Who is Molly Hackett from Jeopardy? Meet the New York Poet Behind Fair City Poems

Molly Hackett is an American writer, performer, and professional poet originally from Denver, Colorado, who later moved to New York City in 2021. Known for blending traditional literary storytelling with performance art, she has built a creative career centered on poetry, essays, and fiction while engaging directly with audiences in public spaces.

Hackett often describes herself as a lifelong storyteller who believes that sharing stories is an essential part of the human experience. Her creative approach reflects this philosophy, combining elements of folk storytelling with spontaneous writing inspired by everyday encounters.

As a contemporary poet, she works across several formats. While she writes essays and fiction, she is best known for her interactive poetry project, which allows people to experience poetry as a personal and immediate form of storytelling.

Fair City Poems: Writing Custom Poetry for Strangers

One of Molly Hackett’s most recognizable creative projects is Fair City Poems, an initiative through which she writes personalized poems for strangers and clients. Often using a typewriter, she composes poems on demand for individuals, couples, and audiences.

The name of the project is inspired by the traditional Irish folk song Molly Malone. The song tells the story of a woman selling cockles and mussels through the streets of Dublin. Hackett adopted this imagery and reimagined it by metaphorically “selling poems” in the streets of modern cities.

Through Fair City Poems, Hackett turns casual conversations into creative collaborations. A person may approach her with a story, idea, or theme, and she transforms it into a custom poem written on the spot. This process blends performance with literary craft, creating a unique form of interactive poetry.

Since relocating to New York City, Hackett has written thousands of poems for people from around the world. Her project has also gained attention through social media, where she shares examples of her work and connects with audiences interested in custom poetry.

Performing Poetry at Events and Public Gatherings

In addition to writing poems for individuals, Molly Hackett regularly appears at live events where she writes or performs poetry for audiences. Her work has been featured at both corporate and cultural gatherings.

Organizations that have hosted her poetry include the Fashion Institute of Technology, Intuit, Morgan Stanley, and NAADAM. She has also appeared at literary and performance events such as Poetry is Gay and the New York comedy show That’s Poetic!.

At these events, Hackett often writes poems inspired by the audience or the theme of the event itself. The experience gives attendees the opportunity to watch poetry being created in real time, turning writing into a form of live performance.

This interactive format reflects a broader movement among contemporary poets who bring poetry outside traditional literary spaces and into everyday environments such as streets, festivals, and live performances.

Essays, Fiction, and Ongoing Literary Projects

While Fair City Poems represents a major part of Molly Hackett’s public work, she is also active as an essayist and fiction writer. Her broader writing includes essays, short stories, and several novels that are currently in development.

Hackett also publishes writing through her newsletter titled “Here’s the Thing.” Readers can subscribe to receive essays, updates, and reflections on her creative work. The newsletter allows her to maintain a direct connection with readers interested in her writing beyond her live performances.

Her literary work reflects a wide range of storytelling interests, from personal reflections to fictional narratives. By working across multiple genres, she continues to expand her presence in both performance poetry and traditional literary writing.

A Modern Approach to Public Poetry

Molly Hackett’s creative identity blends several artistic traditions. Her work draws inspiration from folk storytelling, performance art, and modern digital media.

By writing poems directly for people in public spaces, she revives the idea of poetry as a shared experience rather than something confined to books or academic settings. Each poem becomes a small collaboration between poet and participant, shaped by personal stories and spontaneous creativity.

Her approach reflects a growing trend among contemporary poets who aim to make poetry accessible and interactive. Instead of separating literature from everyday life, Hackett’s work brings poetry directly into the spaces where people gather.

Through projects like Fair City Poems, she demonstrates how storytelling traditions can continue to evolve while remaining rooted in human connection and shared experience.

Molly Hackett: Jeopardy Contestant Profile

Molly Hackett brings a creative literary background to the Jeopardy stage. As a professional poet, writer, and performer, her career reflects a strong engagement with language, storytelling, and cultural traditions.

Her experience writing thousands of personalized poems requires both creativity and quick thinking, skills that are also valuable in fast-paced quiz competitions. Writers and poets often draw knowledge from a wide range of subjects, including literature, history, and culture, all of which commonly appear in trivia competitions.

By combining storytelling with live performance and interactive art, Hackett represents a modern generation of writers who expand the ways audiences experience poetry.

Name: Molly Hackett
Location and Residence: Originally from Denver, Colorado, United States; moved to New York City in 2021 where she is based
Profession and Jobs: Writer, poet, performer, artist, professional poet for hire, typewriter poet, essayist, fiction writer
Gender and Sex: Female
Age and Date of Birth: Not publicly available
Nationality and Ethnicity: American (Caucasian/European descent)
Education and School: Not publicly available
Relationships (Married, Dating, Sexuality) and Family: Uses she/her pronouns; no further relationship or family information publicly stated
Biography and More Details: Lifelong storyteller and founder of the Fair City Poems project, inspired by the Irish folk song “Molly Malone.” Writes custom poems for strangers and clients using a typewriter and has written thousands of poems since moving to New York City in 2021. Performs poetry at events for organizations including the Fashion Institute of Technology, Intuit, Morgan Stanley, NAADAM, Poetry is Gay, and the New York comedy show “That’s Poetic!”. Also writes essays, short stories, and several novels in progress. Publishes writing through a newsletter titled “Here’s the Thing” and maintains an online presence promoting poetry commissions and event appearances.