The Salon
The Room Where It Happens
Monthly intellectual salons for women designing themselves
Once a quarter, accomplished women gather for 90 minutes of the kind of conversations you have or wish you could have with other women. The kind where someone’s story makes you see your own life differently. The kind you’re still thinking about three days later.
This isn’t a webinar. There are no slides, no scripted takeaways, no “three steps to transform your life.”
This is a salon. Minds colliding. Ideas connecting. The kind of discourse where you leave thinking about it for days.
And in a world increasingly mediated by algorithms and AI, it’s stubbornly, unapologetically human.
What’s in it for you
90 minutes, four times a year, of real intellectual conversation. The kind you used to have in grad school
Other paid subscribers in the room with you (cameras on, voices in, no audience-only mode).
Live conversation with the writers from each quarter’s Magazine, who are the same women whose work made you stop scrolling
The Two-Part Format
Part 1 (30 minutes) — Free on YouTube. Panel discussion with the featured contributors from that quarter’s Magazine selections. I facilitate conversation about their pieces and the issue’s theme. Open to everyone. No subscription required.
Part 2 (60 minutes) — Paid subscribers only. Intimate salon conversation on Zoom. Cameras on. Voices in. All participants can contribute, ask questions, and think out loud together. This is where the real thing happens. Recorded and archived for paid subscribers.
How it works
Quarterly, third Sunday: Aug 16, Nov 15, Feb 15, May 17
I announce a theme (like “Stories of Second Coming of Age”)
I curate the pieces into Prize, Featured & Honorable Mentions
Featured salon speakers come from that quarter’s Magazine selection (Prize Winners and Runners-up)
We gather live on Zoom for a 30-minute panel discussion (streamed free on YouTube) followed by a 60-minute intimate salon conversation (paid subscribers only)
Featured contributors and salon members think together in real time
Recordings archived behind the paywall
What You Get When You Submit
Prize Winners (1 fiction + 1 essay per quarter)
$150 if you’re a paid subscriber, or an annual Heroine Society subscription, gifted, if you’re a free subscriber
Publication to [5,000+] readers, with your byline, bio, and links to your Substack and website
A combined Reading, Annotations & Conversation video — me reading your piece aloud with my notes, followed by a one-hour recorded conversation with you
Featured speaker seat at that quarter’s Salon — the 30-minute YouTube panel + the 60-minute private conversation
Year-end anthology consideration
Runners-up (2 per category)
$50 if you’re a paid subscriber, or a 3-month Heroine Society subscription, gifted, if you’re a free subscriber
Publication in the Magazine with byline, bio, and links
Featured speaker seat at that quarter’s Salon
Featured Pieces (variable, opt-in)
Publication in the Magazine with byline, bio, and links
Access to all paid features of that issue — the PDF download and the Reading, Annotations & Conversation videos
Featured pieces are unpaid in year one; this changes as the Magazine grows
Honorable Mentions (every submission that meets the guidelines)
Your name and a link to your Substack listed in the issue
Submitting is brave. We read everything.
If your piece isn’t selected (paid or free subscriber)
A free pass to that quarter’s Salon — including the full 60-minute private conversation. This is a thank you and a congratulations. It’s freakin’ brave to submit, so you rock.
The experience of writing your story, which is transformational in itself.
If you plan to attend or submit to a Salon - please read the terms and conditions.
Who attends
Women who crave intellectual discourse, not just inspiration
Women who want to design themselves, not just “fix” themselves
Women navigating their second coming of age — 40s, 50s, 60s, beyond (younger women more than welcome, we love the young’uns)
Women who want community around ideas, not obligations
Women who are done performing and ready to think out loud
Women who want to practice being fully human in an increasingly artificial world
What makes this different
Not a course. No curriculum, no homework, no “modules to complete.”
Not a mastermind. No hot seats, no business strategy, no profit optimization.
Not a support group. No venting without forward movement, no toxic positivity.
It’s a salon. Intellectual discourse. Story as strategy. Transformation through conversation.
And in a world increasingly mediated by algorithms and AI, it’s stubbornly, unapologetically human.
FAQ
“What if I can’t make it live?” Paid subscribers get access to the full 90-minute recording. The 30-minute panel discussion also remains available on YouTube for everyone.
“How do I become a featured writer at the Salon?” Submit to the Magazine. Selected Prize Winners and Runners-up become the speakers at that quarter’s Salon. One submissions stream, two artifacts — the Magazine and the live conversation it pulls toward.
“What’s the difference between the panel and the salon?” The panel (first 30 minutes) focuses on the featured writers discussing their pieces. The salon (next 60 minutes) is where everyone participates, by applying ideas, asking questions, and thinking together about your own life.
The room where it happens is waiting. Are you ready to step inside?
Next → Read about the expansion of The Salon → The Magazine
Or: Want to be one of the featured writers? → Submissions
How to Join the Conversations…Come to the Salons!
Option 1: Become a Paid Subscriber
$9.95/month or $95/year
Includes:
Full 90-minute salon access (30-minute panel + 60-minute intimate conversation)
Unlimited salon attendance (every month)
Access to all cash prizes if your story is featured
All past salon recordings (full 90 minutes)
Option 2: Watch the Panel Discussion Free
Every month, the first 30 minutes (panel discussion with featured contributors) streams live on our YouTube Channel. No subscription required.
Want the full 60-minute salon experience? You’ll need a paid subscription.