A packed room, old monster movies on the screens, and a host who takes boos with a grin. Kendra Lynn joins us from Kentucky Monster Lodge, the Lexington horror community built on cult films, practical effects, and a surprisingly big heart. We talk about how the Lodge grew from a handful of people into a network of “lodgers” who swap physical media and welcome newcomers fast, even in khakis.

Kendra makes the case for Re-Animator as her forever favorite and for bold practical effects over perfect polish. We also debate “fun scary” versus “can’t sleep scary” and confess our own blind spots.

Then we turn to Linda Claw, the Lodge’s giveback program, which has supported the Lexington Humane Society, Louisville Metro Pet Services, classrooms in need, and Eastern State Hospital’s patient care program. Next up is a partnership with The Nest’s Reindeer Exchange to help families get holiday toys for young kids, with drop-offs, QR codes, and wishlists making it easy to give.

She memorized picture books before she could read, got accused of “pretend reading” in kindergarten, and shot back with the line: “Maybe YOU can’t read.” That stubborn streak has served her well. We sat down with bestselling author Gwenda Bond inside the Lexington Writers Room where she also helps shape a flourishing, tight-knit writing community.

We talk craft in a practical way, starting with the crossroads between screenwriting and novels. Gwenda explains why screenwriting is external storytelling where everything must be visible, while novels do something no other medium can quite match: deep interiority, full access to what a character thinks and feels. That difference helps explain her pull toward young adult fiction, the power of voice, and why a screenwriting background can actually make a plot feel more natural.

We also get honest about a writing career timeline. Gwenda published her first book at 37, wrote multiple books before selling one, and learned how rejection can become training for the inevitable peaks and valleys of creative work. We close by digging into the publishing industry today: traditional publishing, self publishing, rights, and the new pressure of AI on the marketplace.

Forty years doesn’t happen by accident, especially in a former industrial corridor that was once considered “outside the city limits.” We sit down with Chad Walker, the longtime steward of Lexington’s Warehouse Block, to unpack how a single practical purchase on North Ashland grew into a neighborhood people now line up to join. Along the way, we trade the polished origin myth for the real version, complete with snow-shovel nights, a delirious “marlin” in the sky, and the kind of unfiltered stories only a place with true history can produce.

We dig into what the Warehouse Block used to be: trades, automotive shops, and buildings that were functional long before they were trendy. Chad explains how adaptive reuse, zoning constraints, and parking expectations shaped the neighborhood’s turnaround, and why serving on city boards like the Board of Adjustment puts real weight behind seemingly small decisions. If you care about historic districts, urban redevelopment, or preservation, this episode is for you!