Prompt to Page

Do you feel too distracted to write? Poet and nonfiction writer Lucy Oquaye believes prompts can help. "What's most beneficial about using prompts," she says, "is really that you're just taking time to write."

Lucy says that writing for 20 minutes in a notebook—without phones or computers—has transformed her college students' writing. She notes, "That kind of focus is really beneficial to anyone's writing practice."

So grab a pen and paper and try Lucy's favorite writing exercise!

About Lucy Oquaye

Lucy Oquaye is an educator and writer from Louisville, Kentucky. She...

Author Eugenia Johnson-Smith believes writers should focus on getting their thoughts down in a first draft and worry about grammar and style later. "Don't be too critical," she says, "because you've got to get the words on the page."

Eugenia shares some of the prompts that help her and her students write without pressure or judgment. She also discusses the Kentucky Black Writers Collaborative, including her new role there.

About Eugenia Johnson-Smith

Eugenia Johnson-Smith is the author of Positive Power: 31 Devotions to Help Unleash Your Positive Power. She is a coach, international inspirational/m...

Think your story doesn't matter? Author Willie Carver Jr. believes that "each of us has a story that can help contribute to the complexity of all of us...."

When Willie uses writing prompts to unlock his story, "they're almost always body related." That's because he thinks "the truth of things is already in your body." 

On this episode, Willie shares a prompt that will help you discover what your body already knows. He also discusses his new book, Tore All to Pieces; why learning to write is like learning a foreign language; and more.

 Poet Kevin Nance uses writing prompts regularly because they "can take you places that you never could have gone any other way."

On this episode, Kevin discusses ways to access the part of the brain that author Marilynne Robinson believes is most creative—your "back mind." He also shares a prompt that helps his writing students "tap into their inner angst."

About Kevin Nance

Kevin Nance is a photographer, arts journalist, and poet in Lexington.

He has published widely in newspapers and magazines including the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and...

Poet Shauna M. Morgan understands that feeling "weighed down by all of those things happening around us" can make writing even more challenging.

For her, it helps to remember "that generations of my forebears created art in times of abject crises and bore witness to what was happening."

On this episode, Shauna shares what she calls the "weight prompt." It will help you reflect on the subjects that feel heavy to you as well as the subjects that feel light.

About Shauna M. Morgan

Shauna M. Morgan is a poet-scholar and...

While novelist Mary Anna Evans believes that studying writing is "very valuable," she also advises writers "to go out and live your life." She says that "all experience is useful" in writing.

And she should know. Mary Anna's books have drawn on her former engineering career and her interest in archaeology, among other experiences. 

Mary Anna's favorite writing prompt will help writers of all backgrounds and genres explore setting. She's successfully used it with fiction and nonfiction students and even environmental architecture students.

About Mary Anna Evans

Mary Anna Evans is a...

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.

About Dorian Hairston

Dorian Hairston is a poet, educator, and former college athl...

On this special edition of the Prompt to Page writing podcast, we look back at some of our best moments so far. 

Past guests—including Crystal Wilkinson, Gwenda Bond, Silas House, and Mariama Lockington—share tips on using writing prompts, finding time to write, nurturing your creativity, and more.

For graphic novelist Rachel Elliott, drawing comes more easily than writing. "I think prompts really help me make that move from drawing a goofy kid, drawing a talking animal," she says, "into...what is this story about?"

Rachel shares a writing prompt that helped her understand her main character in The Real Riley Mayes. She also discusses her love of drawing Martin Short, the importance of the freedom to read, and her upcoming workshop at JCPL, Inventing Comic Characters for Teens.

About Rachel Elliott

Rachel Elliott is an author, illustrator, and cartoonist. Her...

Don't think your writing is important? Singer-songwriter and music professor Dr. Kevin Holm-Hudson disagrees.

"I think that's a positive contribution to the atmosphere, to society, to the planet," he says, "to create something where there had been nothing."

 On this episode, Kevin discusses his songwriting process. Whether you write songs, prose, or poetry, Kevin's favorite writing prompts will inspire you to create something new.

About Kevin Holm-Hudson

Singer-songwriter and covers revivalist Dr. Kevin Holm-Hudson holds a genuine earned doctoral degree in music composition, which he has frittered away ever s...

Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame author Fenton Johnson doesn't believe in writer's block. "Fighting with the white page over a week, a month, a year, sometimes 10 years," he says, "that's what we call writing.... That's just part of the process."

