Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship20 Okt 2025

#169 - Hosting a Salon: The Friendship Upgrade from Book Clubs (with Linda-Marie Barrett)

Want a social gathering for making new friends or deepening friendships that’s not a book club, not mahjong, not a cooking club, not pickleball—just high-level, soul-filling conversation? Enter "the salon."

Linda-Marie Barrett, author of Creating a Salon: The Magic of Conversations that Matter, shows us exactly how to plan a modern salon: who to invite (and who not to), how to set a clear purpose, what to do about dominant talkers, and why ending well matters as much as beginning well.

If this episode nudges you to start a salon, tell me how it goes. What did you try? What surprised you? What will you tweak next time? All the ways to find me are in the link below.

What we cover

What a salon is (and isn’t): an intentional, guided conversation on a theme
Why salons help friendship: they deepen bonds and create new ones by giving everyone structured airtime.
Hosting with with authority and kindness: Linda-Marie and I talk timers, bells, and how to intervene when someone is taking over to make sure everyone in the group has a chance to participate.
Designing the experience: purpose, people, place, ground rules, accessibility, potluck flow, parking and a thoughtful way close the evening.
Trouble spots: late arrivals, phones on the table, oversharing, and the art of the one-on-one follow-up.
A complete sample format of a salon you can lift for your first salon.

MEET LINDA-MARIE BARRETT:

Linda-Marie Barrett is a writer, editor, and executive director of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA). Before that, she was at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe, where she wore many hats, including events manager and founder and host of a book club that continues today, Women In Lively Discussion or WILD. She has been hosting her Black Swan Salon since 2017 and has no plans to ever stop. She lives with her husband, writer and blogger Jon Mayes, in Asheville, North Carolina. Find her on Facebook and Instagram.

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Special thank you, as always, to my assistant producer, Rebekah Jacobs!

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