Elaine's Literary Salon

About Elaine's Literary Salon

Bibliophiles will love this new show — live from the popular bistro Elaine's in Old Town, Alexandria VA. Our host is the restaurant's owner, Jeffrey James Higgins, a prolific author who is on a mission to help his fellow writers share their stories.

Publisher

Inkandescent Radio

Category

arts · true crime · tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

21 Jan 2025

Latest episode

28 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

83 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   28 Sept 2026

   S.J. Rozan is in the house! The architect turned award-winning author (of an Edgar, Anthony, Shamus, Nero, and the Macavity) is our featured interview this week at Elaine’s Literary Salon

   Meet the Author: S.J. Rozan was born and raised in the Bronx and is proud of it. She spent over 20 years as an architect in New York City and is kind of proud of that, too. Now she writes and teaches. She’s done 15 books in the Lydia Chin/Bill Smith series, two standalones, and two paranormals co-written with Carlos Dews under the name Sam Cabot. She’s also published eight dozen short stories and edited or co-edited three anthologies. In 2024, with THE MURDER OF MR. MA, SJ launched a new series co-written with John Shen Yen Nee. SJ’s work has won the Edgar, Anthony, Shamus, Nero, and Macavity Awards, and she’s a recipient of the Japanese Maltese Falcon. She’s served on the National Boards of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime and is a past President of the Private Eye Writers of America. She’s received Lifetime Achievement Awards from both Private Eye Writers of America and the Short Mystery Fiction Society. SJ has been Guest of Honor at Left Coast Crime, Toastmaster at Bouchercon, and an invited speaker at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland (2003). As if that weren’t enough, she has the key to the city of Fort Worth, Texas. Pre-order her newest novel — coming November 10, 2026 A Warning to the Curious (A Dee and Lao Mystery Book 3): A missing shipment of weapons for China and the murder of an aspiring scientist kick-start a madcap dash through the world of seances, prizefighting, cutting-edge technology, Holmesian cameos, and many disguises. London, 1924. Judge Cheng Gao Shang has been sent by Sun Yat Sen’s government to look into the death of Dee Ren Jie, the larger-than-life investigator who had kept the local Chinese community safe. But Dee isn’t dead; he’s hiding out with his friends Lao She and Sergeant Hoong while keeping a close eye on Cheng’s activities. Has Cheng actually come to London to track down a shipment of arms covertly sent from England, intended for Sun Yat Sen as he attempts to unify China? Judge Cheng’s daughter, Irene, is also in London, and the intrepid, intellectually curious young woman quickly falls in with some very interesting associates. But tragedy soon strikes—or is it something more sinister? To find out, Dee Ren Jie will have to rise from the dead in this action-packed kung fu caper, the third installment of the Anthony Award–winning Dee and Lao Mystery Series. Click here to buy all of S.J.’s books. About our Elaine’s Literary Salon Host, Jeffrey James Higgins: A retired supervisory special agent who writes thrillers, short stories, creative nonfiction, and essays, Jeff has wrestled a suicide bomber, fought the Taliban in combat, and chased terrorists across five continents. He received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Heroism and the DEA Award of Valor. Jeffrey has been interviewed by CNN, National Geographic, and The New York Times. Learn more: jeffreyjameshiggings.com Find more of Elaine’s Literary Salon events here. And check back for new episodes of Elaine’s Literary Salon on Inkandescent.tv and listen to all the podcasts on InkandescentRadio.com. Elaine’s Literary Salon is located at Elaine’s Restaurant, 208 Queen Street, Alexandria VA About Elaine’s Restaurant:  A menu filled with delicious modern Mediterranean cuisine selections is sure to please everyone in your party. The dishes are inspired by exquisite food from Alexandria, Egypt — a blend of Middle Eastern and French, Greek, and Italian influences. Elaine’s is named for the owner’s grandmother and is based on a promise she made at the age of 12, growing up in Cairo. “I promised my grandma I would someday own a restaurant and name it after her,” shares Cynthia, who is also an author. She and her husband, bestselling thriller novelist Jeffrey James Higgins, are proud to share my family’s recipes with new friends and families in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.” Located in an 1880s building

2. 

