Community Spotlight Podcast – Episode 18: Brooklynn and Pam Dorrel, Lexington Writer’s Room
In this episode, Brooklynn interviews Pam Dorrel, the Community Manager of the Lexington Writer’s Room, a coworking space for active writers in the Lexington area.
[Narrator] Hello and welcome to the Community Spotlight Podcast. Each episode highlights something interesting in the community of Lexington or surrounding areas of Kentucky. The podcast was started by students in the College and Career Studies program at the University of Kentucky. Thanks for listening.
[Brooklynn] My name is Brooklynn and I am going to interview Pam Dorrel, the community manager for the Lexington Writer’s Room. Hi, Pam, how are you doing today?
[Pam] Hi. I’m doing great.
[Brooklynn] All right. So my first question is going to be: So, I got to visit the Lexington Writer’s Room recently. And it is a really cool space. Can you talk a little bit about what the organization is and how it got started?
[Pam] Well, the Lexington Writer’s Room is a space for writers who live in and around Central Kentucky, mostly the Lexington area. It’s a space for people to come together and write and to meet other writers. And if you are in need of just a place to get away and have some inspiration, some focus, a place where you just specifically want to write, then this is the place to be.
We got started in 2020 right before Covid, actually. The space was created and we were able to actually get going during lockdown. So we’ve been going for six years now and going and growing and, trying to, I guess, bring writers together as the place to meet and to write.
[Brooklynn] That is really interesting. I didn’t know you guys started before lockdown. That is – I did not know that. So obviously, the Writer’s Room is for writers. How did you get started with writing and what kind of stuff do you most like to write?
[Pam] I actually got started writing, I used to read a lot of science fiction, and I got started writing science fiction short stories. When I started at the Writer’s Room in back in late 2020, I actually was working on a novel, a young adult novel, and it was a great place for me to begin to put my novel together. And as I got more involved in just being in the Writer’s Room and connecting with other writers – to be honest, my writing suffered a little bit because I was just getting, engaged with other writers, but – so, I still haven’t finished that young adult novel, but I did go back to writing short stories and actually, from meeting other people, I’ve been more inspired with writing poetry as well. So, those are the things that I’m kind of growing as a writer and doing.
[Brooklynn] Okay. I did take a creative writing class that semester, and the one thing that she taught us to do was to write poetry. Was really tough, but it was very enjoyable. So I like to write lots of different things, but especially fiction that includes a lot of historical elements. I have other clients who write, and sometimes we give each other ideas. What are some of the ways that writers connect if they are members of the Writer’s Room?
[Pam] Well, first of all, being a member of the Writer’s Room is a chance to just find out who other writers are in Lexington and around central Kentucky. There are people who are out there writing that they have everyday jobs, and you wouldn’t even know that they are secretly writers. And being at the Writer’s Room is a chance to meet other writers in the space. We have writers of all kinds of genres, everything from people who are just writing as a hobby to professional authors. We also have people who write, like I said, every kind of genre that you can think of, even people who are just writing professionally, business writing and even academic writing. So, we just have just a broad base of experience and knowledge. We have people that are just starting out as writers, and then we also have people who have been writing for many years, and have retired from writing, but still, you know, like to write on the side. People have a chance to meet in the space and meet up with the writers. We have a couple of different, gatherings that we have once a month. We have writing groups and critique groups. We do have, monthly writing. We call them writing parties for people to just come together and meet other writers. And it’s a chance if you want to, like, read some of your writing. It’s a chance to just get applause for getting some work done. And it’s a chance to tell other writers about the work that you’re doing and maybe get ideas, get some input.
[Brooklynn] Interesting. I’ll have to look into that, cause I’m working on a story right now. It’s not finished yet. I’m working on that, but, I would definitely look into some writing groups to share my work. So I know that for a lot of people, they might want to connect with other writers, but might not know where to start. This semester, I worked on a toolkit to gather information about how people might connect with the literary community in Lexington. Why do you think it is so important for creative people to connect with each other and share their work?
[Pam] I think as a writer, sometimes, especially if you’re starting out, you really need constant encouragement to keep going. And that sometimes comes internally from the inspiration that you get and the fact that you really want to write. But it also really helps to get encouragement from other writers and from people who understand what it’s like to be a writer and kind of the stops and starts. Life as a writer. So it really helps to connect with other writers who even writers who are starting out. Because when I meet young writers, it’s very inspiring. Just the desire and the passion that they have. And then when I meet older writers, seasoned writers, it’s also inspiring because it’s like, they did it. I can do it. And it’s also knowing that you can do it for the long haul, or that you can keep writing and keep growing in your writing and become a better writer. And then also, you know, if you want to get published, those opportunities are still always out there.
[Brooklynn] Yes. That’s definitely my goal to publish. So that’s interesting.
[Pam] And can I add something?
[Brooklynn] Yeah, go ahead!
[Pam] You’d be surprised at just how many writing opportunities there are out there. We’ve got people that are full time writers, people that are part time writers, and people that are just writing as a hobby. People that self-publish. People that are published by, some of the big presses, people that are published by independent presses. But there are just so many opportunities out there for people that want to write. There’s contests. There’s, you know, just writing programs and stuff. And to have people who have experienced different things and then, you know, bring in that wealth of knowledge and experience into one place is just – it’s invaluable.
[Brooklynn] Alright. Yes. Writing is one of my go to hobbies. I do it when I’m doing my free time. That’s what I mostly do. If someone is interested in learning more about the Lexington Writer’s Room, what is a good way for them to do that?
[Pam] Well, we have a website. It’s lexwritersroom.org. L E X W R I T E R S R O O M .ORG. And you can also send an email to info@lexwritersroom.org
If you have any questions and I will get that email and I’ll answer any, any questions that you might have about what we do and who we are. And people can actually send an email and come in and tour the place.
[Brooklynn] That’s cool. So, is there anything else you would like to talk about that we have not gotten to talk about yet today, either about writing in general or the Lexington literary scene, or the invite them to the Writer’s Room specifically?
[Pam] There are just lots of opportunities around Lexington for writers and for writing some of the things that are going on on a monthly basis. We have a queer writing group that just started. We also have, a group that’s called Poets Here, which is the poetry writing group that we have twice a month. Those are actually open to the public. You can go to our website or again, send me an email at info@lexwritersroom.org to get more information about that. We also do a couple of book clubs that we have in the space. And again, you can, look on our website. You can find out more about our membership levels and our monthly membership. The one great thing about our membership is that it’s a month to month commitment. You don’t have to. You’re not locked into a contract forever. So I know as writers, sometimes the finances come and go. So you might need to leave and come back. And we welcome you back any time. Our membership levels are open space, which gives you access to the space 24/7. And then we also have virtual membership level. And if you look at our website, you can find out about, special promotions that we have going on to grow our members.
[Brooklynn] Thank you so much for talking with me today. I hope more people will check out the Lexington Writer’s Room and learn more if they would like to get involved.
[Pam] Thank you. I hope people will come to the website and check us out.
[Narrator] This has been Community Spotlight. If you are interested in being interviewed for the show, please reach out and let us know. And as always, thanks for listening.