Fenton shares several writing prompts that can help you move beyond the blank page. He also discusses his most recent book, At the Center of All Beauty: Solitude and the Creative Life.

About Fenton Johnson

Fenton Johnson is the author of three novels and four works of creative nonfiction, most recently At the...

Poet Leatha Kendrick believes that creativity is a habit. "To exercise your creativity is to keep it active and alive," she says. "You have to get up and walk to the library and then something can happen."

Exercise your creativity with Leatha's favorite writing prompt. It will help you turn off your conscious mind and remember forgotten details.

About Leatha Kendrick

Author of five poetry collections, Leatha Kendrick received Transylvania University’s 2025 Judy Gaines Young Award, recognizing exceptional works by Appalachian authors. 

Leatha grew up on a southern Kentucky farm. Her adu...

"A teacher giving a prompt is the same as the world nudging you to write something," says poet and educator Christopher McCurry. 

On this episode, Christoper shares two prompts that will inspire you and help build your writing skills. Consider them a nudge to create something new. 

Christopher also discusses Workhorse, a community and publishing company that supports working writers. Plus, he describes what young and adult writers can learn from each other.

About Christopher McCurry

Christopher McCurry is the author of Open Burning and The Gospel of God Boy (Accents Pu...

For author Wes Blake, a former West Jessamine High School English teacher, writing about his obsessions helped him find his subject matter.
 

"When you write about what obsesses you," he says, "it guides you towards things that are important to you, maybe in some way that you don't fully understand."

On episode 44, Wes shares how he channeled his obsessions into his book, Pineville Trace. Learn to recognize and write about your own obsessions with help from his favorite writing prompt.

About Wes Blake

Wes Blake is the author of Pineville T...

Poet Lynnell Edwards enjoys using what she calls "external prompts" from other authors. But she believes that "ultimately as writers, we've got to have sort of internal prompts." 

On this episode, Lynnell shares questions that will help you create your own personalized writing prompts. Learn how to generate a series of poems, essays, or linked short stories based on what you've already written.

About Lynnell Edwards

Lynnell Edwards is the author of six collections of poetry, most recently, The Bearable Slant of Light, which documents the onset of bipolar disorder in her son, t...

When novelist Tammy Oberhausen feels "stuck or uninspired," she tends "to wallow around with it for a while and feel bad." Writing prompts help her ideas flow again. "Don't wallow too much," she says. "Get the prompt and go with it."

On this episode, Tammy shares how to use your dreams—which she says are like "personalized prompts"—in your writing.

About Tammy Oberhausen

Tammy Oberhausen is the author The Evolution of the Gospelettes, a novel published in 2024 by Fireside Industries.

She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Wes...

Amelia Zachry, author of Enough: A Memoir of Mistakes, Mania, and Motherhood, didn't think anyone would want to read about her trauma. But being vulnerable about her experiences "invited people to be vulnerable" in return. 

"And so that is the power of the word from page to the reader," Amelia says, "that we can transform that sense of healing to others through our words." 

On this episode, Amelia discusses several writing prompts that will help you tap into your emotions and "share your truth."

About Amelia Zachry

Amelia Zachry is the au...

Author Jessica Handler believes "that when we write well, we're writing about what matters to us." 

What matters to you? On this episode, Jessica shares a prompt that will help you understand what you're trying to do with your writing. It's one that she often used while working on her memoir, Invisible Sisters.

Jessica also shares a prompt that will help you regain focus and use your senses in a work in progress. Her third prompt will help you generate ideas for future projects. 

About Jessica Handler

Jessica Handler is th...

For poet and fiction writer B. Elizabeth Beck, "making sure that you are actively engaged in a community is... the salvation to your sanity and to your work."

On this episode, Elizabeth discusses her participation in writing and music communities. She founded Teen Howl and Poetry at the/ˈtā-bəl/, two Lexington-based reading series where poets of all ages support each other's writing. 

Elizabeth has also discovered community with fellow fans of the Grateful Dead and Phish, and these experiences, as well as her love of visual art, often inspire her writing. 

Learn...

Novelist Jacinda Townsend believes that "writing is a habit, and the imagination begets the imagination." Having a set writing routine helps her create because "the imagination is a kind of muscle." 

On this episode, Jacinda explains the steps she takes each morning to fire up her imagination, including using writing prompts.

Her favorite prompt to share focuses on pacing. Her students generate such strong work with this exercise that some have even published their finished pieces.

About Jacinda Townsend

Jacinda Townsend is the author of Trigger Warning (Graywolf, 2025) and Mother C...

