The Lotus CollectiveCurated experiences
Food · Wine · Poetry · Events

Built on community.Curated with intention.

A growing community brought together by food, wine, poetry, music, and meaningful conversation. Founded by Purple Lotus, for the beauty of gathering—and the connections that keep growing afterward.

Find your next gathering Meet Purple Lotus
Food◆Wine◆Poetry◆Connection◆Culture
The heart of the Collective

A place to feel seen. A reason to gather.

The Lotus Collective is a growing community and experience brand built around meaningful connection.

We create space to slow down, share a table, hear someone’s story, and leave more connected than when you arrived. Food brings us together. Music sets the feeling. Poetry opens a conversation. The people in the room make it a community.

The Collective grows through shared gifts: a chef’s imagination, a poet’s voice, a host’s care, an artist’s eye, and the presence each guest brings. Our experiences take different forms, but they begin with the same intention—to make room for connection, creativity, and belonging.

Food · Wine · Poetry · Events

01 / The experience

Di’Vinely Flavored

Food, wine, and atmosphere brought together through a shared culinary experience series.

Meet the partners
02 / The voice

Purple Lotus the Poet

The poet, curator, and storyteller whose love of words and gathering lives at the heart of the Collective.

Meet the artist
03 / The becoming

Room to grow

A vision for creative gatherings, shared experiences, and a dedicated place for community to come together.

Explore the vision
A shared experience series

Di’Vinely Flavored

Good food. Thoughtful pours. A table that brings people together.

Di’Vinely Flavored is an experience series hosted by Purple Lotus in partnership with Charlie Watkins of Water’s Edge Winery and Eight27 Culinary Experience. Together, we bring food, wine, storytelling, and hospitality into evenings designed for connection.

Host & curator

Purple Lotus

The Lotus Collective

Bringing the story, the people, and the feeling of the evening together.

Charlie Watkins at the winery bar, with wine bottles and glassware behind him

CHARLIE WATKINS

Owner • Wine & Hospitality Partner

Charlie Watkins brings wine, hospitality, and a welcoming sense of connection to Di’Vinely Flavored through Waters Edge Winery & Bistro of ETOWN. Alongside Purple Lotus and Eight27 Culinary Experience, he helps create gatherings where thoughtful pours, memorable food, and shared stories come together.

WATERS EDGE WINERY & BISTRO OF ETOWN

Located in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Waters Edge Winery & Bistro of ETOWN offers wine tastings, wine flights, and bistro dining in a setting made for gathering. As the venue and wine partner for Di’Vinely Flavored, the winery provides the backdrop for evenings celebrating food, wine, creativity, and community.

EXPLORE THE WINERY
Experience partner · Culinary

Eight27 Culinary Experience

Food that is part of the story.

A culinary partner in shaping the Di’Vinely Flavored experience.

Chef Jeremy Weatherly in his Eight27 Culinary Experience chef coat

CHEF JEREMY WEATHERLY

Chef • Culinary Lead • Eight27 Culinary Experience

Chef Jeremy Weatherly is the chef and culinary lead behind Eight27 Culinary Experience, bringing a passion for bold flavor, thoughtful presentation, and elevated, memorable food experiences. He develops the culinary vision and menus for Di’Vinely Flavored, working alongside his brother and sous chef, Keith Edwards, to make each gathering an experience to savor.

READ JEREMY’S STORY
Keith Edwards in a black chef coat

KEITH EDWARDS

Sous Chef • Eight27 Culinary Experience

Keith Edwards, Jeremy’s brother and sous chef, began his culinary journey through exposure to different cultures and cuisines while living in Germany with his military family. His professional banquet experience includes Atlanta’s Woodruff Arts Center and a progression to Executive Banquet Chef at Green Island Country Club. Today, he brings that experience to Eight27 alongside Jeremy, helping bring the culinary vision of Di’Vinely Flavored to life.

Summer Nights

A Di’Vinely Flavored evening at Water’s Edge Winery, bringing guests together over charcuterie, wine tasting, a chef-prepared dinner, dessert, music, and Golden Hour Sangria. A shared summer evening—and one chapter in a growing series.

DI’VINELY FLAVOREDSummer NightsFood • Wine • Connection • ExperienceAn experience by The Lotus Collective
A look back at Summer Nights — an evening centered around food, wine, creativity and connection.
Next in the series: Masquerade
Portrait of LaTiesha Nicole, Purple Lotus the Poet
The artist behind the Collective

Purple Lotus
the Poet

LaTiesha Nicole
Poet · Curator · Storyteller

“I don’t create events. I create opportunities for people to connect.”— Purple Lotus

A poetic nomad, making space for stories and the people who carry them.

