Guest Librarian Guide

The Longest Night: a Special Collection™

Welcome to The Longest Night: a Special Collection™!

I’m so glad you’re considering joining me as a Guest Librarian for this winter edition of Special Collections.

Special Collections is a series of curated learning experiences designed to help participants explore one topic from many different perspectives. Rather than overwhelming people with endless content, each collection is carefully organized into themed days that invite curiosity, reflection, and discovery.

As the Head Librarian, my role is to guide attendees through the experience with short daily introductions that frame each day’s theme and connect the ideas they’re about to encounter. Your role as a Guest Librarian is to contribute your unique expertise to that shared collection.

The Longest Night explores the season of darkness and everything it has to teach us: rest, reflection, home, belonging, magic, wonder, and the slow return of the light.

To help everything run smoothly, this guide will walk you through:

• The theme of the collection
• The four daily collections
• What you’ll contribute
• Submission requirements
• Promotion expectations
• Sponsorship opportunities
• Timeline
• Values and boundaries
• How to apply

Let’s build something people will want to curl up with on a long winter night.

Collection Theme

The Longest Night is built around one central idea:

The dark isn’t something to get through. It has its own wisdom, its own magic, and it always turns toward the light.

We live in a culture that treats winter like an inconvenience and darkness like a problem to fix. Speed up, push through, get to the bright part. But the longest night of the year has been honored for thousands of years as something sacred: a time to slow down, gather close, tell stories by the fire, and trust that the light is on its way back.

This collection invites people to stop fighting the season and learn from it instead.

That means we can talk honestly about darkness, endings, and rest without starting from “here is everything that hurts.” We can make room for home and the people who hold us. We can find the mystery and the magic in the dark. And we can end the collection facing the returning light with hope that has actually been earned.

Whether your presentation focuses on spirituality, seasonal living, creativity, home, community, grief, rest, folklore, business, or personal growth, it should invite people into the season with curiosity rather than dread.

This isn’t a Christmas event.

You don’t need to mention any holiday at all. The Longest Night welcomes every tradition, and no tradition is required. It’s an experience built around the season itself: the dark, the hearth, the magic, and the light that follows.

The Four Daily Collections

Rather than organizing presentations by industry or experience level, The Longest Night is arranged into four themed collections. Together they move through the season: settling into winter, gathering at the hearth, finding the magic in the dark, and turning toward the returning light.

When you apply, you’ll be asked which day-collection you believe best fits your presentation. Final placement is decided during curation to create a balanced experience.

Day 1 — The Wisdom of Winter

Some things only grow in the dark.

The Wisdom of Winter is home to the lessons of the season itself. Cycles, slowing down, reflection, endings, darkness, and sacred rest. These presentations give people permission to stop, to let what’s finished be finished, and to listen to what the quiet has to say.

Possible topics include:

• Wintering and seasonal rest
• Natural cycles and seasonal living
• Slowing down
• Reflection and year-end review
• Endings and letting things end
• Grief and loss
• Darkness as a teacher
• Nature in winter
• Sacred rest
• Seasonal practices
• Recovering from burnout

Day 2 — Tending the Hearth

Keep the fire. Keep each other.

Tending the Hearth is about the people and places that hold us through the dark. Home, belonging, connection, chosen family, ancestors, food, ritual, hospitality, and community. This collection celebrates caring for ourselves and caring for each other.

Possible topics include:

• Home and hearth practices
• Belonging and connection
• Chosen family
• Honoring ancestors
• Food, recipes, and kitchen traditions
• Family and seasonal traditions
• Hospitality and gathering
• Community care
• Caregiving and caring for the caregiver
• Grieving together
• Creating sanctuary at home
• Self-care that actually cares

Day 3 — Making Magic in the Dark

Wonder lives where the light doesn’t reach.

Making Magic in the Dark is where darkness becomes mysterious rather than depressing. Divination, dreams, folklore, winter magic, creativity, candles, storytelling, and sacred darkness. These presentations teach a practice, a craft, or a story that is best done by candlelight.

Possible topics include:

• Tarot, oracle cards, and divination
• Dreams and dreamwork
• Winter folklore and mythology
• Winter magic and seasonal spellwork
• Candle magic
• Storytelling
• Creativity and creative practice
• Moon work
• Meditation and spiritual practices
• Sacred darkness
• Wonder and play

Day 4 — The Returning Light

Every longest night ends in morning.

