Prompt to Page

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: P...

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 li...

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 yo...

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 y...

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 te...

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 s...

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 wh...

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 pie...

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 imp...

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...

 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 ti...

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...

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 ma...

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 Le...

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 re...

Prompt to Page is brought to you in partnership with the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning . Listen to Episode 17 For our seventeenth episode, we talk to Andrew Shaffer , author of Feel the Bern: A Bernie Sanders Mystery . Andrew describes what it’s like to write fiction about public figures and how studying comedy writing at The Second City has influenced his writing process. He shares a...

For our sixteenth episode, we talk to Marcia Thornton Jones, author of more than 135 books for children. Marcia describes her own complicated relationship to writing prompts and how she eventually realized that “every writer writes from prompts.” She explains that “something prompted every one of us to sit down and pour words onto the page. It could have been a smell or an aroma that automatically...

For our fifteenth episode, we talk to Katerina Stoykova, author of Second Skin and Senior Editor of Accents Publishing. Katerina discusses how she uses her journals to create writing prompts for herself and offers advice for doing so with your own journals. She believes that writers should "learn to write when you don't have time for writing." She says writing "when you don't have time... prepares...

Listen to Episode 14 For our fourteenth episode, we talk to Ellen Birkett Morris, author of Lost Girls . Ellen shares three writing prompts: a poetry prompt, a fiction prompt, and a food writing prompt.  Ellen began writing creatively when she was in her mid-thirties, and she encourages listeners to “embrace your identity as a writer. If you’re writing, you are a writer. You don’t have to feel int...

For our thirteenth episode, we talk to Sarah Combs, author of Breakfast Served Anytime and The Light Fantastic . Sarah shares her love of writing groups, reading "at whim" and a writing prompt that works for all levels and genres. If you're gearing up for National Novel Writing Month, you may find her prompt especially helpful. "It can be pretty scary to have a blank page in front of you and hope...

For our twelfth episode, we talk to Shawn Pryor , author of the graphic novel series Cash and Carrie and a guest at this year’s Comic Surge . Shawn describes the collaborative process of writing graphic novels and shares three of his favorite prompts. He explains how he uses writing prompts both when he’s working on books and when he just wants to have fun. Shawn believes that too many writers are...

For our eleventh episode, we talk to Claudia Love Mair , author and coordinator of the Carnegie Center’s Kentucky Black Writers Collaborative. Claudia Love discusses the importance of names in her life and shares a prompt that will make you see your own name—and yourself—in a new way. Claudia Love advises all writers to “stay open. All around you are [writing] prompts. There are prompts in the tre...

For our 10th episode, we talk to David Dominé, author of A Dark Room in Glitter Ball City . David offers a food-related writing prompt that will have you reaching into the back of your refrigerator. He also talks about his writing process, including how he manages rejection. "It's hard to get a publishing house, even if you have an agent," he says.  "So just don't give up every time you get a reje...

Prompt to Page is brought to you in partnership with the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning . For our ninth episode, we talk to New York Times bestselling author Gwenda Bond.  Gwenda shares two writing prompts that will spark your imagination no matter what genre you write. She also explains why writing prompts can help you be more creative. “I have a theory that creativity actually thrives...

For our eighth episode, we talk to Marianne Worthington , author of The Girl Singer and co-founder and editor of Still: The Journal . Marianne offers tips for submitting your work to literary magazines, discusses her favorite writing prompt books, and shares a prompt that will inspire both poets and prose writers.  Marianne also discusses her own path to publication. “Don’t give up because you kno...