LaTiesha Nicole, known artistically as Purple Lotus, is the founder of The Lotus Collective. Her Kentucky roots and childhood spent moving from place to place as part of a military family—including seven years in Vilseck, Germany—are part of the journey she brings to her work as a poet, curator, and storyteller.

With bell hooks and Maya Angelou among her influences, she carries a love of language into both the spoken word and the spaces she creates. A poem, a shared table, and an intentional gathering can each become a place to listen and connect.

Through The Lotus Collective, that artistic voice extends beyond the page and the microphone. Purple Lotus brings people and their gifts together—creating experiences where guests can slow down, feel seen, and enjoy being present.

Poetry remains part of the Collective’s foundation, alongside culinary experiences, music, conversation, and collaboration.

Ask about poetry, hosting, or collaboration
Upcoming gatherings

Find your next experience.

A little mystery, a beautiful meal, a story that stays with you. Discover what’s next at The Lotus Collective.

October 24, 2026

Di’Vinely Flavored presents

Murder Mystery Masquerade

Glamour, secrets, wine, and a killer in the room.

View the experience →
In the making

Poetry · Art · Conversation

More ways to gather.

Future poetry evenings, creative gatherings, and culinary experiences will join the calendar as they are announced.

See what we’re growing toward →
Di’Vinely Flavored presents

Murder Mystery Masquerade

24October 2026
Official Di’Vinely Flavored: Secrets Behind the Mask — A Murder Mystery Masquerade event poster
Official Event Artwork by DeMarkis Armond

WhenSaturday, October 24, 2026
8:00 PM – 12:00 AM

LocationWater’s Edge Winery
Elizabethtown, Kentucky

Attire inspirationMasquerade elegance

Hosted byPurple Lotus

Series partnersCharlie Watkins of Water’s Edge Winery
Eight27 Culinary Experience

Living Single meets How to Get Away with Murder… at a masquerade.

The friendships. The secrets. The drama. The wine. And somewhere in the room… a killer. Step into an original immersive mystery where every guest is close enough to catch a clue—and everyone has something to hide.

Original MysteryWritten by Stephanie Michelle Collins of The Creative Collective Network
Heavy Hors d’OeuvresBy Chef Jeremy Weatherly and Chef Keith Edwards
Wine TastingWith Charlie Watkins of Water’s Edge Winery
Music & AtmosphereDJ Phenomena, with whimsical floral artistry by Spellbound Blossoms
Buy tickets — $85

Community Partners — Color Squad Social Club • The Creative Collective Network

Community Partner Spotlight

The Creative Collective Network

Stephanie Michelle Collins

Stephanie Michelle Collins

Founder • Writer • Performance Artist

Stephanie Michelle Collins is a Louisville-based performance artist with roots in Chicago whose work spans theatre, writing, producing, and community-centered arts. Her performance credits include productions of Dreamgirls, RENT, The Color Purple, Footloose, Kinky Boots, CROWNS, Alice in Derbyland, and the UnKnown Project’s Broken Wings Still Fly.

As a writer and producer, Stephanie created the original work MIDNIGHT in partnership with ARTSREACH and Kentucky Performing Arts. She is also the founder of The Creative Collective Network (@weareTCCN), a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing infrastructure to art and art to community.

For Di’Vinely Flavored: Secrets Behind the Mask, Stephanie brings her storytelling to The Lotus Collective through an original immersive murder mystery created especially for the experience.

Community PartnerThe Creative Collective Network
Community Partner Spotlight

Color Squad Social Club

Samone Powell, President and Founder of Color Squad Social Club

Samone Powell

President & Founder

Samone Powell is the President and Founder of Color Squad, a women’s social club centered around sisterhood, empowerment, community, and creating meaningful connections.

Born in Killeen, Texas, and raised as a proud “military brat,” Samone has always embraced the value of community and connection. She is a graduate of Western Kentucky University, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts with a concentration in Dance.

With a passion for education and working with youth, Samone spent 10 years teaching in the Fort Knox schools and served as an Athletic Director for 6th–8th grade students for two years. She also coached the cheer and dance team at Fort Knox High School for five years while teaching dance to students ages 3–18.

Outside of her professional career, Samone is a proud wife and mother of five children. She resides in Elizabethtown, where she continues to serve her community as a PTA Fundraising Coordinator and SBDM member at G.C. Burkhead Elementary.