   16 Sept 2026

   What’s next for the 28-year-old ensemble QuinTango? Founder Joan Singer shares “The Story Tango Tells”

   Today on Elaine’s Literary Salon: Meet violinist Joan Singer, the founder and director of QuinTango. Managing the group combines Joan’s flair for storytelling and weakness for glitz with her love of music and travel. Before founding QuinTango, she played at Inaugural Balls, backed up Aretha Franklin and was a tenured member of the Baltimore Opera Orchestra. About QuinTango: For the last 28-years, performances have taken the group from a Command Performance at the White House to memorable concerts in 29 states and across 3 continents, at venues ranging from Stanford University and Lincoln Center Plaza to churches in Appalachia and Piccolo Spoleto in Charleston. Meet the musicians of QuinTango (left to right): Hai Jin, Joan Singer, Emmanuel Trifilio, Regino Madrid, and Ali Cook The ensemble has performed at international festivals in Costa Rica, Mexico, Uruguay and the Amalfi Coast—and toured in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Argentina and Uruguay. In 2019, the group expanded its repertoire to include original tangos and vocals, both made possible by the addition of new personnel. QuinTango’s commitment to education, community engagement, and global partnerships, coupled with their personal performance style, has built a devoted community of fans worldwide. With 90+tangos on Spotify and 8 CDs, QuinTango’s music streams 20K times a week on six continents.  QuinTango’s next album, VIDA, will be released in 2027. Get your tickets for the September 23 performance at Blues Alley for Argentinean Jazz Week: Blues Alley Hispanic Heritage Jazz Month Quintango is previewing its new album at Blues Alley, the premier jazz supper club in the country, which today is called a “listening room” Tickets are available at the Blues Alley website: InstantSeats, $35 Buy your tickets for the 7pm show Buy your tickets for 9:30pm show Coming in 2027: Quintango’s new album features music by ensemble members Emmanuel Trifilio and Ali Cook. The guest artist on the album, Mariana Quinteros, is a Latin Grammy-nominated artist from Argentina now living in Miami Bring QuinTango home: QuinTango’s music is available on all streaming platforms (Apple, Spotify, Pandora, etc) and can be purchased digitally at Bandcamp. Learn more about QuinTango andjoin its mailing list for alerts about new projects, overseas travel opportunities with the group, or upcoming concerts: quintango.com. Meet QuinTango’s musicians: Ali Cook, bass and vocals, is a multi-talented singer/songwriter, arranger, instrumentalist and teacher who is equally comfortable touring Europe as a bassist with the National Symphony or performing on 6th street in Austin with her band, Ali & the Wild Geese. She performs regularly with the Detroit Symphony and is on faculty at Opal Studio in Alexandria. Hai Jin, piano, is an active concert pianist, chamber musician, and orchestral soloist who has performed over 200 recitals throughout United States and Asia. Dr. Jin pursued her DMA at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in Piano Performance with a cognate area in Orchestral Conducting. She is on faculty at Peabody Conservatory in the Preparatory School. Joan Singer, violin, founder and director of QuinTango, combines her flair for storytelling and weakness for glitz with her love of music and travel. Before founding QuinTango, she played at Inaugural Balls, backed up Aretha Franklin and was a tenured member of the Baltimore Opera Orchestra. Regino Madrid, violin, is a member of the National symphony Orchestra, Sound Impact Collective and the Chiarina Chamber Players in DC, as well as concertmaster of The American Pops Orchestra. For twenty years he performed at the White House as a member of “The President’s Own,” the U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra. Emmanuel Trifilio, bandoneon, discovered a bandoneon in a second-hand shop in his native Argentina, launching his love affair with tango. He has performed at Carnegie

3. 

