Talking about the books you’ve read is almost as important as reading them in the first place.
That’s why author Shelley Leedahl, who has written eleven books, is bringing literary salons into vogue – she wants to add the adjective ‘interactive’ to the description of literary soirees.
“I want a conversation, not a typical literary event, where the writer does all the talking,” she said.
So for the last year or so, since her newest book I Wasn’t Always Like This was published, she’s been either hosting or getting others to host salons, where 12 or more people get together, mingle, listen to a reading, then talk.
“It’s meant to be an entertaining, but meaningful evening,” she said. “I think we all have an intrinsic need to hear stories and to tell them.”
Leedahl believes books these days have to compete with a plethora of other forms of story-telling and communicating, and that amid the incessant chatter of mobile phones, TV’s and radios, we’ve lost something precious, which engaging literary events can restore…
The art of conversation.
“I think conversation is missing in our world,” she said. We may talk a lot, and be buzz bombed with everything from tweets, to YouTube tirades, to texts, to emails. But the give and take of true, intimate conversation is missing.
So she kick starts dialogue at her salon readings by passing round a jar full of slips participants draw from, each piece of paper posing an open ended question.
The person who draws the question first responds to it, then engages in dialogue with the group.
The questions emerge from the stories Leedahl reads, but the responses go far beyond the bounds of what’s on the page.
“For the most part people open up, even the ones who are reticent at first,” Leedahl said. There’s laughter, intensity, even tears as participants interpret what they have read through the lenses of their own experience.
“From my perspective there’s much more value when you think about what you’re reading,” she said. “We all bring something to a book.”
And that’s what a salon brings out.
Skillful reading rewards us with deep, personalized meaning. It’s a participatory, almost collaborative experience conveyed through metaphor, pacing, point of view, and always feeling.
The reader has to be involved in the story. “I think that just gives you a much richer reading experience,” Leedahl says. “It’s all about the human heart.”
To book a literary salon with Leedahl through her publisher contact Karen at marketing@signature-editions.com.
Leedahl also offers writing workshops, and will be holding her ‘inaugural’ in Ladysmith Wednesday, Sept. 30 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at 22-941 Malone Road in Ladysmith.
Called Reaching for the Moon, the workshop costs $25, and will be open to a limited number of people. Register by Nov. 25 by emailing shelleyleedahl@gmail.com.
