Prompt to Page

About Prompt to Page

A JCPL librarian interviews published writers about their favorite writing prompts—exercises that can help inspire, focus, and improve your creative writing. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, a novelist, essayist, or poet, you’ll find ideas and advice to motivate you to keep writing. A partnership with the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning.

Publisher

Jessamine County Public Library

Category

arts · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

25 Aug 2021

Latest episode

19 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

61 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   19 Oct 2026

   Joe Bond

   Author Joe Bond (https://www.joebondwriter.com/) thinks "it's okay to struggle in the wrong direction for a while" with your writing. It took Joe a long time to find his subject matter. But once he began writing about the boys in his novel Hope House (https://with.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/public/search/results?qu=hope+house+joe+bond&te=), the stories—inspired by his experience growing up around group homes—came flooding back. Joe doesn't regret that initial struggle. "I learned a lot through my mistakes," he says. On this episode, Joe shares some of the moments and images that prompt his writing and offers tips for how you can learn to recognize those moments in your own life. About Joe Bond Joe Bond's novel Hope House was recently longlisted for The Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize. He began working on it after his story “Damico” won The Masters Review Short Story Award. His writing has been published by The Paris Review, People, Lit Hub, New South, The New Ohio Review and ESPN. He grew up around group homes in eastern Kentucky and lives now in New Orleans.

2. 

   21 Sept 2026

   Melissa Scholes Young

   If writing sometimes feels like a chore, author Melissa Scholes Young has some advice for how to change your outlook. "I like to think about when I show up to my writing desk as sort of a date rather than a punishing part of the process," she says, "and I wanna set that date the night before." That means setting out her favorite pen, journal, and coffee mug—all of which helps her look forward to her writing time. Shifting perspectives is something Melissa likes to do in her work as well, and she shares a writing prompt that will help you think "bigger and then smaller about the world." She also discusses her new Lexington bookstore Bond House Books, the art of revision, and more. About Melissa Scholes Young Melissa Scholes Young (https://melissascholesyoung.com/) is the author of the novels Flood (https://with.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/public/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fERC_6_19402$002f0$002fERC_6_19402:HOOPLA:12526836/ada?qu=melissa+scholes+young&d=ent%3A%2F%2FERC_6_19402%2F0%2FERC_6_19402%3AHOOPLA%3A12526836%7EERC_ST_PUBLIC%7E0&dt=list&h=8) and The Hive (https://with.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/public/search/results?qu=the+hive+melissa+scholes+young&te=&dt=list). Her poetry collection, Another Word for Longing: Saudade, is forthcoming in the New Women’s Voices series from Finishing Line Press. Her stories and essays have appeared in the Atlantic, Ms., Washington Post, Poets & Writers, Literary Hub, Joyland, Brevity, and The Believer. Her poetry has appeared in Poet Lore, Tapestry, New Madrid, and Gargoyle. A first generation college student from Hannibal, Missouri, she is Professor in Creative Writing at the University of Kentucky.

3. 

   17 Aug 2026

   Josh Boldt

   Author and editor Josh Boldt knows how challenging it can be to find a publisher. "It's just really hard to find the exact right fit that you need," he says. "So the person out there that's...feeling that way right now, I'm right there with you." On this episode, Josh discusses Brown Hound Press, a literary magazine he started partly as a way to reach other writers like him. He also shares a writing prompt that will help you get out in the world, something that's important to his own creative process. About Josh Boldt Josh Boldt (https://joshboldt.com/) is a crime and mystery writer from Lexington, Kentucky. His novels include Moneymaker, The False Favorite, and Slurry. He has worked a long list of jobs—from restaurants and horse farms to construction and grocery. These experiences informed his writing with many of the people and places that now fill his fiction. He eventually earned a master’s degree in English from Eastern Kentucky University and taught writing at the University of Georgia for several years. Josh is the editor of the popular literary magazine Brown Hound Press (https://brownhoundpress.com/) and serves on the Board of Directors for the Lexington Writer’s Room (https://www.lexwritersroom.com/). When he’s not writing, he spends his time with his lady, Gwenda Bond, and their many animals.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

363,923

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 43 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

28

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

60