 "Mindscape", Hairston's first novel, won the Carl Brandon Parallax Award and was short-listed for the Philip K. Dick Award and the James Tiptree, Jr. Award.Hairston was one of the Guests of Honor at the science fiction convention Wiscon in May 2012.She is the Artistic Director of Chrysalis Theatre and has created original productions with music, dance, and masks for more than a decade.