Elayjah Earles, Tiara Jones, and Crislyn Lance share poems inspired by dreams and nightmares—both literal and metaphorical. Through poetry, feedback, and discussion, they explore how one person’s nightmare might be another’s dream, depending on the individual.

Listener Writing Prompt: Write a short story about a character who begins to realize they are living in a recurring dream, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. As this episode suggests, dreams don’t only come during sleep, and nightmares aren’t always about monsters under your bed. With this prompt in mind and using inspiration from our poems, embrace your truth and express your truth. Reflect on your light or your fear, and explore it creatively in all its forms.

About Season 4: In this season of the Human Connections podcast, literary juniors and seniors discuss the themes of love, change, dreams, nightmares, and otherness. Each episode features students sharing their original work, offering one another feedback and thoughtful questions, and inviting listeners to reflect and write through creative prompts. Please check the show notes for each episode’s writing prompt.

This is a podcast series curated by the Literary Arts Department at Mississippi School of the Arts. Visit the department’s web site for more information about our program – https://msabrookhaven.org/programs/literary.

In this episode, Chanel Hand, Sone’t Robinson, Jude Ryan, and Amelia Whitaker share poems about the experience of being “othered.” They discuss personal perspectives on what it means to feel like an outsider and offer each other feedback and questions about their work. This episode emphasizes the importance of expressing isolation, difference, and identity through art.

Listener Writing Prompt: What can you say about feeling different or strange? Write it down. Explain it. How might your experience help others feel less alone in their “otherness”? How might you help others feel not so “different” or “strange”?

About Season 4: In this season of the Human Connections podcast, literary juniors and seniors discuss the themes of love, change, dreams, nightmares, and otherness. Each episode features students sharing their original work, offering one another feedback and thoughtful questions, and inviting listeners to reflect and write through creative prompts. Please check the show notes for each episode’s writing prompt.

This is a podcast series curated by the Literary Arts Department at Mississippi School of the Arts. Visit the department’s web site for more information about our program – https://msabrookhaven.org/programs/literary.

J.T. Ballard, Cooper Brumfield, Carter Hillman, and Quentin McClinton share poems on the difficult—but often transformative—nature of change. They reflect on how transitions shape us as humans and offer each other feedback on their work. Change can be terrifying, exciting, or both, and this episode explores that duality through their poetry.

Listener Writing Prompt: Write a piece that finds beauty in the pain of change.

About Season 4: In this season of the Human Connections podcast, literary juniors and seniors discuss the themes of love, change, dreams, nightmares, and otherness. Each episode features students sharing their original work, offering one another feedback and thoughtful questions, and inviting listeners to reflect and write through creative prompts. Please check the show notes for each episode’s writing prompt.

This is a podcast series curated by the Literary Arts Department at Mississippi School of the Arts. Visit the department’s web site for more information about our program – https://msabrookhaven.org/programs/literary.