About Odd Salon

Speakers at Odd Salon

Cocktail Hour Salons for Curious Minds

Odd Salon curates cocktail hour lectures highlighting strange-but-true stories from history, science, art, and adventure, live on stage, over cocktails. We bring experts and enthusiastic amateurs together to explore history’s overlooked and under-told stories, from legends of lost cities to masters of art forgery, engineering failures to murderous sideshow performers, daring heists, questionable taxidermy, and tales of epic revenge. Sometimes with stick figures. 

Founded in 2014 by Annetta Black, Tre Balchowsky, and Rachel James, Odd Salon is inspired by the salonnieres of the Enlightenment, the illustrated lectures of the Victorian period, and a strong desire to tell weird stories in good company. After several years of hosting salons in San Francisco, in 2018 we expanded to add a new chapter in New York City.

We are a community project, centered around a Fellowship of speakers and an extended family of Members, and we have partnered with amazing organizations including the California Historical Society, the Long Now Foundation, the California Academy of Sciences, the tall ships of the Grey’s Harbor Historical Seaport, and the Exploratorium science museum.

As a community-focused and mission-driven organization dedicated to the diffusion of unusual knowledge, we are proud to be a membership supported, fiscally sponsored project of the InterCulture Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization.

Live Salons

Expert talks on odd topics; odd talks on everything else: Our live salons are now on two coasts. Find us monthly at Public Works in San Francisco, and at the Kraine Theater in New York City. Find the next live salon near you>

You can explore talks from past salons on our YouTube archive here>

Fellowship

Odd Salon is also a community of speakers, and a Fellowship of curious minds. Odd Salon Fellowship>

Membership

Join us! Odd Salon Members get a discount to all live salons, plus regular opportunities to join our Fellows on odd adventures and excursions: Odd Salon Membership>

Support Odd Salon

Odd Salon is an independent, community-based project, fiscally sponsored by the InterCulture Foundation, a 501c3 charitable organization, EIN #26-2224221. Contributions are tax deductible, and any donation over $100 will automatically include Membership to Odd Salon for yourself or to give as a gift. Donate to Odd Salon>

Find Out More

Curious about how things work behind the scenes? Get thee to the FAQ>

We are committed to providing a welcoming, harassment-free environment for our community: Odd Salon Code of Conduct>

Follow us on the social machines: We’re @oddsalon on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Join our mailing list for updates on our upcoming events: Odd Salon Email List>

Questions? Interested in getting more involved? Email us>