The Digital Salon

3/1/2020, 10:00:00 AM

After launching our digital programme in March 2020, we now offer hundreds of events in the year - available wherever you are in the world. With catch up available exclusively for Salon London Members, you need never miss another life-changing idea.

Events

Transmission 2021

1/18/2021, 6:00:00 PM

The Transmission Prize rewards writers, speakers and scientists for their ideas and the way they communicate them.

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Streamed Content

Circadian Rhythms with Russell Foster

4/8/2020, 6:30:00 PM

Russell Foster in conversation with Helen Bagnall

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Philippa Perry on Living in Lockdown

4/13/2020, 10:00:00 AM

Salon London’s favourite psychotherapist and prize-winning author, Philippa Perry returns to Salon’s (digital) stage

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Music and the Brain with Prof. Catherine Loveday

4/16/2020, 7:15:00 PM

In conversation with Salon London's Helen Bagnall

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Book Club LIVE

4/19/2020, 6:30:00 PM

With the award-winning novelist and screenwriter, Emma Jane Unsworth and her new Sunday Times Bestseller, Adults.

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What We Need to Do Now

4/21/2020, 7:00:00 PM

Planning a Zero Carbon Future with Chris Goodall

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Book Club LIVE with Hallie Rubenhold

4/26/2020, 6:30:00 PM

Bestselling social historian and author of The FIVE: The Untold Lives of The Women Killed by Jack the Ripper.

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A Short History of Truth with Julian Baggini

4/29/2020, 6:30:00 PM

The award-winning writer and philosopher in conversation with Salon's Helen Bagnall

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Book Club LIVE with Robert E Smith

5/3/2020, 6:30:00 PM

A story of prejudice, ideology and miscalculation, and the dangerous consequences of algorithmic bias.

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The Psychology of Boredom

5/5/2020, 6:30:00 PM

Leading psychologists, James Danckert and John Eastwood explain why boredom isn’t bad for us - it’s just that we do a bad job of heeding its guidance

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Book Club LIVE with Robert Webb

5/10/2020, 6:30:00 PM

The award-winning actor, comedian and best-selling author, with his debut novel, Come Again.

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Why Our Brains Want Power and Money

5/27/2020, 6:30:30 PM

Dr Tim Dalgleish, leading the Cognition, Emotion and Mental Health Programme and Director of the Cambridge Centre for Affective Disorders, explains why our brains can’t help but crave power and money.

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Book Club Live

5/31/2020, 6:30:04 PM

With Sara Pascoe

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Book Club Live

6/7/2020, 7:00:13 PM

With Juno Dawson

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Tales of Boomtown Glory

6/11/2020, 7:15:06 PM

With Bob Geldof

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Book Club Live with Helen Lewis

6/14/2020, 7:00:00 PM

Drawing on archival research and interviews, Helen will present the funny, fearless and sometimes shocking narrative history, which shows why the feminist movement has succeeded – and what it should do next. The battle is difficult, and we must be difficult too.

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The Psychology of COVID-19 with Stephen David Reicher

6/18/2020, 6:30:00 PM

Stephen has recently co-written Together apart: the psychology of COVID-19 (preprint available online) with three other social psychologists which details the importance of understanding and harnessing group psychology in dealing with the pandemic. The authors have advised a range of bodies on how to best support the COVID-19 response and in the book, they explore how psychological theory - and the social identity approach in particular - can help us better understand, and respond to the COVID-19 crisis.
Stephen will be in conversation with Salon’s Helen Bagnall before we open to your questions - LIVE.

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Book Club LIVE with Jini Reddy

6/21/2020, 7:00:00 PM

Wanderland - in search of the magical in the British landscape.

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The Idea of the Brain with Matthew Cobb

6/24/2020, 7:00:00 PM

Galloping through centuries of wild speculation and ingenious, sometimes macabre anatomical investigations, Matthew will reveal how we came to our present state of knowledge.

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Book Club LIVE with Terri White

7/5/2020, 7:00:00 PM

Join us on Sunday 5th July for a Book Club LIVEstream with the award-winning editor and writer, Terri White and her extraordinary memoir, Coming Undone - a powerful, raw and unflinchingly honest account of a life coming undone.
'BREATHTAKING' Dolly Alderton, 'REMARKABLE' Marian Keyes, 'LIFE-CHANGING' Emma Jane Unsworth, 'COMPELLING' Amy Liptrot, 'EXTRAORDINARY' Sali Hughes

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How to Be A Good Ancestor with Roman Krznaric, Kate Raworth and Brian Eno

7/23/2020, 7:00:00 PM

Leading public philosopher Roman Krznaric will be sharing ideas from his powerful new book, The Good Ancestor: How To Think Long Term in a Short-Term World, on how we can expand our imaginations beyond the here and now. Exploring everything from the seventh-generation thinking of indigenous peoples and politically empowered ‘guardians of the future’ to the history of the London sewers and the latest neuroscience research, he argues that we have an inbuilt capacity to become ‘cathedral thinkers’.

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The CBD Bible with Dr Dani Gordon

7/29/2020, 7:00:00 PM

What's the best natural product to help with anxiety? Could cannabis cure insomnia? Can you overdose on CBD oil?
Cannabidiol, more commonly known as CBD, has become the hot new wellness ingredient, appearing in everything from oils to edibles and skincare products. Yet this brave new world of CBD and medical cannabis is full of pseudoscience, misinformation and confusion.
Join internationally-recognised expert, Dr Dani Gordon, with years of clinical experience in prescribing cannabis and CBD in many forms, takes us on an entertaining and enlightening journey about the cannabis plant and its benefits. She'll cut through the hype, dispel the myths, and introduce us to the fascinating endocannabinoid system in our own body.

