers—from his high school students to adults—to make their writing fresh and new.

Dorian believes “if we can just find ways as artists to be interesting… we give ourselves a fighting chance at allowing love to blossom in our lives and surviving whatever we must.”

Keep your writing interesting with help from Dorian’s favorite writing prompts. He uses these exercises in his own work as well as with students. Listen below!

Listen on Apple Podcasts I Listen on Spotify I RSS Feed I Episode Transcript

About Dorian Hairston

Dorian Hairston is a poet, educator, and former college athlete from Lexington, KY. His first collection of poetry, Pretend the Ball is Named Jim Crow, explores the life and legacy of Josh Gibson, the greatest catcher to play the game of baseball.

He is an Affrilachian Poet, and his work has appeared in Anthology of Appalachian Writers and Black Bone: 25 Years of the Affrilachian Poets. While he enjoys reading and writing poetry, what he loves most is cooking for his family, playing some good music, and dancing often.