THE SALON OF SEPTEMBER, 2019

SATURDAY, THE 21st

 

 Arrive between 6:30 and 7 p.m.

 Conversation begins at 7:01 and ends at 10 p.m.

 

Please let us know if you’d like to come!

Send us an email and we'll send you an invitation

jabberwockyonkoshare@gmail.com

 

BRING YOUR OWN TOPIC

 

The salon will be, once again, a topic free-for-all. We ask everyone who feels like doing so to bring a short, provocative piece of writing. We will fold ‘em up, put ‘em in a basket, pull one out, read it and talk it into the ground, pull out another, do the same, etc., until we’re all talked out (never happened yet!) or 10 p.m. arrives, whichever happens first.

 

Note: You can show up without a piece of writing. Please feel free to bring only your brain and your mouth. Of course, the more stuff we have to work with, the more interesting the evening will be. Also note that another rule prohibits revelation of who brought what, so even if what you foist on us turns out to be really dumb, no one will ever know it was yours!

 

Here's how it all works:

 

1. We invite some interesting people over (that's you).

 

2. We ask everyone to bring something for the group to read and discuss. The selection can be from any source–novels, short stories, poems, song lyrics, news articles, essays, research papers, personal writings, advertising, your own stray thought–and may be on any subject. Don't think it must be political. Whimsey, spirituality, recipes, . . .anything is welcome. It can be complete in itself (a short poem), a biopsy of a longer piece (a paragraph from an essay, article or book chapter), a simple sentence, a quotation, or even a single word (“indecision”). It also can be a question you'd like the group to try to answer (e.g., my perennial favorite, "What, if anything, desirable can be salvaged from the '60s?") Each selection should be no longer than what fits comfortably on a half-sheet of paper in legible lettering. It should be photocopied, typed or handwritten without any indication as to the author, the source, or the person who put the thing into the basket. In other words, both the contribution and the contributor should be anonymous. That way, we can discuss something without necessarily having to consider its context. If you want to reveal that a contribution is yours and the context from which it came at some point during the discussion, that's fine, of course. Just let us take a crack at it based on the four corners of the paper for a few minutes, first. Each selection should be folded and brought to the salon.

 

3. We'll have baskets ready for your stuff when you arrive, If you bring two copies, you can be sure your contribution will have a chance of being read in both rooms, should we have a large enough crowd for two rooms. But it's ok to bring one copy, too.

 

4. We'll begin the discussion by having someone pull a contribution from the basket and read it out loud. Someone other than the reader should offer the first comment, after which we jump in or not, in our usual fashion. The idea is to let the conversation flow like a river that is searching for its course. (I stole that line.) Sometimes, a single comment is all we have for a particular selection. But there also could be a three-hour discussion on the first item, leaving us unable to get to the second, If that happens, all is well, the others can wait until next time. Why not? Nothing is invested here except for time communally shared in thought. (I stole that line, too.) Usually, we end up somewhere between the two. We say whatever comes to mind, comment on others' comments, go off on a slight tangent for a bit, then pull another item to discuss.

 

Sound interesting? Send us an email at jabberwockyonkoshare@gmail.com and we'll send you an invitation which includes the time and location.

 

Peace & Goldenrod, Kathy & Teece

 

 

Sound interesting? We'd be delighted to send you an invitation! Just send us an email address, using our contact page or at jabberwockyonkoshare@gmail.com