From a Paris participant on the value of studies that meet over weeks…
I bear (sic) a grand nostalgia for our previous salons where we would spend a month on an oeuvre. What luxury to be able to expand time like that, to be able to work and dream, giving our subconscious the freedom to stir things up and take a seat alongside those other parts of the brain. So I jumped at the overnight concept, as the participants would have at least 12 hours to think alternatively, bringing new insights with breakfast the next morning. Being able to sit on something for a while is magic. It’s another kind of thinking.
Great session, by the way. A real treat, not only to be back with everyone, but also to be working with such a rich author.
Just to say what a tremendous salon that was…Faulkner really works for us all! Hope the Carter one went well, you need a lot of energy to do two demanding works in one day…you’ll need a good long swim in THE POND when you get back..
From London participants:
Thank you again for a great session. A bit like personal training for the mind. ( you can do it yourself, but it is great to get the instruction and inspiration).
Hi Toby,
It’s been two nights now, and Cathedral is still in my mind, so all I can say again, is thank you for running these salons, as my life certainly would have been poorer without them.
I come to CL Salon to have a time out in my day, when I can consider the creative thoughts of others instead of the many small decisions and adjustments that are part of being a parent and keeping a household running. It’s a way to find space in a busy day, even though you have to make space to do it! Well worth it.
I love to come to the CLSalon. For me, it has been a way to discover genres -short stories and poems- I was not familiar with and that I’m really enjoying. Moreover, the opportunity to be “guided” by Toby and the discussions which take place with the other participants make the experience really pleasant and fulfilling. And it’s a great way to plunge, once a week, in a parallel world!
