The American Library in Paris

An Opera Masterclass with Cultural Fellows Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek
2024-03-16 15:00 - 17:00 (Europe/Paris) | The American Library in Paris
Join Grammy-nominated composer Missy Mazzoli and Pulitzer Prize-winning librettist Royce Vavrek for a one-day masterclass exploring theatrical writing for the voice.
Participants will share musical and text excerpts with the group and have the chance to receive feedback from two of New York City’s most celebrated opera and musical theater creators. All artists working in contemporary opera, musical theater, art song, and performance art are welcome to apply.

Composers should submit a score (if applicable) and/or documentation of one or two works that include voice. Audio files, video, youtube and Soundcloud links accepted.
Lyricists and Librettisits should submit up to 10 pages of a libretto, or a collection of up to five stand-alone lyrics.

Requirements:

Open to all ages and experience levels
Class will be conducted in English

Advance application is required. Please submit an application by filling out the form at the bottom of this page. The deadline for applications is 15 March 2024. About the artists:
Grammy-nominated composer Missy Mazzoli was deemed “one of the more consistently intentive, surprising composers now working in New York” (The New York Times) and “Brooklyn’s post-millennial Mozart” (Time Out New York). Mazzoli was the Mead Composer-in-Residence at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 2018-2021, and from 2015-2018 she was the Composer-in-Residence with Opera Philadelphia. Mazzoli’s music has been performed internationally by Kronos Quartet, Norwegian National Opera, eighth blackbird, pianist Emanual Ax, Opera Philadelphia, LA Opera, New York City Opera, the Detroit Symphony, the LA Philharmonic, the American Composers Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, JACK Quartet, cellist Maya Beiser, violinist Jennifer Koh, Dublin’s Crash Ensemble, the Sydney Symphony, and many others. In 2018 she made history as one of the first two women to be commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera.
Royce Vavrek is an Alberta-born librettist and lyricist who has been called “the indie Hofmannsthal” (The New Yorker) and “one of the most celebrated and sought after librettists in the world” (CBC Radio). His opera “Angel’s Bone” with composer Du Yun was awarded the 2017 Pulitzer Prize. Upcoming commissions include “Agnes” for Icelandic Opera (with Daníel Bjarnason),“Lincoln in the Bardo” for The Metropolitan Opera (with Missy Mazzoli), “Fanny andAlexander” for La Monnaie (with Mikael Karlsson), “Indians on Vacation” for EdmontonOpera/Against the Grain (with Ian Cusson) and “My Family // Cambodia, 1975” (with Vivian Fung) supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.
Reverberations:
In March, the Library is delighted to be hosting Reverberations: Literature Out Loud, a festival spotlighting innovations in the arts. In a series of concerts, conversations, and workshops, artists and authors are coming together to celebrate the history of storytelling and sound. Learn more about the festival and discover other events.
Reverberations is organized in partnership with the Opéra Comique and with the generous support of Festival Napa Valley, the American Center for Arts and Culture, and the Florence Gould Foundation. Important information:
Advance application is required. Please submit your applications by 9 March 2024.

(Hybrid) Selby Wynn Schwartz on The Female Khoros
2024-03-19 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
What if women’s lives and relationships were at the center of history? What kinds of stories would we have access to – stories of love between women and of female subjectivity – if our historical record were not dominated by male voices?
In her debut novel, After Sappho, Selby Wynn Schwartz recovers biographical fragments about queer feminist women from history and weaves them together with imagined details. Schwartz breathes life into the stories of these writers, philosophers, and artists, melding their voices together to create a kaleidoscope of women’s experience. Much of the book is written in the voice of a collective, female “we” – what one NPR reviewer calls “the first person choral.” Join us at the Library for a conversation with Schwartz about women’s history, Sapphic lineage, and After Sappho’s genre-bending fusion of fiction and biography.
About the speaker:
Selby Wynn Schwartz is the author of After Sappho (Galley Beggar Press), which was longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize and shortlisted for both the 2023 Orwell Prize in Political Fiction and the 2023 James Tait Black Prize in Fiction. Her novella A Life in Chameleons received the 2021 Reflex Press Novella Award; in summer 2024, she will be a Fellow at the Maison Dora Maar in Ménerbes. She holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley.
Reverberations:
In March, the Library is delighted to be hosting Reverberations: Literature Out Loud, a festival spotlighting innovations in the arts. In a series of concerts, conversations, and workshops, artists and authors are coming together to celebrate the history of storytelling and sound. Learn more about the festival and discover other events.
Reverberations is organized in partnership with the Opéra Comique and with the generous support of Festival Napa Valley, the American Center for Arts and Culture, and the Florence Gould Foundation. Learn more:
A New York Times review of After Sappho describes Schwartz’s project as “erudite and chatty, grounded in scholarship yet freed from any masculinist impulse for certainty or linear cohesion.” Read the review here.
Be sure to check out an excerpt from After Sappho before the event! Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (the speaker will appear in the Reading Room), the Library will stream the conversation on Zoom for a live viewing experience. Both in-person and online attendees will be able to pose questions.
Please note, clocks moved forward in the US on 10 March, but do not move forward in France until 31 March: If you are attending a virtual or hybrid program from a US time zone, the time difference will be one hour less between 10 March and 31 March, and will return to normal on 31 March.
Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes. Read along with the Library! If you want to prepare ahead of this event, copies of After Sappho will be on sale one week in advance, as well as after the event. Stop by Member Services to purchase your copy. Books are generously provided by Smith&Son.
Attendees will have the opportunity to have their copy signed following the conversation.
Evenings with an Author are free and open to the public (with a 10€ suggested donation)
thanks to the generous support of Gregory Annenberg Weingarten of GRoW @ Annenberg.