Novelist Robert Gipe believes that when you use writing prompts, "you're just kind of fishing for something that works."

If you're lucky, you might end up with "a couple of sentences that have some energy to them, that have some heat." Robert says those sentences can help you build a piece of writing "you feel good enough about to share with others."

Try your luck with three of Robert's favorite writing prompts. According to him, these prompts use form "as a way of letting your unconscious drive the content."

About Robert Gipe

When creative writer Deidra White feels stuck with her writing, she tells herself to "write the poem that you need to read." This exercise helps with one of the most challenging aspects of writing: visualizing your audience.

Deidra shares several other ways she likes to jump start her writing. She also describes how she rediscovered her passion for words as a nontraditional college student, why she enjoys teaching young people, and more. 

About Deidra White

Deidra White is a Lexington, KY, native, a University of Kentucky MFA graduate, and an aspiring Affrilachian p...

Are you an aspiring writer who thinks you’ll write a novel when you have more time or your children are older? If so, author and Kentucky Poet Laureate Silas House has some advice for you. 

“Often you cannot create the perfect conditions for your writing,” he says. “I think if you wait around for that, you’re never going to get anything written.” Silas knows this from experience, having written his first three novels when his children were small. “Sometimes you just have to do it,” he continues.

Silas shares a multi-step writing prompt that will help yo...

Kaitlyn Hill, who writes young adult romantic comedies, didn't always take those stories seriously, even though she was drawn to them. "It was just really powerful for me to come to the realization that there is so much value in stuff that is fun and light and happy," she says.

As Kaitlyn's writing prompt illustrates, she tries to keep fun in her process. Kaitlyn also shares how reading fueled her desire to be a writer, her love of fan fiction, and more.

About Kaitlyn Hill

Kaitlyn Hill is a writer who lives to...

Sandra Gail Lambert, author of My Withered Legs and Other Essays, started writing in her forties. She believes her age helped her cope with the "rough and tumble world" of publishing.

"There's so much rejection [in publishing], and there's so much feedback that is not necessarily accurate or kind," Sandra says. "And when we're older, we just have tougher skin." 

That resilience allowed Sandra to "look for something in their critique... that helped me be a better writer without paying attention to their attitudes or assumptions or prejudices against me."

Sandra shares several p...

Do you wonder if you have a book inside you? According to Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame member George Ella Lyon, "you have to write to find out." George Ella says writers "have to dwell in uncertainty. Because that's the one thing that's certain, is that you'll be uncertain."

George Ella, who writes for all ages in multiple genres, shares the prompt that inspired her to write Many Storied House: Poems. So take out some paper (two sheets of at least 8.5 x 11") and get ready to draw your way into your next story, poem, or essay.

If you're a writer who works another job to make a living, poet Robin LaMer Rahija has some advice for you. "I think ideas and thoughts and little tiny chunks of motivation come to all of us throughout the day," she says. "Just stop and write them down and save them for later. And get in the habit of not ignoring that impulse toward a creative act."

Robin says her favorite writing prompt "feels like a dare" and is especially helpful "when you want to do something new and crazy." Up for a challenge? Listen to the...

Author and arts administrator JC McPherson is also a trained master electrician who approaches poetry with a troubleshooting mindset. He says that "writing a poem is no different than wiring up a new room, like putting new lights in the outlets. And it's a process."

JC often returns to his favorite writing prompt because it "shakes something loose" and helps him relax into his writing. Shake up your writing process and have fun while doing it with his help!

About JC McPherson

JC McPherson has a background in writing, electricity, and general troubleshooting...

On this episode, we talk to Tracee de Hahn, author of the Agnes Luthi mystery series and coordinator of the Carnegie Center's Author Academy. 

Tracee prefers "to think of a prompt as a possibility, but not necessarily a necessity." She's partial to the origin story as a writing prompt because it helps her understand the characters and places she's writing about. Listen to find out how to enrich your own writing with this prompt!

About Tracee de Hahn

Tracee de Hahn is the author of mysteries published by Minotaur books as well as n...

On this episode of Prompt to Page, Sean L. Corbin, the Poetry Gauntlet Coordinator for the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning, discusses his belief that "everything is a prompt." 

"If you sit down to write a poem, you don't just pour it out," he says. "Something had to prompt you to do that."

If you've ever enjoyed Mad Libs or LEGO, you might enjoy Sean's favorite writing prompt, a "wild text exercise" inspired by his friend and mentor George Eklund. Sean even reads a poem he wrote using the exercise.

