Summer Salon: “Family Relationships”

July 9, 2026, 7:30 pm

Elizabeth Preston is a science journalist who contributes regularly to The New York Times and has written for Science, The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, Orion, Slate, Audubon, Discover, National Geographic and others. Her book The Creatures’ Guide to Caring: How Animal Parents Teach Us That Humans Were Born to Care is forthcoming in May 2026. She is a winner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Kavli Science Journalism Gold Award. Preston is also a humor writer whose work has appeared in outlets such as McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Parents, and Real Simple and was the editor of Muse, a magazine about science and ideas for kids. She lives in Arlington.

Danny Leonard is a Boston-based writer, storyteller, and filmmaker. Danny’s short story “Of Tides and Melons” was runner-up in Solstice Literary Journal’s annual contest. His short story “love is frozen congealed raccoon blood clinging to a twig in the shape of a heart” was published in Pangyrus and was selected to appear in their print anthology. He wrote and produced Demi’s Panic, an award-winning animated short film. He was a selected participant at Stowe Story Labs where he worked on his feature-length film script titled Fire and Thirst. Danny appeared on World Channel’s nationally televised program Stories from the Stage. Danny has a BA in English literature and an MA in Japanese language and literature from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Nicole Graev Lipson is the USA Today bestselling author of the memoir in essays Mothers and Other Fictional Characters. Her writing has appeared in The Sun,Virginia Quarterly Review, LA Review of Books, The Washington Post, andThe Boston Globe, among other venues. Her work has been awarded a Pushcart Prize, selected for The Best American Essays, and shortlisted for a National Magazine Award. Lipson received her MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College and lives outside of Boston with her family. 

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Fall Salon: “Mythology”

October 8, 2026, 7:30 pm

Crystal King is the author of four novels spanning historical fiction and contemporary fantasy. Her latest, The Happiness Collector, is a contemporary fantasy that Booklist calls “a must for V.E. Schwab and Katee Robert fans” and was named an Amazon Editor’s Pick. Her historical novels include In the Garden of Monsters (longlisted for a MassBook Award and selected as an Amazon Editor’s Pick), The Chef’s Secret, and Feast of Sorrow (longlisted for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize). Crystal’s writing is fueled by a love of history and a passion for the food, language, and culture of Italy. You can find her at crystalking.com.

Luna McNamara is the author of Psyche and Eros and The Witch and the Huntress, which have been translated into fourteen languages. She holds a master’s degree from Harvard University with a focus on women and gender in world religions, and has studied ancient Greek language and philosophy. By day she works in social services, and by night she writes about historical women and forgotten gods. She lives in Boston.

Emily Ross is the author of Swallowtail, a mystery thriller set in Quincy MA, that blends a gripping murder mystery with themes of art, trauma, and mythology. It was praised by Publishers Weekly for its “nerve-shredding tension,” and featured in The Patriot Ledger (Crime thriller set in Quincy shows city’s beauty and rough edges). Her young adult thriller, Half in Love with Death was an International Thriller Writers Awards finalist. Her award-winning short story “Let the Chips Fall” appears in Devil’s Snare: Best New England Crime Stories 2024. She lives in Quincy, MA, with her husband and their very playful cat.