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Launch, stand-up and live signing with Sara Pascoe

8/5/2020, 7:00:00 PM

Come and explore the science of Sex Power Money with the award-winning comedian and Sunday Times bestselling author Sara Pascoe in this thought-provoking, clever and funny Salon.
It's the launch of her paperback and we love the way Sara has done our job for us - going deep into complex, difficult scientific research - communicating it with grace and wit and so we're throwing her a party.

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The Serendipity Mindset with Dr Christian Busch

9/9/2020, 7:00:00 PM

LSE and NYU academic, Dr Christian Busch explains the art and science of coincidence. Drawing from both cutting-edge science and real-world examples - including couples who first interacted during chance encounters to businesspeople who invented multi-million ideas after a best-laid plan misfired - Christian will reveal the secrets behind the hidden force that rules the universe.

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How to Travel NOW with Juliet Kinsman

9/10/2020, 7:00:00 PM

How to lessen our impact on the world without giving up the experiences and escapes that make life so rich? We’ll be taking a good hard look at how we travel — in the UK and further away — with Juliet Kinsman, exploring how we can do it in a way that benefits the planet and lets us enjoy the planning part from our sofas while we consider how to have the best holidays in the future which happen to be more eco-friendly.
Political journalist Ian Dunt tells the epic story of liberalism, from its birth in the battle against absolute monarchy to the modern resistance against nationalism and populism. He explores why liberalism is currently fractured and unfashionable – mocked by the right and dismissed by the left - but remains, even now, the most radical set of ideas in the history of humankind.

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How to be a Liberal with Ian Dunt

9/22/2020, 7:00:00 PM

Across the world, nationalism is on the rise. Right-wing populists have taken hold of some of the most powerful countries, including the US, UK, India, Brazil, Italy, and Hungary. Is the best way to counter them to renew our confidence in liberal beliefs of freedom and reason?
Political journalist Ian Dunt tells the epic story of liberalism, from its birth in the battle against absolute monarchy to the modern resistance against nationalism and populism. He explores why liberalism is currently fractured and unfashionable – mocked by the right and dismissed by the left - but remains, even now, the most radical set of ideas in the history of humankind.

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Launch, In Convo and Live Signing with Natalie Haynes.

9/30/2020, 7:00:00 PM

Come and explore the remarkable women at the heart of the ancient Greek myths with the classicist and Women's Prize shortlisted writer Natalie Haynes as she moves away from the traditional retellings of the Greek myths in a thought-provoking, clever and funny Salon on September 30th as we present Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths.

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How to be Strategic with Fred Pelard

10/6/2020, 7:00:00 PM

Being strategic is a critical skill. It enables you to solve problems on a day-to-day basis while also keeping an eye on the long term, anticipating and mitigating opportunities and threats along the way. So how do you master it?
Fred Pelard, leading strategy trainer with over 20 years’ experience and author of the brilliant ‘How to be Strategic’, explains exactly how you too can think strategically, in any situation.

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Book Club LIVE with Elaine Sciolino

10/25/2020, 8:00:00 PM

Join us on Sunday 25th October for a Book Club LIVEstream with the longtime New York Times foreign correspondent and best-selling author Elaine Sciolino and her gorgeous new book, The Seine: The River that Made Paris - a vibrant, enchanting tour of the Seine.
In the spring of 1978, as a foreign correspondent in Paris, Elaine Sciolino was seduced by a river. In The Seine, she tells the story of that river from its source on a remote plateau of Burgundy to the wide estuary where its waters meet the sea, and the cities, tributaries, islands, ports, and bridges in between.

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Book Club LIVE with Sophie Hannah

11/1/2020, 8:00:00 PM

Want to find true happiness? Then please join us on the sofa with the bestselling crime writer, poet and confessed self-help addict, Sophie Hannah at 8pm on Sunday 1st November to take a deep dive into the art of happiness.
Happiness is one of life's greatest mysteries. But what even is it? Why does it mean so many different things to different people? And how can we actually be happier?

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Book Club LIVE with Cathy Rentzenbrink

11/8/2020, 8:00:00 PM

Join us on Sunday 8th November for a Book Club LIVEstream with the Sunday Times bestselling author Cathy Rentzenbrink and her gorgeous new book, Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books.
For as long as she can remember, Cathy has lost and found herself in stories. Growing up she was rarely seen without her nose in a book and read in secret long after lights out. When tragedy struck, books kept her afloat. Eventually, they lit the way to a new path, first as a bookseller and then as a writer. No matter what the future holds, reading will always help.
Together, we'll go on a moving, funny and joyous exploration of how books can change the course of your life, packed with recommendations from one reader to another.

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Kleptopia: How Dirty Money is Conquering the World

11/16/2020, 8:00:00 PM

After five years journeying around the world in search of the truth, award-winning investigative journalist Tom Burgis is at Salon London to reveal a terrifying global web of corruption.
Yes, Tom will explain how he has followed the dirty money flooding the global economy, emboldening dictators and poisoning democracies. From the Kremlin to Beijing, Harare to Riyadh, Paris to the Trump White House, it shows how the thieves are uniting – and the terrible human cost.

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Music and Its Power To Transform Our Lives with Mark Radcliffe

11/19/2020, 8:00:00 PM

Standing at the crossroads - the Mississippi crossroads of Robert Johnson and the devil's infamous meeting - broadcaster, award-winning musician and bestselling author, Mark Radcliffe found himself facing his own personal crunch point.
Mark will be in conversation with Salon London’s Juliet Russell before we open up to your questions - LIVE.
This momentous time in his life, and being at the most famous junction in music history, led Mark to think about the pivotal tracks in music and how the musicians who wrote and performed them - from Woodie Guthrie to Gloria Gaynor, Kurt Cobain to Bob Marley - had reached the crossroads that led to such epoch-changing music.
So please join us for a very special Salon as Mark takes us on a personal journey through these touchstone tracks, looking at the story behind the records and his own experiences as he goes in search of these moments and explores music's power to transform our lives.