The Returning Light faces forward. Hope, joy, renewal, intentions, beginnings, what we’re carrying forward, what we’re ready to leave behind, and preparing for the solstice. This collection closes the event by helping people step toward what’s next with clarity instead of pressure.

Possible topics include:

• Hope and renewal
• Joy
• Setting intentions
• New beginnings
• Releasing what we’re ready to leave behind
• What we’re carrying forward
• Solstice preparation and ritual
• Visioning the year ahead
• Planning the year ahead in life or business
• Rebuilding after a hard season
• Gratitude

What You’ll Contribute

Each Guest Librarian will submit two items.

1. One Video Presentation

Your presentation should be:

• Pre-recorded
• Between 10 and 30 minutes
• Educational
• Aligned with the collection theme

Your presentation does not need to be exclusive and does not need to be brand new. Previously recorded presentations are welcome, provided they fit the collection.

Think of your presentation as one candle in the window on the longest night.

It doesn’t need to light up the whole sky.

It simply needs to offer one meaningful perspective.

2. One Resource

Please include one resource attendees can access.

This may be either:

• A free lead magnet
• A paid digital product made available at no cost during the event

This resource should naturally connect with your presentation and provide a meaningful next step for attendees who want to continue learning. Attendees may not be asked for credit card information to redeem it.

Required Submission Materials

In addition to your presentation and resource, please submit:

• Your bio
• Professional headshot
• Product graphic
• Link to access your resource
• One website link of your choice (website, social media, or Skool community)

These materials are submitted through the Guest Librarian Submission Form after you’re accepted. The submission form is separate from the application.

What I’m Looking For

I’m looking for presentations that teach one clear topic while contributing to the overall experience of the season.

Presentations may include topics such as:

• Seasonal living
• Rest and slowing down
• Grief and endings
• Home and hospitality
• Ancestors and family traditions
• Community and belonging
• Food and kitchen traditions
• Divination
• Dreams
• Folklore and mythology
• Ritual and spiritual practice
• Creativity
• Storytelling
• Personal growth
• Business and leadership
• Wellness
• Hope and new beginnings

The key question is simple:

Would this presentation be good company on the longest night?

If the answer is yes, I’d love to consider it.

Presentation Guidelines

Please keep your presentation:

• Between 10 and 30 minutes
• Focused on one topic
• Educational
• Easy to follow
• Free from excessive promotion

You are welcome to introduce yourself briefly at the beginning of your presentation.

Please save detailed offers and calls to action for your resource page rather than your presentation itself.

The goal is to create an enjoyable learning experience where every Guest Librarian teaches first and sells second.

Event Format

The Longest Night is a four-day curated learning experience, December 14 to 17, 2026.

Each day explores a different part of the collection.

Presentations are hosted inside The Porch, my free Skool community. Attendees join The Porch to get in, and members get the free version of the collection automatically.

Presentations unlock at 9:00 AM Eastern and remain available until 9:00 AM Eastern the following day.

After that, they return to the archives.

There are no free replays.

Participants who purchase Continued Access will receive:

• Lifetime access to every presentation
• Extended access to all Guest Librarian resources through January 9, 2027

As a Guest Librarian, you’ll receive complimentary access to the complete collection.

What’s In It For You?

Joining Special Collections gives you the opportunity to:

Grow Your Audience. Introduce your work to new people through your presentation and resource.

Build Trust. Teaching allows attendees to experience your expertise before deciding to explore your work further.

Done-for-You Promotion. You’ll receive promotional graphics, email copy, and social media suggestions to make sharing the event simple.

Collaborative Networking. You’ll connect with a thoughtful group of Guest Librarians while contributing to a carefully curated learning experience.

Timeline

Application Deadline: Saturday, October 31, 2026

Acceptance Emails: Sent on a rolling basis, with all decisions by Monday, November 2, 2026

Presentation & Resource Submission Deadline: Friday, November 20, 2026

Promotion Materials Available: Monday, November 30, 2026

Please hold all promotion until: Friday, December 11, 2026

There is no waitlist period for this collection. Please don’t promote The Longest Night before December 11.

The Longest Night: a Special Collection™ December 14 to 17, 2026

Extended Resource Access Ends (Continued Access Purchasers): January 9, 2027

Please keep any coupon codes (use code NIGHT) available through 8:00 AM Eastern on January 10, 2027.

Affiliate Payouts: January 1, 2027

Please respect these deadlines so we can create the best possible experience for everyone.

