Creating a Salon

Linda-Marie Barrett is a writer, editor, and book industry professional who now serves as executive director of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA). She edited and contributed to the regional bestselling serial novel Naked Came the Leaf Peeper, called “a blur, a buzz, a local-grown tall tale, and an absolute delight” by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love. She has been hosting her Black Swan Salon since 2017. She lives with her husband in Asheville, North Carolina.

“Creating community is the balm our disconnected world desperately needs, and Creating a Salon is a deeply felt and practical guide to doing just that. With warmth, wisdom and clarity, Linda-Marie Barrett invites us to gather, to listen, and to speak about what truly matters in our lives. This book is both inspiration and instruction. Linda-Marie is your guide and mentor as you resurrect the art of conversation and create the kind of soul-deep connection we’re all longing to have. A safe harbor, a spark of curiosity, a celebration of meaning—this is a book to cherish and share.” —Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author “Linda-Marie Barrett has delivered the perfect guide for anyone wanting to host or attend a modern-day literary salon. Plucked from the courts of Versailles and tweaked to meet today’s cultural expectations, she offers everything anyone could possibly need to build connections and meaningful conversations, even 14 detailed thematic plans to get your gatherings off to a fabulous start. A must-read for curious minds, kind souls, and lovers of life.” —Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Perennials“A good salon is a circle where truth shows up in stories, where hearts and the messy, beautiful business of being human finds its voice—you don’t leave the same way you came in. Maybe your story’s been heard, maybe you heard one that cracked you wide open—either way, you walk out changed, and that’s the point. Linda-Marie Barrett's Creating a Salon lights the lantern for those ready to host that kind of magic, offering step-by-step guidance on how to lead the gathering. It’s truly a modern-day salon guidebook.” —Mary Gauthier, author of Saved by a Song“On rare, rare days, a book comes along that you didn't know you needed. Linda-Marie Barrett's book is such a book. On the surface, it's a wonderfully developed guide for organizing your own salon, a place where you can "bring community into your own living room." But it's so much more. With complete vulnerability, she shares how creating a salon saved her, gave her a chance "to take back my dreams." And, guess what? She wants the same for us. I can't recommend this book enough.” —Bren McClain, Author of One Good Mama Bone"At the heart of all humanity is a deep and constant longing for communion. With this beautifully vulnerable work, Linda-Marie Barrett emerges as a wisely poetic new sage for today’s solitary souls seeking authentic connection. Offering simple ideas for facilitating thoughtful gatherings that foster truly meaningful conversations, this book reads like a timely tonic for the isolation that ails us, a gentle reminder that we’ll find the cure in one another.” —Kimberly Brock, award-winning author of The Fabled Earth "We need community and ideas now more than ever, and in her new book Linda-Marie Barrett walks readers through the importance of both. This is a hopeful, reassuring book about the importance of coming together and centering conversation at a time when those things too often seem impossible. Barrett's book is a roadmap, a diagnosis, a prescription, and a balm.” —Wiley Cash, New York Times bestselling author of When Ghosts Come Home

• IntroductionBring Community into Your Living Room Let’s BeginWhy I Host Salons What’s Your Motivation? Elements of a Successful Salon Fine-Tuning Beginnings & Endings of Salon Gatherings Discussion Styles: It’s All About Communication Handle with Care: Troubleshooting the Unexpected Take It Up a Notch: Making the Experience Richer Creating a Salon: An Example Salon BrillianceCrafting Party Favors for Guests Tips for Hosts Tips for Attendees Variations on SalonsOnline Salons From Book Club to Salon! The Black Swan SalonMiracles from the Black Swan Salon The Black Swans SpeakSalon Starter Kits & EncouragementFourteen Themed Salon Starter Kits What Are You Waiting For? Resources Acknowledgments Index About the Author