A natural leader with a heart for service, Samone has a genuine passion for giving back and creating opportunities that uplift others. Through Color Squad, she hopes to empower women, build strong connections, and highlight the significance of women standing together, supporting one another, and making a difference in their communities.

About Color Squad

Color Squad is a women’s social club built on Sisterhood, Respect, Inclusivity, and Support. We bring women together through fun social outings, meaningful connections, and community outreach. For our outings, we choose a featured color or theme and encourage everyone to express their individual style and creativity through their look—showing that we can all stand out while coming together as one.

Through collaborations with local businesses, organizations, and programs, Color Squad strives to create positive experiences, give back, and remind women that there is power in coming together.

SISTERHOOD • RESPECT • INCLUSIVITY • SUPPORT

Community Partner
Community Partner Spotlight
Maddie Horn holding a floral bouquet beside a white brick wall

Maddie Horn

Founder & Owner • Spellbound Blossoms

Maddie Horn is the founder and creative force behind Spellbound Blossoms, a floral event studio and apothecary rooted in artistry, intention, and botanical beauty.

Known for her imaginative approach to floral design, Maddie creates custom arrangements for special events, celebrations, and everyday delivery—transforming flowers into experiences that feel personal, expressive, and memorable. Her creativity extends beyond florals into handcrafted herbal offerings, including soothing bath soaks and thoughtfully blended herbal teas.

Through Spellbound Blossoms, Maddie brings together her love of botanical artistry and holistic wellness, creating beautiful, high-quality experiences designed to engage the senses and nurture the spirit.

The Lotus Collective is proud to have Spellbound Blossoms as a community partner and to collaborate with a creative whose work brings beauty, intention, and a little bit of magic to every space she touches.

SavorInspired menus
SipCurated pours
FeelArt & atmosphere
ConnectUnforgettable rooms
What we’re growing into

Planting seeds.
Making room to bloom.

The long-term vision is a sustainable, community-centered home for shared experiences—a place where artists, chefs, and neighbors can bring their gifts and build something together.

Future vision

A home for the Collective

A dedicated gathering venue with a commercial kitchen: space for chef collaborations, poetry, music, workshops, community conversations, and private celebrations.

A place that can welcome our own experiences and make room for others to create.

Growing the Collective

Growing through connection

Building meaningful relationships with artists, creatives, local businesses, and community organizations—allowing new experiences and ideas to grow organically from the people connected to the Collective.

Shared ideas. Distinct gifts. Meaningful collaboration.

Future experiences

Creativity beyond the evening

Workshops, reflective gatherings, and opportunities to learn, create, and reconnect. Experiences shaped by the people and gifts within the Collective.

A growing invitation for artists, educators, and community collaborators to contribute.

These are the plans taking root. Future programs and the dedicated venue are not open for registration or bookings; details will be shared as they develop.

Community

Community is part of how we create.

The Collective welcomes aligned artists, chefs, musicians, florists, local businesses, and community groups who want to help people connect through shared experiences.

Each collaboration has its own role and story. Our Di’Vinely Flavored experience partners help shape that series; event collaborators bring their artistry to particular gatherings.

Community connections, including Color Squad Social Club and The Creative Collective Network, are part of how The Lotus Collective continues to grow. Together, we’re creating more room for artists, creatives, and community partners to bring their gifts to the table.

Color Squad Social Club official logo
COMMUNITY PARTNER

Color Squad Social Club

Community. Culture.
Connection.

The Creative Collective Network official logo
COMMUNITY PARTNER

The Creative Collective Network

Supporting artists.
Building community.
Creating opportunity.

Spellbound Blossoms official logo
COMMUNITY PARTNER

Spellbound Blossoms

Floral artistry.
Botanical beauty.
Thoughtful creations.

Start a partnership conversation →
Private experiences & collaborations

What could we create together?

Have a gathering in mind? Let’s talk about the people, the purpose, and the feeling you want to create—from an intimate dinner to a celebration filled with poetry, music, and meaningful conversation.

Discuss your experience
01Intimate dinners
02Milestone celebrations
03Poetry & hosting
04Creative collaborations
Connect with the Collective

There’s room for your story here.

For event questions, poetry and hosting inquiries, private experiences, or partnerships, reach out to Purple Lotus. Let’s begin with a conversation.

Email the CollectiveExplore upcoming events
PurpleLotusTravels@outlook.com