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War: How Conflict Shaped Us with Margaret MacMillan

11/24/2020, 8:00:00 PM

Does human nature doom us to fight one another? Why has war been described as the most organized of all human activities? Why are warriors almost always men? And is war ever within our control?
Join us on the 24th November as Margaret MacMillan, emeritus professor of international history at the University of Oxford, professor of history at the University of Toronto and the bestselling author of books including Paris 1919, offers a provocative view of war as an essential component of humanity.

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Couch Fiction: with Philippa Perry and Flo Perry Live Launch

11/25/2020, 8:00:00 PM

Hear from bestselling author Philippa Perry (The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read) and Flo Perry, author of How to Have Feminist Sex, in a thought-provoking, clever and funny Salon as we celebrate the new edition of Couch Fiction: A Graphic Tale of Psychotherapy, written by Philippa and illustrated by Flo.

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Prof Stephen Reicher on Leadership

11/30/2020, 8:00:00 PM

We’ll be taking a good hard look at leadership and what we’ve learned this year with Prof Stephen Reicher, the Professor of Social Psychology from the University of St Andrews and behavioural science advisor during the pandemic.
Stephen will explain why to succeed, leaders need to create, champion, and embed a group identity in order to cultivate an understanding of 'us'. Effective leaders shape our sense of who we are and what we want to do. They are entrepreneurs of identity.

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How Food Can Save the World with Carolyn Steel

12/7/2020, 8:00:00 PM

Food, and how we search for and consume it, has defined our human journey. From our foraging hunter-gatherer ancestors to the enormous appetites of modern cities, food has shaped our bodies and homes, our politics and trade, and our climate. Whether it's the daily decision of what to eat, or the monopoly of industrial food production, food touches every part of our world. But by forgetting its value, we have drifted into a way of life that threatens our planet and ourselves.
Architect and leading thinker on food and cities, Carolyn Steel is at Salon London to point the way to a better future.

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Book Club LIVE with Irenosen Okojie

12/13/2020, 8:00:00 PM

A love-hungry goddess of the sea arrives on an island inhabited by eunuchs. A girl from Martinique moonlights as a Grace Jones impersonator. Dimension-hopping monks sworn to silence must face a bloody reckoning. And a homeless man goes right back, to the very beginning, through a gap in time…
Join the award-winning author, Irenosen Okojie on a journey into the boundaries of reality as she discusses and reads from her gorgeous collection of short stories, Nudibranch.

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My Second Home: Sylvia Plath in Paris, 1956 with Dave Haslam

1/7/2021, 8:00:00 PM

Launching us into January, we explore a lesser-known side to Sylvia Plath, the American novelist and poet, whose creativity still influences and resonates so strongly today. While readers may be familiar with her work and life, there are so many chapters of it left unexplored and, by focussing on Sylvia’s adventures in Paris, Dave Haslam brings a new, welcome perspective to what we think we know. Haslam is a broadcaster, author and former Hacienda DJ, whose latest series ‘Art Decades’ is building into an intriguing collection of small format books about writing, music, and art, rooted in lived experience and a love for cities.

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Rude Women with Nimco Ali and Rebecca Reid

1/14/2021, 8:00:00 PM

Join the conversation on 14th January as we explore female assertiveness with social activist and author of What We’re Told Not to Talk About (But We’re Going to Anyway), Nimko Ali, and journalist, commentator and author of The Power of Rude: A woman's guide to asserting herself, Rebecca Reid.

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A Guide to Ageing Well from Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin

3/2/2021, 8:00:00 PM

We are encouraged to think of old age as synonymous with a decline in our skills. Yet recent studies show that our decision making improves as we age and that our happiness levels peak in our eighties. So what really happens to our brains as we get older?
This 2nd March, neuroscientist, psychologist and internationally bestselling author Daniel Levitin invites us to dramatically shift our understanding of ageing, demonstrating its many cognitive benefits.
Daniel will draw on cutting-edge research - the subject of his new book The Changing Mind: A Neuroscientist's Guide to Ageing Well - to offer realistic guidelines and practical cognition-enhancing tricks, and show us what we all can learn from those who age joyously.
Daniel will be in conversation with Salon's Helen Bagnall after which you will be able to put your questions to him.

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How to Build Exceptional Relationships with David L Bradford and Carole Robin

3/4/2021, 8:00:00 PM

Join us as we delve into the workings of our relationships with David L Bradford and Carole Robin, authors of Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends and Colleagues who have taught interpersonal skills to MBA candidates for a combined seventy-five years in their legendary Stanford Graduate School of Business course Interpersonal Dynamics (affectionately known to generations of students as "Touchy Feely") and have coached and consulted to hundreds of executives for decades.

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Do What You Love and Get Paid For It with John Williams

3/9/2021, 8:00:00 PM

Big questions of what are we doing with our lives, what do we want to achieve in our work, and how can we do something meaningful and enjoyable while making a great living seem even more pressing this year. Many have lost their jobs during the pandemic, others have simply realised that if they can work from home, perhaps they can work from anywhere and do it for themselves instead of a corporation.
So we're so pleased to welcome John Williams, who has helped thousands of people to launch a business or self-employed career that they love, to the Salon Stage. He'll be explaining the ten 'secrets' covering everything from how to work out what you'd really enjoy doing to using online marketing to stand out and promote yourself effectively - the subject of his new book, F**k Work let's Play: Do what you love & get paid for it.

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Why the F*ck Can’t I Change? with Gabija Toleikyte

3/23/2021, 8:00:00 PM

Most of us want to change something about ourselves. It might be our response to stress, our weight, patterns in our relationships or our performance at work. Change is hard, it’s emotional, but it’s not as impossible as you think…
In this ground-breaking Salon, neuroscientist, behavioural coach and author of Why the F*ck Can’t I Change?: Insights from a neuroscientist to show that you can, Dr Gabija Toleikyte gets straight to the root cause of why we form certain habits and behaviours and shows how we can realistically stop ourselves repeating the same mistakes. From why we shouldn’t suddenly stop bad habits, simple ways to improve your motivation and productivity at work, why ‘positive thinking’ can be a bad thing and why it’s physically impossible for us to truly multitask.

