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Articles about our conversation salons
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SALON NUTS AND BOLTS We host the conversation salon in our house, which is located in a rural subdivision slightly southwest of Elgin, Illinois. Parking is not a problem. The discussion takes place in our former living room, now referred to as the Futon Room. The two color pictures above are of us, sitting at the two opposite ends of the Futon Room. As you can see from the newspaper picture above, we all sit on a slice of futon and sink back into a couple of floor cushions. If someone requires a chair or is in a wheelchair, we can accommodate them. Needless to say, it's a very casual event. People often remark that the environment reminds them of informal gatherings in college dorm rooms or campus coffee houses. Because of the futon seating, no one wears shoes past the foyer. It's a great opportunity to display your taste in socks. People arrive between 6:30 and 7 p.m. We hang out in the kitchen, which is decorated like a circus tent, and in the former family room, now known as the Black Light Room, until the discussion group actually starts. People bring things like wine, or pop or mango juice or a simple snack like pretzels or nuts or cheese and crackers–nothing elaborate, it's not a food event. It's ok to arrive empty-handed. The discussion begins at 7:01. We informally divide into two smaller groups, one in the Futon Room and another in the Black Light Room. We sit in a circle and have one big conversation on the topic of the month, which is announced in a mailing a few weeks before the salon takes place. We usually take a break at about 8:30 which can last anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, depending on what people want to do. The break is a major part of the experience. People form smaller groups and dig into stuff that came up during the large discussion or talk about something entirely different. We reassemble in two groups--it's ok to switch rooms; indeed, doing so shifts the dynamics of the rooms and makes the whole thing even more interesting--between 8:45 and 9:15 and continue our large discussions, often using something that came up during the break as a point of departure. The discussion group formally ends at 10 p.m. Some people take off immediately and others hang out.
A LITTLE ABOUT THE HOSTS Kathy is slowly dealing with the jolt of having turned 50 early in 2002 (and now, of having turned 53 in 2005). She's a criminal defense attorney who represents indigent people on appeal. Her interests include ethics, literature, philosophy, outsider art, politics, creative writing, long distance running, raw music, dance and street theater, communal living and, most of all, human relationships and community. She usually writes the first draft for the salon mailings. It goes without saying that she was raised Unitarian Universalist. Robin is 62 years old. He's recently retired and is enjoying doing whatever he wants. He's a veteran of the Human Potential Movement and still embraces many of its ideals and goals. He started two communes and has been involved with several community-building groups, including the Chicago/Milwaukee TORI Community. He is the mastermind behind this web site and the technical production of the salon mailings. He prefers to read non-fiction. He's a talented photographer and currently is fascinated with digital video, both camerawork and editing. He abandoned the Catholics after doing two years in a seminary studying for the priesthood and has spent time with the Zen Buddhists and Unitarian Universalists. We bill ourselves as Genuine Vintage Hippies. Anyone who fits that descriptor is especially welcome to the salon! However, the salon does not look or feel like a Woodstock Nation reunion. The majority of those who attend are middle-class professionals, such as teachers, engineers and computer experts. We get an occasional PhD and we also may have an occasional ex-con. There are plenty of blue-collar workers and people who are entirely self-educated. The only type of person who would be sure to feel uncomfortable in our home would be someone who was very narrow or close-minded, intolerant, humorless or otherwise unduly uptight. |
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