Story Hour: Feelings (ages 3–5)
2024-03-20 14:30 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
For this Story Hour, we’ll read stories about emotions such as Jenny Mei is Sad by Tracy Subisak (pictured here), as well as songs and rhymes. Sometimes children have a hard time understanding and expressing their feelings, but there are a lot of children’s books to start discussions about feelings. Use the Library’s online catalog and do a subject search for “emotions juvenile fiction” to find more stories about emotions. This activity is entirely in English, and no translation will be provided.
This participatory program is intended to encourage children to actively engage with stories. This Story Hour will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager Celeste Rhoads and Children’s and Teens’ Services Intern Amber Auer. They will read books and lead you and your little one in songs and hand-rhymes during a live, interactive session. Plan to join in, sing along, move around, and model movement and listening for your little one. We ask that all caregivers put away their phones and other electronic devices for the duration of this program. With your help, we hope to foster a lifelong love of reading in children!
Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Caregivers are expected to familiarize themselves with the Library Policy for Children and the Rules and Code of Conduct so that we can provide a pleasant library environment for all patrons. Questions about collections and programs for children and teens can be sent to the Library’s Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

(Hybrid) The State of the Arts with Missy Mazzoli, Royce Vavrek, and Nia Franklin
2024-03-20 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Join Cultural Fellows Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek in conversation with Composer-in-Residence Nia Franklin as they consider art in, about, and for the twenty-first century. In this exclusive roundtable bringing together three major figures of the new artistic generation, we will consider the ongoing vitality of art, and the challenges artists, and art institutions, face. They will examine the performing arts in dialogue with contemporary writing, the socio-political stakes of artistic practice, the role of the artist in relation to modernity, and the capacity of art to give shape to the future.
About the speakers:
Nia Imani Franklin is a composer and singer whose music has been performed by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Friction Quartet, Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and many others. Previous Composer-in-Residence tenures include Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California and Festival Napa Valley where she was awarded the Darioush and Shahpar Khaledi Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Classical Music. Her 2021 project, “Extended”, featured an assortment of all-original RnB songs, and her orchestra piece, “Chrysalis Extended”, which has 3.7 million views on her TikTok profile.
Grammy-nominated composer Missy Mazzoli was deemed “one of the more consistently intentive, surprising composers now working in New York” (The New York Times) and “Brooklyn’s post-millennial Mozart” (Time Out New York). Mazzoli was the Mead Composer-in-Residence at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 2018-2021, and from 2015-2018 she was the Composer-in-Residence with Opera Philadelphia. Mazzoli’s music has been performed internationally by Kronos Quartet, Norwegian National Opera, eighth blackbird, pianist Emanual Ax, Opera Philadelphia, LA Opera, New York City Opera, the Detroit Symphony, the LA Philharmonic, the American Composers Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, JACK Quartet, cellist Maya Beiser, violinist Jennifer Koh, Dublin’s Crash Ensemble, the Sydney Symphony, and many others. In 2018 she made history as one of the first two women to be commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera.
Royce Vavrek is an Alberta-born librettist and lyricist who has been called “the indie Hofmannsthal” (The New Yorker) and “one of the most celebrated and sought after librettists in the world” (CBC Radio). His opera “Angel’s Bone” with composer Du Yun was awarded the 2017 Pulitzer Prize. Upcoming commissions include “Agnes” for Icelandic Opera (with Daníel Bjarnason),“Lincoln in the Bardo” for The Metropolitan Opera (with Missy Mazzoli), “Fanny andAlexander” for La Monnaie (with Mikael Karlsson), “Indians on Vacation” for EdmontonOpera/Against the Grain (with Ian Cusson) and “My Family // Cambodia, 1975” (with Vivian Fung) supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.
Reverberations:
In March, the Library is delighted to be hosting Reverberations: Literature Out Loud, a festival spotlighting innovations in the arts. In a series of concerts, conversations, and workshops, artists and authors are coming together to celebrate the history of storytelling and sound. Learn more about the festival and discover other events.
Reverberations is organized in partnership with the Opéra Comique and with the generous support of Festival Napa Valley, the American Center for Arts and Culture, and the Florence Gould Foundation. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (the speakers will appear in the Reading Room), the Library will stream the conversation on Zoom for a live viewing experience. Both in-person and online attendees will be able to pose questions.
Please note, clocks moved forward in the US on 10 March, but do not move forward in France until 31 March: If you are attending a virtual or hybrid program from a US time zone, the time difference will be one hour less between 10 March and 31 March, and will return to normal on 31 March.
Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes.
Evenings with an Author are free and open to the public (with a 10€ suggested donation)
thanks to the generous support of Gregory Annenberg Weingarten of GRoW @ Annenberg.