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Making Your Voice Heard with Prof. Connson Chou Locke

3/30/2021, 7:00:00 PM

Why are some people more influential than others? What is it that makes people sit up and take notice?
Join us for ‘Making Your Voice Heard’ - a fresh take on how to successfully influence others, regardless of your gender or background.
Yes, drawing on the latest research in social psychology, Prof Connson Chou Locke, an expert on leadership, negotiation and decision-making based at LSE, will explore why we are prone to miscommunicate and how to overcome these barriers - the subject of her new book Making Your Voice Heard: How to own your space, access your inner power and become influential.
Based on her hugely popular sell-out Guardian Masterclass, Connson will help you hone your personal style, teach you the secrets of nonverbal communication, how to sidestep unconscious bias and enhance your presence and influence with ease.

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Why Arguments Are Tearing Us Apart and How They Can Bring Us Together with Ian Leslie.

4/7/2021, 7:00:00 PM

What is the secret of happy relationships? How do companies build collaborative cultures? What lies behind some of the greatest scientific and creative breakthroughs? The surprising answer is: conflict.
Insight and empathy spring from the clash of different perspectives. In a world where it’s easier than ever for people to share their opinions, we should be reaping the benefits of diverse views. Instead, we too often find ourselves mired in hostility or – worse – avoiding disagreement altogether. So we’re so pleased journalist and author, Ian Leslie is beaming in live to the Salon stage to argue that this is because most of us never learn how to air our differences in a way that leads to progress.
Yes, this Salon will get to the heart of better disagreement. Ian will draw on lessons from experts in tough conversations: interrogators, hostage negotiators, divorce mediators, diplomats and addiction counsellors; combining them with fascinating insights from the science of human communication.
Whether it's at work, at home, or in public, confronting our differences is the only way to make the most of them. And our Conflicted Salon is about how to do that successfully.

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Why Mental Health Goes Wrong – and How to Make Sense of It with Dean Burnett.

4/15/2021, 7:00:00 PM

One in four of us experience a mental health problem each year, with anxiety and depression alone affecting over 500 million people worldwide. Why are these conditions so widespread? What is it about modern life that has such an impact on our mental health? And why is there still so much confusion and stigma around these issues?
Neuroscientist and bestselling author, Dean Burnett is at Salon London on the 15th April to answer these questions and more, revealing what is actually going on in our brains when we suffer mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and addiction.
Combining illuminating scientific research with first-hand insights from people who deal with mental health problems on a daily basis, this will be an honest, entertaining and reassuring account of how and why these issues occur, and how to make sense of them.
Dean will be in conversation with author and award-winning journalist, Nichi Hodgson - we always love to have your questions and thoughts to make it a Salon, and remember we would love you to get your books from us.

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Good Grief with Catherine Mayer

4/21/2021, 7:00:00 PM

“Grief is more than the price of love. It is love. We must learn not just to live with it, but to embrace it.”
Mother and daughter Anne Mayer Bird and Catherine Mayer were widowed within 41 days of each other on the eve of the pandemic, then locked down alone. Their profound isolation following their loss was broken just once a week, when Catherine visited Anne to care for her, at distance and in a mask. Together they found ways to navigate their loss and the startling questions and challenges that confronted them in their loss which is the subject of their book Good Grief: Embracing Life at a Time of Death.
Catherine Mayer, bestselling author, award-winning journalist and co-founder of the Women's Equality Party will be talking to Salon London's Helen Bagnall about her experience of loss during lockdown, particularly how she came to focus not on death, but on life and love. We hope this Salon, like Catherine's book, will help those who have lost loved ones and for those who wish to know how best to support others who are suffering loss.
This Salon will be digitally broadcast via our specially built platform Zarucchi, so please do join us for this special Salon - or please consider getting the book from us, we send Love Hearts with every book because we love your choice to get the book from us.
The Good Grief Salon will be on Wednesday 21st April at 8pm.
Book on the Salon for £7 or get the book and the livestream (and a watch back function) for just £18.99: Good Grief: Embracing life at a time of death. Or become a member and let us curate a whole year of ideas - and watch whenever you like.

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Delicacy with Katy Wix.

4/29/2021, 7:00:00 PM

Hear from the award-winning comedian and writer Katy Wix (Taskmaster, Ghosts Stath Lets Flats, Not Going Out) Thursday 29th April in conversation with award-winning British-Canadian comedian, actor, writer, and producer Mae Martin as they discuss the art of creativity and self-care through the medium of cake - all of which are key themes in Katy’s new memoir Delicacy.
In Delicacy - a memoir of cake and death - Katy and Mae will explore the cakes that have punctuated comedian's Katy Wix's life - from the career-defining sickly royal icing, the madeira cake of group therapy, the 'missing cake' she has never let go, the traumatic Bara brith and the transcendental rock cake. Let these two comedians explore the twin challenges of being creative whilst looking out for yourself in this insightful and comic session.
So choose the cake that is right for you and bring it to the screen Thursday 29th April. This Salon will be broadcast LIVE with Katy and Mae so please do bring your questions and comments with your choice of cake.
It's coming atcha via our specially built platform Zarucchi, so please do join us for this special Salon - or get the book (and Love Hearts) sent to you from us.
Book on the Salon for £7 or get the book and the livestream (and a watch back function) for just £18.99: 'Delicacy: a memoir about cake and death'. Or become a member and let us curate a whole year of ideas - and watch whenever you like.

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Launch, in Convo and Live Signing with Emma Jane Unsworth.

