The Red House Chronicles

How Jessica Young Turned Her Passion for Dialogue into a Purpose-Driven Venture

COURTESY OF RED HOUSE CHRONICLES

By QUINN PROPST
Ward Media Staff Reporter

Near Poulsbo, tucked among trees and gardens cultivated over two decades, Jessica Young is quietly fostering connection—one meal, one book, and one honest conversation at a time.

Near Poulsbo at the Red House, nestled among the trees and lush gardens cultivated over two decades, Jessica Young is bringing people together around the table one meal, one book and one discussion at a time.

Her venture, The Red House Chronicles, is not your typical business. It’s a carefully crafted space where literature becomes a bridge between people of different backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives.

Young and her husband, who also run a local plumbing business, purchased the Red House property in 2003 when they were expecting their first child. At the time, it was densely wooded, undeveloped land. Over the years, with help from friends and family, they cleared space, planted gardens, and built first a garage apartment, then the home they live in today.

After more than two decades of care, the property has become a warm and welcoming haven—an extension of Young’s mission to create space for reflection, connection, and meaningful dialogue.

Young launched Reading at the Red House about two years ago, after completing an eight-year journey toward a master’s degree in Theology. 

“As I came to the end (of the program), I was thinking about how am I going to use this, what am I going to do with this,” she said. “I started to just think about who I am and what I want to do.”

She brainstormed with friends and worked with a coach to think about her life priorities and goals.

What came up was her love of community and discussions that can bring people together who might not see the world in the same way.

“I started to realize what some of my life priorities and goals are,” she said. “A couple of those are community and the ideas of round table discussions and bringing people together from different avenues and different religious backgrounds and political backgrounds and whatever, but to bring them all to the same table to talk about topics even when they disagree, and really fostering that idea of community around topics that we all disagree on.”

Bringing people together who might disagree for discussions was one of the biggest takeaways from her masters program. The program brought together people from different denominations to learn together.

“There were many different denominations, and I loved that we could all sit in the same classroom, learning the same things, all coming from different backgrounds, and we could do it in a cordial, respectable way, and it almost made us respect each other more, learning where we come from and what we believe in,” she said.

Young also loves literature and how it can bring people together to discuss topics and ideas that may be controversial or difficult. 

“Using the book as the go between allows us to talk about things that two people who think very differently from one another may not just start talking about an issue together, but if they have a piece of literature or a book, kind of in between them, they can talk about it in reference of the book, and it allows them to break down certain ideas,” she said.

Community is something that is very important to Young and when she began to think about creating the Red House Chronicles she thought about all the divisiveness that was going on at the time. 

“There is so much divisiveness in our world, and people coming up with reasons why we can’t talk to certain people, or we can’t be involved in certain things, or we can’t shop at certain stores, all this stuff that we can’t do because somebody thinks differently than us,” she said.

“There wasn’t really anything saying, ‘hey, what if we gather with people we disagree with’,” she said. “What if we commune and eat a meal around a table and talk with people that we disagree with?”

She noticed that everything was encouraging more separation, more animosity and disagreement. 

“I just really wanted to do my little part to try and get rid of that and not encourage it,” she said. “To me, community is how you do that, bringing people together around food and drink and music and books. I just want to be a piece of that, even though a small piece.”

So in 2023 Young’s membership book club Reading at the Red House was born.

Reading at the Red House offers a fresh and inviting take on the traditional book club experience. Designed as a membership-based series, it brings together a consistent group of women throughout the year for meaningful conversations, community building, and shared meals in a welcoming setting.

The season begins each September with a garden party dinner at host Jessica Young’s home, where the year’s curated book selections are announced. From October through early summer, members gather approximately every six weeks to discuss one of the six chosen books. The gatherings are more than just meetings—they’re carefully crafted events featuring custom cocktails, seasonal appetizers, a three- to four-course meal, and dessert, all made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Many of the dinners take place outdoors in Young’s thoughtfully cultivated gardens.

Membership includes all six books (which are mailed to each participant), access to seven themed dinners, a swag bag, and special discounts through partnerships with local bookstores. The club pauses during the holiday season and summer months to respect members’ busy schedules.

What makes Reading at the Red House unique is its focus on fostering authentic connection. Young intentionally creates a safe, inclusive space where women—many of whom may come from different backgrounds or perspectives—feel comfortable engaging in thoughtful, and sometimes difficult, conversations. The book serves as a starting point, allowing members to explore a range of topics through shared reading and respectful dialogue.

Due to the popularity of Reading at the Red House, spots fill quickly each year and often result in a waitlist. To offer a more accessible option, Young launched the Banned Books gathering—a monthly dinner and discussion group that doesn’t require a long-term membership. Like the original club, it includes a shared meal and drinks, but with added flexibility for those who want to participate without a season-long commitment.

Young has always been passionate about creating a space for people who think differently to come together, and she found that banned books aligned perfectly with that goal. 

The Red House Chronicles also offers a Storyteller Retreat for women. The day-long retreat offers a relaxed space for participants to reflect on how stories connect to their own experiences. Using simple writing exercises, thoughtful discussion, and grounding activities, the retreat encourages deeper engagement with both the books being read and the personal stories participants bring with them. 

It’s a chance to enjoy quiet reflection, connect with others, and explore storytelling in a meaningful but approachable way.

In 2024 Young had the opportunity to work with Cider Press Lane to host a Freedom Dinner. The dinner is like a potluck in the sense that everything is donated by the community from the food to the decor. It is a lovely garden party dinner, Young said.

All the proceeds from the ticket sales go to support Atlas Free, which is a nonprofit organization that fights human trafficking.

The dinner was a huge success and Young plans to host one every year at the Red House.

“That follows my idea of bringing people together, all different kinds of people from all different places, building community with one another, all to the benefit of, this organization,” she said. “But also just learning that we all have common desires, wants, hopes, wishes, you know, even though we’re all very different people.”

In September, Young is launching a new type of membership for a five event series that looks at the work of C.S. Lewis. The series will include a selection of the author’s work and will be different from other book clubs that she hosts in that it will be open to men as well.

Young views the new group as another opportunity to build community. 

“I really love the idea that we all have so much to learn from one another, and the more we subject ourselves to other people and people that grew up different than us, or live lives that are different than us, we just become more well rounded people.”