Toddler Time (ages 1–3)
2024-03-21 11:00 - 11:30 | The American Library in Paris
Stories featured during our Toddler Time programs include short picture books and board books, such as Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, illustrated by Lois Ehlert, which will be included in this 21 March event.
Our Toddler Time is for children ages 1–3 and their caregivers, and lasts 30 minutes. The program is entirely in English, as are all of our events for children and teens. No translation will be provided. This session will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager Celeste Rhoads. Each child must be accompanied by an adult chaperone, and chaperones are required to remain with their children for the duration of the program. Parents and caregivers are expected to sit with their children beside them, or in their laps, and participate in the program. Important information:
Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Caregivers are expected to familiarize themselves with the Library Policy for Children and the Rules and Code of Conduct so that we can provide a pleasant library environment for all patrons. Questions about collections and programs for children and teens can be sent to the Library’s Children and Teens Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

(Offsite Partner Event) Partner Event with the London Library: Utopia and the City
2024-03-21 20:00 - 21:00 | The London Library, 14 St James's Square, London, London, SW1Y 4LB, United Kingdom
Cities are sites of imagination, where ideas are born and tested, revolution bubbles under the surface and dreamers dream utopian dreams. In partnership with The London Library, explore the revolutionary histories of our respective cities with two acclaimed authors, Niall Kishtainy and Adam Thirlwell, whose latest books tell the stories of visionary pasts and fantastical futures.
In his new work of non-fiction, The Infinite City, Niall Kishtainy celebrates London as the capital of utopian thought. Taking us from the sixteenth century into COVID lockdowns, he draws us into the imaginative worlds of Thomas More, the Diggers, William Morris, Extinction Rebellion protestors and many others who drew might from the city around them and fought for their ideologies in an increasingly transforming world.
The Future, Future, Adam Thirlwell’s latest novel, begins with Celine in Paris in 1775. Forced to navigate a society ruled by men high on colonial genocide, natural destruction and crimes against women, she embarks on a mission to change the world, via the French revolution, the Haitian revolution, American independence, her own utopian dreams and into an extraplanetary future.
In conversation with Emilie Biggs of the American Library in Paris, they discuss utopian dreams and the city, revolutionary history and the future future.
About the speakers:
Niall Kishtainy started his working life in the British civil service, going on to work as a Middle East analyst and researcher, then as an economic adviser to development agencies in Ethiopia, Albania and the Palestinian Territories. After working as a journalist in Cairo, he studied economics as a graduate and began writing about the history of economic thinking and economic struggles of the past. He has given courses in economics and economic history at the London School of Economics and the University of Warwick. He is the author of A Little History of Economics, which has been sold in over twenty languages.
Adam Thirlwell is the author of three previous novels, Politics, The Escape and Lurid & Cute and a book of essays, Miss Herbert and his work has been translated into thirty languages. His essays appear in the New York Review of Books and the London Review of Books, and he is an advisory editor of the Paris Review. His awards include a Somerset Maugham Award and the E. M. Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters; in 2018 he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He has twice been selected by Granta as one of their Best of Young British Novelists.
Emilie Biggs is Programs Manager at the American Library in Paris. Currently completing her Master’s degree at the École Normale Supérieure, she specializes in 20th-century French philosophy.
Important information: This event will take place in person at The London Library and will be livestreamed. Please book your ticket through The London Library. For a free online ticket, use the code ALPonline at checkout.
The livestream will begin on YouTube from 8.30PM CET and will be available to watch live or at any time after the event, using the same link. Links will be sent out just before the event.
Access to this event requires registration through The London Library. Click on the button below to reserve your place.