About Sean L...

On this episode of the Prompt to Page writing podcast, we talk to poet and visual artist Jay McCoy, author of The Occupation.

Jay discusses his passion for researching his family history and how that research has inspired his recent poetry projects. He also shares two of his favorite writing prompts, including one from Linda Gregg's essay "The Art of Finding." 

While Jay encourages listeners to strive for a regular writing practice, he also believes they should be gentle with themselves. "Give yourself grace, read widely, and find your practice," he says.

About J...

On this episode of the Prompt to Page writing podcast, we talk to Terena Elizabeth Bell, author of Tell Me What You See. Terena discusses why the events of the last few years compelled her to write experimental short fiction, and she offers encouragement to listeners who want to write about current events. 

“You have to write with your voice, what you saw," she says, "and you can't worry about whether it's going to get published, whether if you publish it, anything else is going to get published, whether your mother is going to like it…. You have...

For Christopher Rowe, author of The Navigating Fox, writing prompts can help him generate work when he's feeling stuck. In fact, one of his first stories to be widely published, translated into a dozen different languages, and reviewed in The New York Times was based on a writing prompt.

Christopher's favorite prompt will challenge you to rethink some of the decisions you've already made in a piece of writing. "Because I think that if you're going to write from a prompt at all, in any circumstance," he says, "you should just go with it.... If you're going...

Comic artist, writer, and animator Bryce Oquaye considers mentorship to be "the most important part" of his journey, whether he's receiving feedback from other creators or working with young people. 

"Because initially," he says, "I made what I made, and I shared it online, and that was helpful. But nothing helped me excel more than connecting with other people in a real way."

Bryce shares the importance of comic conventions to his professional development and describes his process of creating comics, both on his own and as part of a team. The prompts that Bryce u...

For New York Times bestselling author David Arnold, reading with intention is a kind of writing prompt. 

"I think the most important thing about reading a lot is letting yourself become a sponge and soak in the words and soak in the pacing and soak in the stories," he says.

"But...occasionally let's look at the mechanics of it, and what is it about this sentence or this paragraph or this book that I'm loving so much, and is there something there that I can intentionally be like, I love that. Let me see if I...

 Ashley Blooms turned to writing prompts as “a way to reconnect” with her writing and “do some creative healing.” 

She believes that writers can be hard on themselves and prefers to emphasize self-compassion in her writing practice. “I think that creativity grows much better if you are being gentle with it,” she says, “than if you are using shame or criticism….” 

 Listen to the episode for more tips and a prompt that will help bring a sense of play to your writing.

About Ashley Blooms

Ashley Blooms is the author of Where I Can’t Follow...

Elizabeth Kilcoyne, author of Wake the Bones, discusses her own complicated relationship to writing prompts. She used to think she was "anti-prompt," but now she appreciates their help with what she calls "the sticky bits of literature." 

In other words, she continues, "that part of your manuscript that you keep wanting to turn away from and keep wanting to turn away from and keep ignoring.... I feel like [writing prompts] are always the sort of saving grace that I go to, to move into the next phase of a draft." 

Move into the next phase of...

For our twentieth episode, author Angela Jackson-Brown, the keynote speaker for the Carnegie Center's upcoming Books in Progress conference, discusses the importance of writing every day. 

"That doesn't mean sit down every day and write for three hours," she says. "But it does mean every day pick a time and write for 15 minutes. And then if you have another 15, write for another 15 minutes. But make the commitment that every day you're going to show up to the page. Because if you don't show up, the stories don't get told."

Angela's writing prompt will help you g...

For our nineteenth episode, poet LeTonia Jones shares two writing prompts that will help you write more mindfully.

She also discusses her initial reluctance to call herself a poet. “The sooner you claim it, that it is true about you, the better it is for all of us,” she says. “Our words are medicine, and we never know when we have just the medicine that somebody else needs.”

About LeTonia Jones

LeTonia Jones is a Kentuckian who has used the alchemy of arts and activism for over 25 years. She’s led public arts campaigns...

For our eighteenth episode, we talk to poet Danni Quintos, who shares a writing prompt from cartoonist and graphic novelist Lynda Barry. Danni describes how both drawing and knitting have influenced her writing practice.

Danni also talks about finding people who can provide feedback for your work. "Find your readers and cling to them for dear life," she says. "If you find somebody who's a good reader, never let them go, because it is not super common to find somebody who understands not only the the good things that you're doing, but that their criticism or critique...