5/6/2021, 7:00:00 PM

"How did it come to this? I am tough, I am smart, I have lived alone. Now I am cracking, right down the middle..."
Six months after the birth of her son, the defining zeitgeist author of the award-winning ANIMALS (now a film with Holliday Grainger) and ADULTS (Sunday Times Bestseller), Emma Jane Unsworth finds herself in the eye of a storm. Nothing - from pregnancy to birth and beyond - has gone as she expected. A birth plan? It might as well have been a rough draft! Furious and exhausted, her life is the complete opposite of what it used to be. She's swapped all night benders for grazed labia and Whac-a-Moling haemorrhoids. How did she end up here?
In AFTER THE STORM - her brave and hilarious account of postnatal depression - Emma tells her story of despair and recovery. She tackles the biggest taboos around motherhood and mental health, from botched stitches and bleeding nipples to anger and shame. How does pregnancy adapt our brains? Is postnatal depression a natural reaction to the trauma of modern motherhood? And are people's attitudes finally changing?
So please join us on 6th May to launch Emma’s new book AFTER THE STORM. We so wanted to be part of the publication of Emma's book published during Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week - dedicated to talking about mental illness during and after pregnancy. Emma's is a powerful call-to-arms account of postnatal depression which holds out a hand to women everywhere.
Thursday 6th May at 8pm.
Want to be part of this great, digital celebration of Emma’s work? Come along, book on and we will also be offering a LIVE signing of Emma’s book for anyone who has bought the book from us.
Book on the Salon for £7 or pre-order the book and get the livestream (and a watch back function) for just £14.99: After the Storm: Postnatal Depression and the Utter Weirdness of New Motherhood. Or become a member and let us curate a whole year of ideas - and watch whenever you like.

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‘Pandora’s Jar’ Live Paperback Launch with Natalie Haynes

5/10/2021, 7:00:00 PM

This 10th May at 8pm we'd like to invite you to be part of the paperback launch of Natalie Haynes’s Transmission prize-winning book, Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myths.
To celebrate we'll be getting together digitally to take a closer, deeper look at the art that the 'rock-star classicist' uses to illustrate just how the way women of Greek myth have been represented in art, literature and popular culture. Not only are the women rarely the focus of these well-known stories, but they are often painted as monstrous, vapid or just plain evil, yet their appearances in art and culture through the centuries tells a different story - so how did this happen? We intend to find out - so together with Salon London's Helen Bagnall, Natalie will be taking us on our own personal digital tour of the appearances in the art of Pandora, Medusa, Eurydice and Penelope to help us strip away the layers to understand these women of Greek myth in the way that was intended. Do please get involved in that chat box and bring your questions and thoughts.
 Natalie has done so much to help all of us at Salon London and ALSO Festival to learn to love the classics - so you are all invited - all Salon London Members, and guests for ALSO Festival 21 are offered guest list, and £7 tickets are available for anyone else who wants to join, or you can pre-order Natalie's book and access to the Salon (and a watch back function) for just £11.99: Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths. Or become a member and let us curate a whole year of ideas - and watch whenever you like.

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The Power of Geography with Tim Marshall.

5/19/2021, 7:00:00 PM

If you want to understand what’s happening in the world, look at a map. Tim Marshall’s global bestseller Prisoners of Geography showed how every nation’s choices are limited by mountains, rivers, and seas. Since then, the geography hasn’t changed, but the world has.
In a revelatory Salon London live stream, Tim will explore ten regions that will shape global politics in a new age of multipolar rivalry, the subject of his new book: The Power of Geography: Ten Maps That Reveal the Future of Our World. Find out why Europe’s next refugee crisis is closer than it thinks; why the Middle East must look beyond oil and sand to secure its future; why the eastern Mediterranean is one of the most volatile flashpoints of the twenty-first century; and why the Earth’s atmosphere is set to become the world’s next battleground. In ten chapters covering Australia, The Sahel, Greece, Turkey, the UK, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Space.
Yes in this lucid and gripping exploration, he’ll explain the power of geography to shape humanity’s past, present – and future.
Tim will be in conversation with Jonathan Paterson. Jonathan is a freelance journalist and consultant who spent two decades with the BBC, initially travelling the world's hotspots, before realising there were people far braver than him, and returning to London for a series of senior editorial roles. Most recently Head of Video for BBC News digital platforms, he also worked for Newsnight and Radio 4.
This Salon is part of our drive to get us together with the big ideas we need. Tickets are £10 or why not support our bookselling and buy our book inclusive ticket, which includes the option of getting more involved in the Salon in our live signing with Tim to sign your copy of, The Power of Geography: Ten Maps That Reveal the Future of Our World, and we'll post it to you after the Salon. Alternatively, become a member and get your big ideas curated by us at Salon London for a whole year.

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How To Save Our Planet with Mark Maslin

5/26/2021, 7:00:00 PM

How can we save our planet and survive the 21st century? How can you argue with deniers? How can we create positive change in the midst of the climate crisis?
Global awareness of climate change is growing rapidly. Science has proven that our planet and species are facing a massive environmental crisis. We stand at the precipice. The future of our planet is in our hands.
So please join Earth System scientist at UCL, Professor Mark Maslin (and us!) for How to Save Our Planet - a call to action, designed to equip us with the knowledge needed to make change - together we can save our precious planet.
From the history of our planet and species, to the potential of individuals and our power to create a better future, Mark inspires optimism in these bleak times.
Mark will be in conversation with Helen Bagnall - we always love to have your questions and thoughts to make it a Salon, and remember we would love you to get your books from us. Love Hearts sent to you with every book.
Book on the Salon for £7 or get the book and the livestream (and a watch back function) for just £9.99: How To Save Our Planet: The Facts. Or become a member and let us curate a whole year of ideas - and watch whenever you like.