Les Années Folles at La Coupole
2024-03-21 20:30 - 23:30 | La Coupole, 102 Boulevard du Montparnasse, Paris, 75014, France
Party like it’s the 1920s and immerse yourself in the rich literary history of the American Library in Paris with Les Annees Folles at La Coupole!
You’ll enter the iconic La Coupole dance hall in Paris’s 14th arrondissement and be transported back to the 1920s with a live jazz quartet, dancing, and entertainment. You’ll rub elbows with writers and historians specialized in the era’s literary history, and you’ll learn more about the Library’s storied relationships with Lost Generation writers and artists.
Entrance includes a 15-piece cocktail food menu, champagne, wine and beer. 1920s costumes highly encouraged!
Event is SOLD OUT!

History Tour: 1920s Edition
2024-03-22 11:00 - 12:00 | The American Library in Paris
Did you know that Gertrude Stein had a penchant for pulpy mystery novels? Or that Hemingway attempted to secure a job at the Library for his drinking buddy?
The American Library in Paris invites you to register for a 1920s-focused History Tour. Come visit us in person at 10 rue du Général Camou and discover:

Our origin story, when our Library warehoused a collection of books donated to the Doughboys fighting alongside Allied troupes in WWI
The establishment of the American Library in Paris as a private library
The famous writers of the Lost Generation (Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, Henry Miller, and more) who explored our stacks during their time in Paris
Our Paris Library School, which brought American innovations to French libraries in the 1920s

All tours are on Fridays at 11h00, last one hour, and take place in person at the American Library in Paris.
Tours are free of charge and open to the public. Pre-registration is required. Please email us if you are reserving for 4 or more people. (Do not reserve through the site.)
Please email tours@americanlibraryinparis.org with any questions.
This initiative is made possible through the generous support of the Florence Gould Foundation and the American Center for Art and Culture.
Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes.

Teen Night: Write Your Short Story with Amy Plum (ages 12–18)
2024-03-22 19:00 - 21:00 | The American Library in Paris
Begin your own original short story during this interactive writing workshop. Novels, and short stories are distinct art forms. Each has common elements, and we will discuss them and begin our own short stories together, with time to share for those who want feedback. The workshop includes Amy’s tips on how to write a story with credible characters, believable setting, and fully rounded plot in less than 1000 words.
About Amy Plum: Amy Plum is the author of Die for Me, an international bestselling Young Adult series set in Paris. Her books have been translated into thirteen languages. Her second series is a duology After the End and Until the Beginning, which she describes as “a faux-post-apocalyptic, road trip, adventure, romance, thriller with a bit of magic.” Her third series is the Dreamfall duology: Dreamfall and Neverwake. Amy grew up in Birmingham, Alabama before venturing further afield to Chicago, Paris, London and New York. An art historian by training, she can be found on most days either daydreaming or writing (or both) in a Parisian café. To find out more about Amy, and writing classes in Paris, visit her website. Important information:
This event is free for Library members, and 15€ per teen for non-members. Advance registration is required. All visitors are expected to familiarize themselves with the Library Policy for Children and the Rules and Code of Conduct so that we can provide a pleasant library environment for all patrons. After-hours events for teens, such as Teen Nights, require a signed permission slip, which can be downloaded here. One permission slip is needed per academic year (September–July).
Questions about collections and programs for children and teens can be sent to the Library’s Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

The Vocabulary of U.S. College Admissions with College Goals (ages 14–adult)
2024-03-23 14:00 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
Given the demands of the American university application process, students interested in pursuing higher education in the U.S. are well advised to begin preparing early in their high school career for its demands, perhaps even before they embark on their final two years of study toward the French bac or IB. In this presentation with guests from College Goals, teens and their parents will explore the application and admissions process for US colleges and universities and how best to prepare. What do families need to know for their students to be successful and satisfied by the university search and application process? How can students produce a strong and interesting U.S. university application? In the first of a series of presentations on aspects of the American college application process, College Goals’ counselor, Andrea van Niekerk will discuss the concepts, language, and protocols students need to be aware of if they hope to apply to US institutions.

