{"id":16710,"date":"2025-07-23T00:25:14","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T00:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/16710\/"},"modified":"2025-07-23T00:25:14","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T00:25:14","slug":"three-events-to-attend-before-dream-palace-closes-on-july-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/16710\/","title":{"rendered":"Three events to attend before Dream Palace closes on July 26"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since October 2023, Dream Palace Books & Coffee, in the Penn Arts building at 16th and Pennsylvania streets has spotlighted works by LGBTQ+ and Black authors.<\/p>\n

It has hosted open mic nights, writers\u2019 workshops, art exhibits and a literary festival. It\u2019s been a third space for many of the area\u2019s creatives, including Herron High School students, where owner Taylor Lewandowski has been teaching freshman English classes for the past five years. Dream Palace also sold coffee and books and independent magazine publications.<\/p>\n

Lewandowski announced on social media<\/a> on July 8 that the shop would be closing on July 26.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was kind of like a domino effect after that,\u201d he said. \u201cAlmost every day someone is coming in and making me cry. I am really happy it was really special for a lot of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"L-R:Theon Lee and Sarah Hairston sit at Dream Palace Books and Coffee on Nov. 15, 2023. Credit: Tyler Fenwick \/ Mirror Indy<\/p>\n

Lewandowski has been in talks with potential new owners. He said the next business in the location will likely be a coffee shop where students and everyone else who\u2019s been supporting Dream Palace can hang out.<\/p>\n

We asked Lewandowski what he hopes for those who called Dream Palace home, events in the store\u2019s final week, and four book recommendations for anyone looking for a late summer read.<\/p>\n

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.<\/p>\n

What will happen to the event series that have called Dream Palace home over the last two years?<\/p>\n

As far as the event space goes, I\u2019m not quite sure. Pretty much, 80% of the programming I did myself for the space.<\/p>\n

I think the things that started at Dream Palace \u2014 whether it be the reading series that David Strange<\/a> runs, which will be on the last day on July 26, to individuals reading for their first time at Dream \u2014 I think it has fulfilled the goals that I set out for the space to be a cultural hub or a place where writers, artists, anyone can come and do what they want to do.<\/p>\n

There were certainly moments for me, as well, that were so memorable and life changing. So I\u2019m so grateful that I could make this happen. It\u2019s definitely not the ideal outcome, but in the end I think it was the right choice that was made.<\/p>\n

Three events to attend before Dream Palace closes<\/p>\n

\"\"A literary reading at Dream Palace Books. Credit: Taylor Lewandowski<\/p>\n

Rainbow Baby: A Solo Exhibition by Miracle<\/p>\n

\ud83d\uddd3\ufe0f 2-6 p.m Wednesday, July 23
\ud83d\udccd Dream Palace Books & Coffee, 111 E 16th St.<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s artist Miracle Townsel\u2019s birthday, and she\u2019s doing an open exhibition of her art she\u2019s going to put up on the stage.<\/p>\n

Writings From Her Corner<\/p>\n

\ud83d\uddd3\ufe0f 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 23
\ud83d\udccd Dream Palace Books & Coffee, 111 E 16th St.<\/a><\/p>\n

From Lewandowski: \u201cOn Wednesday is Emily Mellentine\u2019s \u201cWritings From Her Corner,\u201d which is a women\u2019s writing workshop that has been there almost every Wednesday since we opened. I know she\u2019ll find another venue, but seeing what she has done with that has been really exciting and cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listen, Please<\/p>\n

\ud83d\uddd3\ufe0f 6 p.m. Saturday, July 26
\ud83d\udccd Dream Palace Books & Coffee, 111 E 16th St.<\/a><\/p>\n

From Lewandowski: \u201cThere are four writers: Thomas Kneeland<\/a>, Jennifer Delgadillo<\/a>, Ariana Beedie<\/a> and Ryan J. Rader<\/a>. There\u2019s no theme, and David Strange has been doing this for almost a year. That will be the last one. It\u2019s an open format, and they just come and read for about 8 to 10 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

How do you see the state of our local literary community? What are some great things that have happened in the past two years?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve told people even two years ago when other bookstores were popping up<\/a>, I think the literary community in Indianapolis has been the strongest in decades.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been around Indianapolis off and on since the early 2000s, really. That\u2019s my timeframe I can compare it to. And it\u2019s not ever been this vibrant and diverse and energetic, and I\u2019m really excited for that.<\/p>\n

Also Proof: A Midwest Lit Fest<\/a>, the literary festival that Dream Palace was a part of, that I was a part of, is still going to happen. I don\u2019t know how much I\u2019ll be engaged in it. But even that is super exciting because it\u2019s something new and a festival that Indianapolis really needs.<\/p>\n

There are just so many things that have occurred over the last two years that are so hopeful and exciting that are not going away.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Given that book recommendations were a big part of why you opened the store, what books do you recommend to Mirror Indy readers?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat Would Lynne Tillman Do?<\/a>\u201d by Lynne Tillman. It\u2019s a collection of essays. Two weeks ago, my book came out, it is an interview with Lynne Tillman (\u201cThe Mystery of Perception: A Conversation with Lynne Tillman<\/a>\u201d). I think it\u2019s a great place to start with her work.<\/p>\n

\u201cEustace Chisholm and the Works<\/a>\u201d by James Purdy. Dream Palace\u2019s name comes from a novella by Purdy, who is this pretty wild, Midwest writer. This book is set in Chicago, in the mid-1930s. His depiction of the Midwest changed the way I write, and it aligned with how I saw the Midwest.<\/p>\n

\u201cSchwarzenegger Syndrome: Politics and Celebrity in the Age of Contempt<\/a>\u201d by Gary Indiana. Indiana is also one of my favorite writers. This one just talks about politics and celebrity culture intertwined. It came out in the early 2000s. It\u2019s kinda perfect to read during these times.<\/p>\n

\u201cCross Radical<\/a>\u201d by Alexandrine Ogundimu. She grew up in Evansville, Indiana, but moved to New York. It\u2019s definitely a very small press book, but it\u2019s really good.<\/p>\n

Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations<\/a> from individuals, foundations and organizations.<\/p>\n

Rebecca Berfanger is a Mirror Indy freelance contributor. You can reach her at r.berfanger@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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