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The Rules of Contagion with Adam Kucharski

6/8/2021, 7:00:00 PM

We live in a world that's more interconnected than ever before. Our lives are shaped by outbreaks - of disease, of misinformation, even of violence - that appear, spread and fade away with bewildering speed. To understand them, we need to learn the hidden laws that govern them.
Join us on the 8th of June as the associate professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Adam Kucharski takes to the Salon Digital stage and offers compelling insights into human behaviour and explains exactly how we can get better at predicting what happens next. And the subject of his New Statesman and Times Book of the Year, The Rules of Contagion: Why Things Spread - and Why They Stop.
Yes, Adam will explore how innovations spread through friendship networks, what links computer viruses with folk stories - and why the most useful predictions aren't necessarily the ones that come true.
“A key voice of reason in the media circus surrounding the virus ... a clear, calm, historical overview of the mathematical ideas at the forefront of our pandemic response” - Hannah Fry.
Tuesday 8th June at 8pm.
Book on the Salon for £7 or order the book and get the livestream (and a watch back function) for just £11.99: The Rules of Contagion: Why Things Spread - and Why They Stop. Or become a member and let us curate a whole year of ideas - and watch whenever you like.

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The Musical Human with Michael Spitzer

6/17/2021, 7:00:00 PM

Today music fills our lives. How we have created, performed and listened to this music throughout history has defined what our species is and how we understand who we are. Yet music is an overlooked part of our origin story. 
Michael Spitzer’s book The Musical Human takes us on an exhilarating journey across the ages – from Bach to BTS and back – to explore the vibrant relationship between music and the human species. He explores how and why we have evolved alongside music and how music has shaped us. With insights from a wealth of disciplines, this world-leading musicologist renders a global history of music on the widest possible canvas, looking at music in our everyday lives; music in world history; and music in evolution, from insects to apes, humans to AI. 
Michael is Professor of Music at Liverpool University. A music theorist and musicologist, he is an authority on Beethoven, with interests in aesthetics and critical theory, cognitive metaphor, and music and affect. He was President of the Society for Music Analysis for many years. As a popular music scholar, he specialises in indie (including Neutral Milk Hotel and Arcade Fire), and is currently working on Captain Beefheart. 
Michael will be in conversation with Salon’s Juliet Russell on Thursday 17th June at 20.00.
Book on the Salon for £7 or get the book and the livestream (and a watch back function) for just £32: 'The Musical Human: A History of Life on Earth'. Or become a member and let us curate a whole year of ideas - and watch whenever you like.
'Michael Spitzer has pulled off the impossible: a Guns, Germs and Steel for music' - Daniel Levitin
'A thrilling exploration of what music has meant and means to humankind' - Ian Bostridge

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Fierce Self-Compassion with Kristin Neff

6/21/2021, 7:00:00 PM

What do I need right now? What do I need to help alleviate my suffering?
Come along and learn how to combat negativity and insecurity and put kindness at the forefront of your mind. Yes, the pioneer in the field of self-compassion, Dr Kristin Neff - author of 'Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive' the Associate Professor in Human Development at the University of Texas - is on the Salon Digital Stage this June 21.
She’ll be explaining why it is more urgent than ever that women acknowledge their areas of suffering, celebrate their inner voice and challenge the male-orientated status quo.
Drawing on her own life story as well as the stories of other women to show how you can harness self-compassion and gain the strength, clarity and courage needed to be resilient and stand up for yourself in our male-dominated society. She'll explore core issues such as gender differences, why we aren't more compassionate to themselves, and what women do for love.
With expert research, concrete tools and easy-to-follow mindfulness practices, this Salon will empower women to let go of self-criticism, draw boundaries and become fierce.
Book on the Salon for £7 or pre-order the book and get the livestream (and a watch back function) for just £16.99: Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive. Or become a member and let us curate a whole year of ideas - and watch whenever you like.

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The Authority Gap with Mary Ann Sieghart.

7/27/2021, 7:00:00 PM

Imagine living in a world in which you were routinely patronised by women. Imagine having your views ignored or your expertise frequently challenged by them. Imagine trying to speak up in a meeting, only to be talked over by female colleagues. Imagine subordinates resisting you as a boss, merely because you're a man. Imagine being trolled by women on social media for daring to express an opinion. Imagine people always addressing the woman you are with before you. Now imagine a world in which the reverse of this is true.
On Tuesday 27th July, the journalist and broadcaster, Mary Ann Sieghart is LIVE at Salon London and providing a startling perspective on the unseen bias at work in our everyday lives, and revealing the scale of the gap that still persists between men and women. Marshalling a wealth of data with precision and insight, this is a fresh feminist take on how to address and counteract systemic sexism in ways that benefit us all.
Mary will be in conversation with award-winning journalist, Nichi Hodgson - and thanks to our platform Zarucchi and our get involved ethos - we are always there for your questions and thoughts to make it a Salon, and remember we would love you to get your books from us - so much we send Love Hearts with every book.
Tuesday 27th July at 8pm.
Book on the Salon for £7 or get Mary’s brilliant new book and the livestream (and a watch back function) for just £18.99: The Authority Gap: Why women are still taken less seriously than men, and what we can do about it. Or become a member and let us curate a whole year of ideas - and watch whenever you like.

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The Turning Point with Robert Douglas-Fairhurst and Natalie Haynes.

9/7/2021, 7:00:00 PM

Come along on the 7th September and be part of the award-winning author Robert Douglas-Fairhurst’s launch for his extraordinary new book, The Turning Point, as he goes LIVE and in convo with the classicist and Transmission Prize winner, Natalie Haynes.
Yes, the year is 1851. It's a time of radical change in Britain, when industrial miracles and artistic innovations rub shoulders with political unrest, poverty and disease. It's also a turbulent time in the private life of Charles Dickens, as he copes with a double bereavement and early signs that his marriage is falling apart. But this formative year will become perhaps the greatest turning point in Dickens's career, as he embraces his calling as a chronicler of ordinary people's lives, and develops a new form of writing that will reveal just how interconnected the world is becoming.
Robert transports us into the foggy streets of Dickens's London, closely following the twists and turns of a year that would come to define him, and forever alter Britain's relationship with the world. This will be the closest look yet at one of the greatest literary personalities ever to have lived.
Join us 7th September at 8pm.
Want to be part of this great, digital celebration? Come along, book on the Salon for £7 or pre-buy the book and the livestream (and a watch back function) for just £27: The Turning Point: A Year that Changed Dickens and the World (published 2nd September 21). Or become a member and let us curate a whole year of ideas - and watch whenever you like.
We will also be offering a LIVE signing of Robert’s book for anyone who has bought the book from us and love hearts sent with every book.