About Andrea van Niekerk: Andrea served for a decade as Associate Director of Admission, with a focus on international applicants, and as Freshman Academic Adviser at Brown University, and as Residential Fellow in a dorm at Stanford. Still based in Silicon Valley, she now works with both American and international families as part of College Goals. Andrea has over 20 years of experience in college admission and academic advising. She is a member of NACAC, HECA and WACAC.
About College Goals: College Goals is a university admission consulting practice specializing in counseling families interested in higher education opportunities in the US and in English-medium universities around the world. The team of counselors collectively offers decades of professional experience in higher education. College Goals provides expert counsel and support throughout the college search and application process, including choice of appropriate institutions, test requirements, recommendations and interviews, essay writing, and the preparation of distinguished applications. Find out more at www.collegegoals.com
Important information:
This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. All visitors are expected to familiarize themselves with the Library Policy for Children and the Rules and Code of Conduct so that we can provide a pleasant library environment for all patrons.
Questions about collections and programs for children and teens can be sent to the Library’s Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

Music Together with Stacey Pavesi Debré (ages 0–5)
2024-03-23 16:00 - 17:00, 2024-04-06 11:00 - 12:00 | The American Library in Paris
Today, it’s common for us to simply listen to music rather than create it ourselves. But actively making music—with our voices and our bodies—is important to children’s overall development. Since 1987, Music Together, has introduced millions of children, parents, and teachers to the joys of music-making and the powerful benefits of having music in their lives. In our family workshops children and parents learn together through active exploration and live, meaningful interaction. So, take out the earbuds and pick up the instruments we were all given at birth—ourselves! Each child (aged 0–5) should accompany one of their favorite grownups.
About Stacey Pavesi Debré: An American in Paris since 2014, Stacey has been passionate about music and learning her whole life. She studied piano and string bass, joined choirs, orchestras, a capella groups and musical theaters, and worked as a vocalist in Japan and a singing bartender in NYC. In 2017, Stacey founded Bébé Music Box to bring Music Together’s award-winning music and movement classes to families and schools in Paris. Our weekly mixed-age family classes are a fun, dynamic, and inspiring way for families to connect through music. Plus, because music learning supports all learning, the benefits for our young music-makers extend well beyond class. For more information about Bébé Music Box family classes or to contact Stacey, visit www.bbmusicbox.com. To read more about music’s magical effects on children, visit www.musictogether.com. Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Caregivers are expected to familiarize themselves with the Library Policy for Children and the Rules and Code of Conduct so that we can provide a pleasant library environment for all patrons. Caregivers must remain with their children for the duration of this program. Questions about collections and programs for children and teens can be sent to the Library’s Children and Teens Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

(Offsite Partner Event) Opéra Comique: Voyage au pays de Maurice Ravel
2024-03-23 20:00 - 21:00
Ma Mère l’Oye, Chansons madécasses, Cinq mélodies populaires grecques, etc.

Direction musicale Louis Langrée • Artistes Académie de l’Opéra-Comique • Maîtrise Populaire de l’Opéra-Comique • Orchestre de chambre de Paris

Learn more about the event here.

Important information: This event will take place in person at the Opéra Comique, 1 Pl. Boieldieu, 75002 Paris.
Access to this event requires purchase of a ticket through Opéra Comique. Click on the button below to purchase your ticket with a special discounted rate.