   1 Sept 2026

   If you and your team are struggling in the workplace, don’t miss this groundbreaking book by Dr. C. Victor Herbin III: “Organizational Arrogance: How Superiority Behaviors Become Cultural Arrogance – And What Every Leader Must Do to Stop It”

   Meet the Author: Dr. C. Victor Herbin III (aka: Dr. Vic) is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, leadership advisor, and the founder of Organizational Arrogance — a leadership development brand built on more than two decades of service at the highest levels of government and the military. Through books, assessments, and keynote programs, Dr. Herbin helps leaders see how a sense of superiority within leadership shapes behavior, decision-making, and culture. His programs equip leaders to recognize, diagnose, and interrupt these patterns before they become systemic. Learn more: bookdrvic.com About Organizational Arrogance: The most dangerous threat to your organization isn’t external. It’s cultural—and it already has a seat at your table. A concern gets brushed aside. A dissenting view is labeled “resistance.” A mistake becomes a reason to discredit rather than develop. Over time, superiority quietly replaces curiosity, and the best ideas in the room never reach the table. That culture has a name. Dr. C. Victor Herbin III gave it one. Drawing on more than two decades of military leadership—including three combat deployments, Pentagon service, and battalion command—and years of rigorous doctoral research at Regent University, Dr. Herbin delivers the first empirically validated framework for identifying, measuring, and reversing the quiet cultural pattern dismantling promising organizations across government and industry: Organizational Arrogance. Inside this field manual for modern leaders, you will discover: The ODD Framework — the three behavioral dimensions that define arrogant cultures: Overconfidence, Dismissiveness, and Disparagement The OA Cultural Escalation Model — a five-stage diagnostic revealing exactly how individual superiority hardens into cultural entrenchment The Organizational Arrogance Scale — the first validated instrument (Cronbach’s alpha .922) designed to measure the presence, frequency, and intensity of arrogant behaviors within organizational culture Practical interventions rooted in emotional intelligence, organizational humility, and behavioral discipline to interrupt arrogant patterns before they become irreversible This book will not tell you what you want to hear. It will tell you what your team already knows—and has stopped saying out loud. For the senior executive wondering whether the metrics are masking something deeper. For the middle manager who can feel the energy in the room has changed. For the HR leader, executive coach, board member, or organizational development consultant who has watched arrogant cultures dismantle great organizations from the inside out—Organizational Arrogance is the diagnosis, the framework, and the roadmap home. The only question is whether the leader holding this book is ready to do the work. Click here to buy Organizational Arrogance. About our Elaine’s Literary Salon Host, Jeffrey James Higgins: A retired supervisory special agent who writes thrillers, short stories, creative nonfiction, and essays, Jeff has wrestled a suicide bomber, fought the Taliban in combat, and chased terrorists across five continents. He received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Heroism and the DEA Award of Valor. Jeffrey has been interviewed by CNN, National Geographic, and The New York Times. Learn more: jeffreyjameshiggings.com Find more of Elaine’s Literary Salon events here. And check back for new episodes of Elaine’s Literary Salon on Inkandescent.tv and listen to all the podcasts on InkandescentRadio.com. Elaine’s Literary Salon is located at Elaine’s Restaurant, 208 Queen Street, Alexandria VA About Elaine’s Restaurant:  A menu filled with delicious modern Mediterranean cuisine selections is sure to please everyone in your party. The dishes are inspired by exquisite food from Alexandria, Egypt — a blend of Middle Eastern and French, Greek, and Italian influences. Elaine’s is named for the owner’s gr

Who has been a guest on Elaine's Literary Salon

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Jeffrey James Higgins
• John Gilstrap
• Rev Robert Flanagan
• Reverend Dr Robert D Flanagan
• Sarah DeBlock

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

476,461

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 56 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

77

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

0

Contact Elaine's Literary Salon

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Elaine's Literary Salon