Dearest Salonista,

You, better than anybody, know all about the importance of endings - good stories need good endings. We’ve all sighed through a book that went on for fifty pages too long. Or wished for just one more chapter. Endings are not easy. In life, we rarely get to choose them. But I feel that now - after fifteen amazing years and over a hundred fabulous events with hundreds of incredible writers and a pioneering podcast and a spin-off TV show - is the right time to say: The End.

And, most importantly, thank you.

Books are just sleeping ink and paper – they need readers to bring them to life. That’s what you’ve done for Salon. You’ve been the life and soul of every party, since our very first night, in a glorified cupboard at Shoreditch House in 2008. We’ve popped up all around the world from Sydney to São Paulo, from Motherwell to Moscow, with iconic partners including British Airways, the British Council and the Women’s Prize. We’ve appeared on stages large and small and, once, memorably, in a field.

You’ve always been there listening and thinking. You are the very best readers. And some of you aren’t bad at writing either.

Hosting Salon for fifteen years has been the purest joy. It’s made me laugh and cry and often a messy combination of both. It has enriched my reading immeasurably and given me a writing life I could never have imagined. But my own books stubbornly refuse to write themselves. I’ve got a play on the way and a novel to finish then a memoir to start - I’m delighted to be joining Canongate Books, who will be publishing both of these! My next novel is a big gay Scottish love story, as you ask. At this point in my life, I need to do what every single of one our guest writers has done and make time for my own writing. I hope you get the time you need and deserve for your own creativity, whatever form it takes.

I’ll be answering your questions and sharing gorgeous memories on the Salon Insta and Facebook at 7pm GMT on Friday 15th September. I look forward to seeing you.