(Hybrid) Patricia Lockwood, Writing Now: A Conversation
2024-03-26 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Patricia Lockwood is a poet, memoirist, and novelist, best known for her characteristic blend of internet-age humor and profound emotional depth. Her breakout memoir, Priestdaddy, swings playfully between the sacred and the profane in its depiction of Lockwood’s upbringing in a conservative Catholic household. Lockwood’s poetry pushes the boundaries of both content and form, showcasing her knack for capturing the zeitgeist of the digital age. Her novel No One Is Talking About This combines the ephemerality of social media with eternal themes like family, grief, and caretaking, and deftly manages literary form to achieve distinctive moods and emotional effects. Across her work, Lockwood writes with a sharp and refreshing voice, and proves herself adept at examining the absurdities of our time with wit, warmth, and a penetrating eye.
This event will be followed by a cocktail reception with light refreshments.
About the speaker:
Patricia Lockwood is the author of four books, including the 2021 novel “No One Is Talking About This,” an international bestseller, winner of the Dylan Thomas Prize, finalist for the Booker Prize, and translated into 30 languages. Her 2017 memoir “Priestdaddy” won the Thurber Prize for American Humor and was named one of the Guardian’s 100 best books of the 21st century. She also has two poetry collections, “Motherland Fatherland Homelandsexuals” (2014) and “Balloon Pop Outlaw Black” (2012). Lockwood’s work has appeared in the New York Times, the New Yorker, and the London Review of Books, where she is a contributing editor. She lives in Savannah, Georgia.
Reverberations:
In March, the Library is delighted to be hosting Reverberations: Literature Out Loud, a festival spotlighting innovations in the arts. In a series of concerts, conversations, and workshops, artists and authors are coming together to celebrate the history of storytelling and sound. Learn more about the festival and discover other events.
Reverberations is organized in partnership with the Opéra Comique and with the generous support of Festival Napa Valley, the American Center for Arts and Culture, and the Florence Gould Foundation. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (the speakers will appear in the Reading Room), the Library will stream the conversation on Zoom for a live viewing experience. Both in-person and online attendees will be able to pose questions.
Please note, clocks moved forward in the US on 10 March, but do not move forward in France until 31 March: If you are attending a virtual or hybrid program from a US time zone, the time difference will be one hour less between 10 March and 31 March, and will return to normal on 31 March.
Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes.
Evenings with an Author are free and open to the public (with a 10€ suggested donation)
thanks to the generous support of Gregory Annenberg Weingarten of GRoW @ Annenberg.

Story Hour: Spring Days (ages 3–5)
2024-03-27 14:30 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
When does spring begin? What signs will we see around us when spring comes around? For this Story Hour, we’ll read stories about springtime and the seasons such as And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E. Stead (pictured here). We’ll also sing songs and practice rhymes. Check out the Library’s collections of books about on the “Seasons” shelf in the Children’s Library—Early to find more stories about spring, summer, fall, and winter. This activity is entirely in English, and no translation will be provided.
This participatory program is intended to encourage children to actively engage with stories. This Story Hour will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager Celeste Rhoads and Children’s and Teens’ Services Intern Amber Auer. They will read books and lead you and your little one in songs and hand-rhymes during a live, interactive session. Plan to join in, sing along, move around, and model movement and listening for your little one. We ask that all caregivers put away their phones and other electronic devices for the duration of this program. With your help, we hope to inspire children to become lifelong readers!
Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Caregivers are expected to familiarize themselves with the Library Policy for Children and the Rules and Code of Conduct so that we can provide a pleasant library environment for all patrons. Questions about collections and programs for children and teens can be sent to the Library’s Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

(Hybrid) Seminar: In Three Lines (or less) with Patricia Lockwood
2024-03-27 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Join us for a conversation with Writer-in-Residence Patricia Lockwood on the internet’s effects on writing, and an interactive seminar to experiment with form and fragmentation.
Inspired by Patricia Lockwood’s work engaging with the internet and with the idea of ‘nowness,’ short-form internet writing and Felix Feneon’s Novels in Three Lines, join us for a conversation on the internet’s effects on writing and language. How does being online change one’s voice? How does the internet and its constraints and character limits affect language? Following the conversation, we’ll provide a series of prompts for audience members to write and respond to within a set character limit.
About the speaker:
Patricia Lockwood is the author of four books, including the 2021 novel “No One Is Talking About This,” an international bestseller, winner of the Dylan Thomas Prize, finalist for the Booker Prize, and translated into 30 languages. Her 2017 memoir “Priestdaddy” won the Thurber Prize for American Humor and was named one of the Guardian’s 100 best books of the 21st century. She also has two poetry collections, “Motherland Fatherland Homelandsexuals” (2014) and “Balloon Pop Outlaw Black” (2012). Lockwood’s work has appeared in the New York Times, the New Yorker, and the London Review of Books, where she is a contributing editor. She lives in Savannah, Georgia.
Reverberations:
In March, the Library is delighted to be hosting Reverberations: Literature Out Loud, a festival spotlighting innovations in the arts. In a series of concerts, conversations, and workshops, artists and authors are coming together to celebrate the history of storytelling and sound. Learn more about the festival and discover other events.
Reverberations is organized in partnership with the Opéra Comique and with the generous support of Festival Napa Valley, the American Center for Arts and Culture, and the Florence Gould Foundation. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (the speakers will appear in the Reading Room), the Library will stream the conversation on Zoom for a live viewing experience. Both in-person and online attendees will be able to pose questions.
Please note, clocks moved forward in the US on 10 March, but do not move forward in France until 31 March: If you are attending a virtual or hybrid program from a US time zone, the time difference will be one hour less between 10 March and 31 March, and will return to normal on 31 March.
Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes.
Evenings with an Author are free and open to the public (with a 10€ suggested donation)
thanks to the generous support of Gregory Annenberg Weingarten of GRoW @ Annenberg.