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Human Advantage in an Age of Technology and Turmoil with Kenneth Cukier, Viktor Mayer-Schoenberger and Francis de Vericourt.

9/13/2021, 7:00:00 PM

From pandemics to populism, AI to ISIS, wealth inequity to climate change, humanity faces unprecedented challenges that threaten our very existence. But how we see them affects how we respond and lets us uncover hidden options that expand our thinking.
On 13th September, Kenneth Cukier, Viktor Mayer-Schoenberger and Francis de Vericourt - the authors of the bestselling Big Data - are LIVE on the Salon digital stage to explain how humans have a unique cognitive ability to frame - to create mental models that allow us to spot patterns, make predictions and grasp new situations. While computers may now excel at reasoning and judgement, framing is unique to humans.
Yes, blending fascinating stories with cutting-edge research, you'll discover why it's useless to try to think outside the box, how Spotify beat Apple by framing music as experience, how the #metoo movement reframed the perception of sexual assault from silence to solidarity, and how framing Covid-19 as seasonal flu led to disaster whereas framing it as SARS delivered New Zealand from the pandemic.
Together, Kenneth, Viktor and Francis will explore how to make better decisions in the age of algorithms, and will revolutionise not only how we think about our future, but how we think about everything.
Come along and learn how to master an essential skill for the 21st century.
Book on the Salon for £7 or get the book and the livestream (and a watch back function) for just £22: 'Framers: Human Advantage in an Age of Technology and Turmoil'. Or become a member and let us curate a whole year of ideas - and watch whenever you like.

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A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres with Kelefa Sanneh.

10/21/2021, 7:00:00 PM

Join us on 21st October for a rigorous and celebratory journey through the history of pop music with the former New York Times music critic, Kelefa Sanneh.
Yes, from Kelefa's own adolescence, when his allegiance was to punk rock, to his work as one of the essential voices of our time on music and culture at the New York Times and the New Yorker, Kelefa has explored how our popular music unites and divides us - the subject of his extraordinary new book, MAJOR LABELS: A HISTORY OF POPULAR MUSIC IN SEVEN GENRES.
And in this very special Digital Salon on 21st October, Kelefa will be in conversation with Salon’s Juliet Russell and distilling a career's worth of knowledge to explore the tribes music forms, and how its genres, shape-shifting across the years, give us a way to track larger forces and concerns.
He’ll debunk cherished myths, reappraise beloved heroes and upend familiar ideas of musical greatness, arguing that sometimes the best popular music isn't transcendent: it expresses our grudges as well as our hopes, and is motivated by greed as well as inspiration. Throughout, race is a powerful touchstone: just as there's always been a 'Black' audience and a 'white' audience (with some overlap) there is Black music and white music and a whole lot of expropriation.
This is a Salon to shock and awe the deepest music nerd, and at the same time to work as a heady gateway drug for the uninitiated.
Don’t miss Kelefa in conversation with Salon’s Juliet Russell on 21st October at 8pm.
"Kelefa Sanneh has achieved the impossible. Major Labels somehow manages to unspool everything you need to know about 50 years of music, but more impressively, he makes you care about all of it. Even the stuff you don't care about. It's funny, it's personal, and as a piece of writing the book borders on poetry" -- DAVID LETTERMAN
Book on the Salon for £7 or get the book and the livestream (and a watch back function) for just £20: MAJOR LABELS: A HISTORY OF POPULAR MUSIC IN SEVEN GENRES. Or become a member for £45 and let us curate a whole year of ideas - and watch whenever you like.

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Beautiful News with David McCandless.

11/10/2021, 8:00:00 PM

We are living in the Information Age, in which we are constantly bombarded with data – on television, in print and online. How can we relate to this mind-numbing overload?
Enter David McCandless and his amazing infographics. Yes, on 10th November, the bestselling author of INFORMATION IS BEAUTIFUL and KNOWLEDGE IS BEAUTIFUL and king of infographics is at Salon Digital to reveal unexpected—and much needed—positive developments from around the world.

In his unique signature style, David will be showing us dazzling displays that blend facts with their connections, contexts and relationships, making information meaningful, entertaining – and beautiful. The subject of his latest book: BEAUTIFUL NEWS: POSITIVE TRENDS, UPLIFTING STATS, CREATIVE SOLUTIONS.
At a time when the world has never seemed more dangerous and unpredictable, David will be focusing on fascinating positive developments and drawing from philosophy, spirituality, ecology, society, technology, history, science, economics, and pop culture, to reveal positive trends and developments, from the invention of a breakthrough device that uses ocean forces to clean plastic from the world’s seas, to a new method of converting donated blood to the crucial “O” negative type that can be used universally.
David will be in conversation with Jonathan Paterson. Jonathan is a freelance journalist and consultant who spent two decades with the BBC, initially travelling the world's hotspots, before realising there were people far braver than him, and returning to London for a series of senior editorial roles. Most recently Head of Video for BBC News digital platforms, he also worked for Newsnight and Radio 4.
Come and join us for a shot of positivity that will lift the spirts and provide sorely needed hope about our world in a way never before seen.
Wednesday 10th November at 8pm.
Book on the Salon for £7 or get the book and the livestream (and a watch back function) for just £25: BEAUTIFUL NEWS: POSITIVE TRENDS, UPLIFTING STATS, CREATIVE SOLUTIONS. Or become a member for £45 and let us curate a whole year of ideas - and watch whenever you like.

