History matters, now more than ever

For seven years now, Odd Salon has opened our stage to storytellers of all backgrounds to explore and share overlooked and undertold stories from history, science, art, and adventure. We've grown from a tiny gathering of friends into sold-out, standing room only nights. We've hosted over 150 individual salon nights, welcomed more than 600 speakers, and created a Fellowship now over 100 strong. Today, Odd Salon is so much more than a speaking series: it is a real world community, united by shared curiosity.

2020 was the year we almost didn't survive.

We would never have survived the unexpected hurdles of 2020 without the support of our incredible community of curious-minded Fellows, speakers, members, and Patreon supporters and the funds we raised at the end of 2019. Together, we’ve learned just how resilient this community can be.

With your support, we took the salon digital, converting our stage to livestream salons, and in-person events to virtual gatherings. We opened up our video archives and created a YouTube library of past talks, free to all, created our first ever print journal, and completed a first ever digital residency with the Exploratorium science museum. With the help of our community we found new formats, new technology, and new ways of keeping our stage inclusive and open to all.

We need your help

2021 is a complete unknown. There is no crystal ball that will tell us what will come next, but if history tells us one thing, it's: Hope for the best, and prepare for the worst.

We believe that now more than ever, community matters deeply, curiosity can be a powerful antidote to despair, and forging a deeper understanding and connection to history makes us better citizens of the world, and of this moment in history to which we all belong.

With that in mind we are doubling down and getting creative, making plans, and raising funds against that uncertain future, so that we can create more, continue to gather, support our speakers, and growing this community of curious minds.

Donate today and support:

Open and inclusive salon evenings full of weird stories from history's odd corners
Online community gatherings, workshops, classes, and virtual happy hours
Training and mentorship resources for our community of speakers
More videos, more print projects, and new things we haven't even thought of yet
Our triumphant return to the live stage, the hot second it is safe and possible to do so

Donations above $100 automatically include Odd Salon annual Membership for 2021, for you or to give as a gift.

Your donation is tax deductible: Odd Salon is fiscally sponsored by the InterCulture Foundation, a 501c3 charitable organization, EIN #26-2224221.

Support our ongoing mission of celebrating uncommon knowledge and the craft of storytelling for tellers of true tales.