Damian Barr's Literary Salon welcomes new Guest Hosts!

BIG NEWS! Please welcome our new Guest Hosts!

We’re introducing a gorgeous line-up of brilliant Guest Hosts so we can put on more Salons and make the conversation around books even bigger, even more inclusive and even more joyful!

I’m delighted to announce that Anthony Anaxagorou, Sam Baker, Alex Clark, Sara Collins, Natalie Haynes, Alexandra Heminsley, Paul McVeigh, Sarah Perry and Sathnam Sanghera are all joining Salon!  They’re all very different but equally brilliant and will be hosting Salons online and in-person (when we can). They each bring their own unique story and I can’t wait to hear them.

We’ve really not stopped this last year. And you’ve been with us every step of the way - so thank YOU! All through lockdown we’ve been bringing you Bibliotherapy with Ella Berthoud, hand-picked readings on our Salon Exclusive podcast and Salon LIVE Online events, including Salon-on-Demand.  As well as monthly Indie Bookshop tours, Instagram launches and competitions.  Hamnet, Shuggie Bain and Cleanness are just some of the books we’ve launched.

I believe stories are for everybody and everybody has a story. I started the Salon at Shoreditch House in 2008 because I craved a joyful space for writers and readers to meet through their shared passion. Since then, we’ve popped up across London and around the world, celebrating established names and championing debuts.

Stories are the engines of empathy - they help us see the world differently and encourage us to turn the page rather than turn away. We need stories now more than ever. So, here’s to more stories!

I’ll still be hosting Salons so fret not. Coming soon!

I’m so grateful to my fellow writers for trusting Salon to launch their work and to all of you for all your energy and enthusiasm. Salonistas make the Salon what it is.

Happy reading! 

Your Salonnière,

Db x