The concept of a literary salon may sound really outdated. You’re probably picturing old white men in powdered wigs discussing the classic literature of that century. However, they were actually gatherings of some of the greatest minds in literature, like Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Beauvoir. The literary salon is like a book club, but classy and intellectual, and is about curating a feeling just as much as it’s about the works themselves. If you’re already a lover of reading and this sounds like the hobby you’ve been searching for, then you may already be a “Prose Hoe” at heart.
Lifestyle TikTok influencer and author of I Didn’t Know I Needed This Eli Rallo is the creator of “Prose Hoes,” which she has so cheekily coined “a Literary Salon for Thought Daughters.” According to Rallo, the concept of a book club and the stereotypes of the people who attend book clubs “needed a face-lift.” Staying in and enjoying a book with a nice drink, or chatting with like-minded people over a classy dinner, is just as sexy and exciting as a night out on the town. The hottest girls you know are reading! This is the core of what “Prose Hoes” is meant to be.
The club is accessible to join via a Patreon subscription for just $5 per month to gain all content, or, if another monthly expense is not in the cards for you right now, the Instagram page posts edited versions. The Patreon includes the option to chat with other members organized by U.S region, which has enabled readers to plan in-person meet ups, or even just virtual book talks. You can also upgrade your subscription to receive a physical copy of the monthly book in the mail, courtesy of Books are Magic in NYC.
While virtual book clubs are nothing new, what makes “Prose Hoes” such a unique concept is the content Rallo, aka our devoted scribe, curates each month. She understands that reading is not only just an independent activity, but with time and dedication, it can be an experience for the senses and one to enjoy with others. If your interest has been piqued, here’s a peek into what you can look forward to each month.
Of course, the core of each month as a book club is what you’ll be reading! Rallo has already been choosing diverse and unique literary fiction novels that haven’t necessarily found popularity yet, like The Most Famous Girl in the World by Iman Hariri-Kia and Sirens & Muses by Antonia Angress. These two books were absolute hits for me, and so different from one another for the first selections of the club. Both novels are set in NYC, with TMFGW following a young journalist obsessed with framing an Anna Delvey-esque con artist for murder, and Sirens & Muses being a raw look into the art world of academia with a sapphic romance.
You can follow along with the weekly check-ins, or read at your own pace and interact with members as you go. Each month starts with general questions to consider while reading, as well as specific guided ones for each week of reading. If you’re a fan of Rallo, you know she’s a big promoter of daily journaling, so each week also provides a prompt to help you ruminate further on the themes in the book within your journaling practice.
Speaking of your experience outside of just reading, Rallo chooses a food and wine/cocktail pairing to be enjoyed alongside it. For Sirens & Muses Rallo wrote, “To coincide with this frank, complicated, rebellious coming of age story the author recommends we pair our reading with ‘The Artist’s Muse’— an elevated take on the classic ‘Pisco Sour.’” The paired meal was a parmesan truffle risotto— delicious! All recipes are linked each month if cooking and cocktails are your thing.
A monthly Spotify playlist provides the perfect soundtrack for reading, and my personal favorite membership perk is the podcast episode featuring that month’s author! This is a platform for Rallo to connect with her audience and provide exclusive content to members, but to also have in-depth conversations about the novels with the authors themselves! It’s not everyday that you get to hear about the writing process of an author whose book you just dove into.
There is much to look forward to in the world of “Prose Hoes,” and I’m excited to see what Rallo does and how the club grows from here. If you’ve been craving an experience to make the book you’re reading your whole personality, connect with other readers, or hold yourself accountable in reading for pleasure (which is harder than it sounds!), there’s no time like the present to become an honorary “Prose Hoe.”