LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Authors usually welcome a plot twist, but the Lexington Writer’s Room might have preferred to skip their last few chapters.
“We have been through a pandemic,” said co-founder Gwenda Bond. “We have literally been through fire. And now hopefully we are in a place where we can create for a while.”
On March 31, a fire destroyed their first coworking space inside a historic building on W. 2nd Street. Books, artwork, and their second home—all gone overnight.
“The only things that survived were the desk bases for these standing desk we have,” Bond said.
After the fire, donations poured in from across the city, state and country. Less than six months later, the non-profit dedicated to helping writers grow found a new home in the old Common Grounds coffee shop on E. High Street.
They’ve since added 26 new members for a total of 79 and official reopened June 1.
They even commissioned local artist Wylie Caudill to paint this mural, a metaphor for all they’ve endured.
“It has this greater metaphor of a phoenix rising from the ashes, and immortality,” Caudill said. “So I think it represents something even bigger than me.”
“It’s pretty incredible,” Bond said. “We really are like a phoenix.”
A symbol of new life – and for the Lexington Writer’s Room, the beginning of an inspiring next chapter.
“I feel like this space, it does seem like we were meant to be here all along in some ways,” Bond said.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Writer’s Room, visit their website. They always accept financial donations and are also currently in need of books to replenish their old collection. They especially need books by Kentucky authors.
