Salon of the Refused: A Celebration of Refused Writing

Writers require a thick skin. For every word written, thought brilliant and shared, there are so many more that are rejected. Refused for publication. It is the nature of attempting to become a published writer; that we must first collect our lumps with refused writing. Not everyone appreciates our brilliance, or at least not at first glance.

Enter the Salon of the Refused…

Salon of the Refused

The Salon of the Refused is inspired by the French Salon des Refusés of 1863. It was an Exhibition, put on and sanctioned by Napoléon, featuring rejected works from the Official Jury of the Paris Salon. As you might imagine, it created quite a stir at the time, especially as it displayed works by notable artists, including Édouard Manet, Johan Jongkind, Gustave Courbet, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, and many more. But how does that translate to today’s reinterpretation? It too features the rejected.

It is a celebration of writing that was initially rejected. It is also a celebration of marginalized communities who often feel rejected by mainstream society.

~ The Salon of the Refused

Refused writing: That is what we are talking about. What better way to present it than by having the actual authors read from rejected works.

Sometimes work is initially rejected for a variety of reasons. Maybe it is not the right fit for a certain publisher. Perhaps the subject matter holds unpopular views. It could be that more work needs to be done to the piece before it is ready to be accepted. There are as many reasons for writing to hit the slough pile, as books that line library and bookstore shelves. But the driving force behind the Salon of the Refused event, is to spotlight that writing—to give it another shot to see if maybe it is not so bad.

And I get to share some of my words there too.

Come out to hear myself and other local London writers read from works that initially got passed over. You just might find your new favourite author!