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How Your Mindset Can Transform Your Life with David Robson.

1/5/2022, 8:00:00 PM

You’ve probably heard of the placebo effect and how sugar pills can accelerate healing. But did you know that your overall expectations of your fitness can influence your risk of an actual heart attack? That labels for diet foods can make you hungrier than if you had eaten nothing at all? Or that people who associate ageing with personal growth live for seven years longer than those who associate it with frailty and disability?
On the 5th January 2022, the award-winning science writer David Robson will be on the Salon Digital stage and drawing on a pioneering new theory of the brain to explain the power of your mindset to influence your health, fitness, happiness, and longevity.
Yes, David will be taking us on a tour of the cutting-edge research happening right now that suggests our expectations shape our experience - the subject of his brilliant new book, The Expectation Effect.
 David will explain how you can reframe many different facets of your life, and in so doing start real physiological change. These easy-to-use skills will help you on your way to becoming the person you want to be, living the life you want to live.
David will be in conversation with Salon’s Juliet Russell on 5th January 2022 at 8pm. Don’t miss this eye-opening exploration of how our expectations can positively influence all areas of our life, grounded in the latest scientific research.
Book on the Salon for £7 or get the book and the livestream (and a watch back function) for just £20.99 - The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Transform Your Life. Or become a member for £45 and let us curate a whole year of ideas - and watch whenever you like.

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Why Almost Everything We’ve Been Told About Food is Wrong with Tim Spector.

1/18/2022, 8:00:00 PM

We are all bombarded with advice about what we should and shouldn't eat, and new scientific discoveries are announced every day. Yet the more we are told about nutrition, the less we seem to understand.
So why not come along and join us on 18th January, as the groundbreaking Sunday Times bestseller Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King's College London, author of The Diet Myth and creator of the COVID Symptom Study app, is live on the Salon Digital stage and revealing why almost everything we've been told about food is wrong.
Yes, through his pioneering scientific research, Tim has been shocked to discover how little good evidence there is for many of our most deep-rooted ideas about food. Hear from him LIVE as he explores the scandalous lack of good science behind many medical and government food recommendations, and how the food industry holds sway over these policies and our choices.
Diet may be the most important medicine we all possess. And Tim will be helping us understand how best to use it, not just for our health as individuals but for the future of the planet.
Join us 8pm, 18th January 2022.
“The nutrition revolution is well underway and Tim Spector is one of the visionaries leading the way.” -- Yotam Ottolenghi
Book on the Salon for £7 or why not grab our early bird ticket option that includes the Salon (and a watch back function), the book and postage for just £16: Spoon-Fed: Why Almost Everything We’ve Been Told About Food is Wrong. Or become a member for £45 and let us curate a whole year of ideas - and watch whenever you like.

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Launch, In Convo and Live Signing with Natalie Haynes.

9/12/2022, 7:00:00 PM

Natalie Haynes - the rock star classicist, nation’s great muse, Transmission Prize winner and Women’s Prize-shortlisted author of A Thousand Ships – is LIVE on the Salon Digital Stage to launch her extraordinary new book, STONE BLIND and to bring the infamous Medusa to life as you have never seen her before...
'So to mortal men, we are monsters. Because of our flight, our strength. They fear us, so they call us monsters.’
Medusa is the only mortal in a family of gods. Growing up with her sisters, she quickly realizes that she is the only one who gets older, experiences change, feels weakness. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know.
When the sea god, Poseidon, commits an unforgivable act in her sacred temple the goddess, Athene, takes her revenge on an innocent - and Medusa’s life is changed forever. Appalled by her own reflection: snakes have replaced her hair and she realises that her gaze can now turn any living creature to stone. Medusa can no longer look upon anyone she loves without destroying them,, and so condemns herself to a life lived in shadow and solitude to limit her murderous rage. That is, until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon . . .
This is the story of how a young woman became a monster. And how she was never really a monster at all.
So please join us on 12th September at 8pm to launch Natalie’s new book STONE BLIND and to celebrate this reimagining of Medusa as Natalie brings her back into the light.
Natalie will be in conversation with Salon Lodon's Helen Bagnall and questions are most definitely welcome.
Want to be part of this great, digital celebration of Natalie’s work? Come along, book on and we will also be offering a LIVE signing of Natalie’s book for anyone who has bought the book from us.
Book on the Salon for £7 or get the book and the livestream (and a watch back function) for just £22: STONE BLIND: MEDUSA'S STORY. Or become a member for £45 and let us curate a whole year of ideas - and watch whenever you like.

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How to Improve Confidence and Manage Anxiety with Ian Robertson.

9/27/2022, 7:00:00 PM

Imagine we could discover something that could make us richer, healthier, longer-living, smarter, kinder, happier, more motivated and more innovative. What is this elixir? Confidence. Yes, if you have it, it can empower you to reach heights you never thought possible. But if you don't, it can have a devastating effect on your future.
On the 27th September, clinical psychologist and neuroscientist, Professor Ian Robertson will be LIVE on the Salon Digital Stage and probing the science and neuroscience behind confidence that has emerged over the last decade.
He’ll be explaining how confidence plays out in our minds, our brains and indeed our bodies and exactly how the lockdown, pandemic and global news cycle has changed our confidence - and just what we can do about it.
Come along and learn how confidence really works, where it comes from and how it spreads - including how to build positive habits and strategies to improve your confidence and manage anxiety.
Please bring your cup of tea or something else you enjoy to the screen on 27th September 2022 at 8pm and discover the secrets to building your confidence. Questions are most definitely welcome.
Book on the Salon for £7 or get the book and the livestream (and a watch back function) for just £16.99 - HOW CONFIDENCE WORKS: The new science of self-belief, why some people learn it and others don't. Or become a member for £45 and let us curate a whole year of ideas - and watch whenever you like.

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