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.
It has hosted open mic nights, writers’ workshops, art exhibits and a literary festival. It’s been a third space for many of the area’s 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.
Lewandowski announced on social media on July 8 that the shop would be closing on July 26.
“There was kind of like a domino effect after that,” he said. “Almost every day someone is coming in and making me cry. I am really happy it was really special for a lot of people.”
Theon Lee and Sarah Hairston sit at Dream Palace Books and Coffee on Nov. 15, 2023. Credit: Tyler Fenwick / Mirror Indy
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’s been supporting Dream Palace can hang out.
We asked Lewandowski what he hopes for those who called Dream Palace home, events in the store’s final week, and four book recommendations for anyone looking for a late summer read.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
What will happen to the event series that have called Dream Palace home over the last two years?
As far as the event space goes, I’m not quite sure. Pretty much, 80% of the programming I did myself for the space.
I think the things that started at Dream Palace — whether it be the reading series that David Strange runs, which will be on the last day on July 26, to individuals reading for their first time at Dream — 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.
There were certainly moments for me, as well, that were so memorable and life changing. So I’m so grateful that I could make this happen. It’s definitely not the ideal outcome, but in the end I think it was the right choice that was made.
Three events to attend before Dream Palace closes
A literary reading at Dream Palace Books. Credit: Taylor Lewandowski
Rainbow Baby: A Solo Exhibition by Miracle
🗓️ 2-6 p.m Wednesday, July 23
📍 Dream Palace Books & Coffee, 111 E 16th St.
It’s artist Miracle Townsel’s birthday, and she’s doing an open exhibition of her art she’s going to put up on the stage.
Writings From Her Corner
🗓️ 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 23
📍 Dream Palace Books & Coffee, 111 E 16th St.
From Lewandowski: “On Wednesday is Emily Mellentine’s “Writings From Her Corner,” which is a women’s writing workshop that has been there almost every Wednesday since we opened. I know she’ll find another venue, but seeing what she has done with that has been really exciting and cool.”
Listen, Please
🗓️ 6 p.m. Saturday, July 26
📍 Dream Palace Books & Coffee, 111 E 16th St.
From Lewandowski: “There are four writers: Thomas Kneeland, Jennifer Delgadillo, Ariana Beedie and Ryan J. Rader. There’s no theme, and David Strange has been doing this for almost a year. That will be the last one. It’s an open format, and they just come and read for about 8 to 10 minutes.”
How do you see the state of our local literary community? What are some great things that have happened in the past two years?
I’ve told people even two years ago when other bookstores were popping up, I think the literary community in Indianapolis has been the strongest in decades.
I’ve been around Indianapolis off and on since the early 2000s, really. That’s my timeframe I can compare it to. And it’s not ever been this vibrant and diverse and energetic, and I’m really excited for that.
Also Proof: A Midwest Lit Fest, the literary festival that Dream Palace was a part of, that I was a part of, is still going to happen. I don’t know how much I’ll be engaged in it. But even that is super exciting because it’s something new and a festival that Indianapolis really needs.
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.
Given that book recommendations were a big part of why you opened the store, what books do you recommend to Mirror Indy readers?
- “What Would Lynne Tillman Do?” by Lynne Tillman. It’s a collection of essays. Two weeks ago, my book came out, it is an interview with Lynne Tillman (“The Mystery of Perception: A Conversation with Lynne Tillman”). I think it’s a great place to start with her work.
- “Eustace Chisholm and the Works” by James Purdy. Dream Palace’s 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.
- “Schwarzenegger Syndrome: Politics and Celebrity in the Age of Contempt” 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’s kinda perfect to read during these times.
- “Cross Radical” by Alexandrine Ogundimu. She grew up in Evansville, Indiana, but moved to New York. It’s definitely a very small press book, but it’s really good.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Rebecca Berfanger is a Mirror Indy freelance contributor. You can reach her at r.berfanger@gmail.com.
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