Teen Night: Music Trivia Tournament with Rock U. (ages 12–18)
2024-03-29 19:00 - 21:00 | The American Library in Paris
Join Matt Black, creator of Rock U., for a series of musical quizzes and games to test your musical knowledge. No need to be an expert at rock music to play—all teens are welcome: diehard music fans and those just looking to discover great music and great people.

About Matt Black: Matt Black has worked as an educator for more than 30 years, and gets big thrills as a guitarist and vocalist with beloved Paris party band The Doodads. In 2012, he searched Paris for a rock band program for his daughter—and when he couldn’t find one, he created Rock U. instead! Matt works with Rock U. students on the techniques of playing together to craft a live band performance. Learn more about Matt Black and Rock U. here.

Important information:
This event is free for Library members, and 15€ per teen for non-members. Advance registration is required. All visitors are expected to familiarize themselves with the Library Policy for Children and the Rules and Code of Conduct so that we can provide a pleasant library environment for all patrons. After-hours events for teens, such as Teen Nights, require a signed permission slip, which can be downloaded here. One permission slip is needed per academic year (September–July).
Questions about collections and programs for children and teens can be sent to the Library’s Children and Teens Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

Saturday Series: Word Wizards (ages 6–12)
2024-03-30 11:00 - 12:00 | The American Library in Paris
During this event, we’ll play grammar games together and explore new vocabulary words that will help you bring your writing to life!
Participants in this workshop will also receive information about the Library’s 2024 Young Authors Fiction Festival.
This event will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Intern Amber Auer with the help of Library volunteers. This activity is entirely in English, and no translation will be provided. All participants must be able to understand, speak, and write in English in order to participate in this program. Children between the ages 6–12 may participate in Library programs on their own, while their chaperone remains inside the Library.
Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Caregivers are expected to familiarize themselves with the Library Policy for Children and the Rules and Code of Conduct so that we can provide a pleasant library environment for all patrons. Questions about collections and programs for children and teens can be sent to the Library’s Children and Teens Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

