Fayetteville Artist Turns Pain Into Poetry With New Book

Local artist and writer Dominique Hairston, known by her pen name Dominique Pierre, has released a deeply personal new book titled Inside: A Look Into a Complex Mind. The collection explores faith, anxiety, and healing through a raw and poetic look at mental health.

Hairston describes the book as “a journey through the element of mental health, where vulnerability becomes art and pain transforms into poetry.” Her work reflects years of battling ADHD, anxiety, and cyclic vomiting syndrome with migraines — struggles that began in childhood and continued through her school years.

“Her words are a rebellion against silence, a portrayal of fragmented emotions—scripture-clad hope clashing with coarse outbursts, misspelled truths, and the poundage of ‘too much black,’” Hairston wrote in her author statement.

A Fayetteville resident and member of New Hope Baptist Church, Hairston began expressing herself through art at a young age. Drawing and writing became tools for coping with stress, especially during her time in Fayette County Schools, where she was supported through the Special Education program with 504 and IEP accommodations. Her teachers and family encouraged her creativity, and she credits faith, counseling, and art with helping her heal after difficult adolescent years.

Where to find the book

Inside: A Look Into a Complex Mind is available for purchase exclusively through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, giving readers two accessible ways to explore Dominique Pierre’s powerful debut. While wider distribution may come in the future, these major retailers provide reliable avenues for readers to discover the book’s intimate journey through mental health, vulnerability, and poetic expression.

Hairston graduated from Atlanta Technical College’s Dual Achievement Academy, earning both her high school diploma and certificates in Design and Media and Digital Photography. Her artwork has been featured in Atlanta exhibitions, and she plans to showcase pieces in Harlem, New York, early next year.

“I just want those who read my book to understand that there is a way to make it through anything,” Hairston said. “Always keep faith in God when you feel there is no way.”

Inside: A Look Into a Complex Mind blends poetry, personal reflection, and scripture — including 2 Corinthians 4:8–9 and Psalm 34:19 — as a reminder that healing is layered and that faith and art can coexist as powerful forms of survival.

“Shine as good or as bright as you can,” Hairston said. “Don’t let anyone take that away from you, because God will always be there for you no matter what.”