Promotional Expectations

Special Collections is a collaborative event, and its success depends on all of us helping people discover it.

When you’re accepted as a Guest Librarian, you’ll choose one of two participation paths.

Promotion Path — Included

There is no participation fee.

Because this collection has no waitlist period, the promotion commitment is simpler than usual.

You commit to sending:

• At least one solo dedicated email to your own list during the Live Event (December 14 to 17, 2026)

You’ll receive ready-to-use email copy, graphics, and suggested messaging to make it easy.

Social posts, roundup mentions, and footer mentions are appreciated and encouraged, but they do not replace the solo email.

Affiliate-link activity is used to confirm participation.

Contribution Path — $20

If you’ll be in the middle of your own launch, taking a planned break from your business, or know you won’t be able to send a solo email during the live event, you may choose the Contribution Path instead.

Your $20 contribution helps offset the costs of hosting Special Collections and replaces the email commitment.

You’ll still receive all the same benefits as every other Guest Librarian, including affiliate commissions, networking opportunities, and exposure through the event.

You can make yourContribution Path payment

Why Two Paths?

Every business has busy seasons, and December is busier than most.

Rather than asking Guest Librarians to promote when it isn’t realistic, I’d rather offer two equally valid ways to contribute to the success of the collection.

Whichever path you choose, I’m grateful you’re helping build this collection.

Affiliate Program

All Guest Librarians must be accepted into my affiliate program so you can earn commissions and track your promotion.

If you’re not already in the program, you’ll receive an invitation after acceptance. Please accept it before promotion materials go out.

Affiliate payouts go to the PayPal email you provide on your submission form.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Want additional visibility throughout the event?

Consider becoming a sponsor.

Cover Sponsor — $97

Only 4 available.

Our highest-visibility sponsorship includes premium placement and additional promotional opportunities throughout the collection.

Bookmark Sponsor — $47

An affordable way to receive additional visibility while supporting the success of the event.

Sponsorship Benefits

Sponsor spaces are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Values, Boundaries, and Fit

This event is curated with intention.

I want partnerships with people who are respectful, thoughtful, and willing to show up for the collaboration, not just take space.

This section explains what that means, so nobody is surprised later.

Promotion + Participation

If you’ve joined one of my past events and chose not to promote, please sit this one out.

You won’t be approved.

That’s not punishment. It’s about fairness to the people who actually participate and help the event succeed.

Values Alignment

I approve contributors based not only on the product, but also on values.

I reserve the right to decline submissions that feel out of alignment with the tone and integrity of this event.

That includes:

• fear-based or shame-driven marketing
• manipulative hype or exaggerated claims
• content that harms, misleads, or preys on insecurity
• anything that disrespects people’s bodies, beliefs, or lived experiences

This is a collaborative, ethical space. Not a hustle pit.

Diet Culture + Body Respect

Health content is welcome.

Diet culture is not.

I will not approve products that suggest:

• weight loss is necessary for health
• thinner automatically equals better
• worth, success, or spirituality are tied to body size

Wellness is not conditional on shrinking yourself.

Religious + Spiritual Inclusivity

I welcome Guest Librarians of many backgrounds and belief systems.

And I want to be upfront about something essential:

I am Jewish.

I am also witchy.

Both are part of my work and my worldview.

If someone is not comfortable collaborating with a Jewish, witchy host, this is not the right space. Please don’t apply.

Applying here means you are okay with who I am and the environment I’m cultivating. I don’t negotiate that.

You can read more about my values here.

If You’re Unsure

If something here feels unclear, ask first.

I’m happy to answer honest questions.

But I won’t debate my values, defend my identity, or justify why these boundaries exist.

If you’re aligned, collaborative, and excited to be part of something thoughtful, I would love to review your application.

Application Process

All Special Collections events use a two-step process with two separate forms.

1. Complete the application form. It asks for your presentation, your preferred day-collection, and your planned participation path.
2. If accepted, you’ll receive your agreement to sign, an affiliate program invitation if you’re not already in it, and the submission form for your presentation, resource, required materials, and PayPal email for affiliate payouts, due by November 20, 2026.

Applications are reviewed for:

• Content fit
• Alignment with the collection
• Overall values and collaboration fit

If your presentation belongs somewhere in the long winter night, whether that’s resting in the dark, gathering at the hearth, making a little magic, or turning toward the light, I’d love to review your application.

Applications close Saturday, October 31, 2026.

I can’t wait to keep the light on with you.