(In Person Registration Full) (Hybrid) Plant-Based Paris: The Future of Vegan Cuisine with Amanda Bankert and David Lebovitz
2024-04-02 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Can you imagine macarons without eggs, or profiteroles without cream? Is it possible to create delicious French pâtisserie without using any animal byproducts?
In 2015, Amanda Bankert opened Boneshaker Donuts and Coffee in Paris, bringing her expert take on a sweet staple of American cuisine to a city already brimming with pastries. Bankert has since gained a reputation in Paris and beyond for her creative fusion of French and American baking. Her donuts, like the rest of her baking, are entirely vegan: Bankert draws from her judicious sweet tooth and her Le Cordon Bleu training to create mouth-watering, plant-based desserts without sacrificing an ounce of quality. Her new cookbook, Voila Vegan, experiments with a blend of French and American techniques and divulges 85 decadent vegan recipes.
American admirers of French cooking have long followed the work of David Lebovitz. Lebovitz is the best-selling author of cookbooks like My Paris Kitchen, Ready for Dessert, and The Sweet Life in Paris. His food writing has been featured in dozens of prominent publications, including Bon Appétit, Food + Wine, and The New York Times. He is also an enthusiastic supporter of Bankert’s work.
In this program, Bankert and Lebovitz will engage in conversation with one another, recounting their experiences as American chefs in Paris and exploring their thoughts on the future of vegan cuisine in France.
Want a taste before the event? We’ll be hosting a Boneshaker pop-up at the Library starting at 13h00 on April 2. Stop by to sample mini versions of the famous donuts, and purchase a copy of Voilà Vegan in advance. Only available while supplies last!
Please note that in-person registration to this event is now full. Online registration is still available.
About the speakers:
Amanda Bankert, an Irish-American pastry chef trained at Cordon Bleu Paris, is the founder of France’s first plant-based donut shop, Boneshaker Donuts & Coffee. She’s a two-time cookbook author: “Voilà Vegan” (Penguin Random House, 2023) and “Donuts, Café, and Good Vibes” (Hachette, France, 2023). Amanda champions veganism not as a restrictive diet, but as an inclusive, indulgent lifestyle that simply excludes animal products.
David Lebovitz spent nearly thirteen years in the kitchen at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, one of the original farm-to-table restaurants in America, beginning as a line cook in the café before moving to the pastry department. He was named one of the Top Five Pastry Chefs in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Chronicle and has been featured in Bon Appétit, Chocolatier, Food+Wine, Milk Street, Cook’s Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, Travel and Leisure, the New York Times, People, Saveur, Sunset, USA Today, and on CNN.
In 1999 David left the restaurant business to start writing cookbooks and launched a website (later, known as a blog) to coincide with the release of his first book, Room for Dessert. His blog, www.davidlebovitz.com is one of the most widely-read food blogs in the world, with nearly 2 million page views per month. He is the author of nine books, including My Paris Kitchen, with stories and recipes about life and cooking in Paris, and Drinking French, which was named the Best New Cocktail Book by the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation. Other books include The Great Book of Chocolate, The Perfect Scoop, Ready for Dessert, L’Appart, and The Sweet Life in Paris. The latter two are currently in development for a tv series.
David now has dual nationality, French and American, and writes a newsletter (davidlebovitz.substack.com), which is the #2 newsletter on the Substack platform.
Learn more:
Looking to do some research on Bankert before this program? Take a trip to Boneshaker Donuts and Coffee and try her donuts for yourself!
David Lebovitz has run a highly influential food blog, complete with recipes, food commentary, and reflections on the restaurant world of Paris, for almost twenty-five years. Check out the blog here.
Lebovitz has graciously appeared at the American Library in Paris twice before. You can watch recordings of his appearances here and here. Important information:
Please note that in-person registration to this event is now full. Online registration is still available.
The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (the speakers will appear in the Reading Room), the Library will stream the conversation on Zoom for a live viewing experience. Both in-person and online attendees will be able to pose questions.
Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes. Want a taste before the event? We’ll be hosting a Boneshaker pop-up at the Library starting at 13h00 on April 2. Stop by to sample mini versions of the famous donuts, and purchase a copy of Voilà Vegan in advance. Only available while supplies last! Donuts generously provided by Boneshaker and books by Smith&Son.
Attendees will have the opportunity to have their copy signed following the conversation.
Evenings with an Author are free and open to the public (with a 10€ suggested donation)
thanks to the generous support of Gregory Annenberg Weingarten of GRoW @ Annenberg.

Story Hour: What Do Artists Do? (ages 3–5)
2024-04-03 14:30 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
For this Story Hour, we’ll read stories—both factual and fictional!—about artists, such as Frida by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Ana Juan (pictured here). We’ll also sing songs and practice rhymes. This activity is entirely in English, and no translation will be provided.
This participatory program is intended to encourage children to actively engage with stories. This Story Hour will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager Celeste Rhoads and Children’s and Teens’ Services Intern Amber Auer. They will read books and lead you and your little one in songs and hand-rhymes during a live, interactive session. Plan to join in, sing along, move around, and model movement and listening for your little one. We ask that all caregivers put away their phones and other electronic devices for the duration of this program. With your help, we hope to inspire children to become lifelong readers!
Check out the Library’s collections of books about authors, illustrators, painters, sculptors, and more in the Early Biographies collection in the Children’s Library.
Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Caregivers are expected to familiarize themselves with the Library Policy for Children and the Rules and Code of Conduct so that we can provide a pleasant library environment for all patrons. Questions about collections and programs for children and teens can be sent to the Library’s Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

(Hybrid) The International Library: Brown Diaspora with Moon Charania
2024-04-03 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Moon Charania is a writer and cultural scholar whose work stands at the intersectionality of race, gender, and diasporic studies. In her new book, Archive of Tongues (2023), Charania weaves together the personal and the theoretical, using her own mother’s life as a prism to refract upon the broader experiences of brown women around the world. Her work examines histories of migration, dispossession, violence, and sexuality, offering a fresh perspective on rhythms of everyday life for marginalized women. At its heart, Archive of Tongues not only uncovers the hidden archives of brown mothers’ lives, but also invites us to reconsider the foundational assumptions of feminist, queer, and postcolonial studies.
Charania will appear in conversation with Sandeep Bakshi, Associate Professor of Decolonial, Postcolonial and Queer Studies at University Paris Cité.
About the speakers:
Moon Charania is an Associate Professor of International Studies and Comparative Women’s Studies at Spelman College. Dr. Charania is a feminist theorist whose research explores the psychosocial dimensions of the lives of women of color – she investigates social, political, and intimate issues in relation to violence and care, gender and sexuality, racism, and the diasporic experience. She is the author of two books, Archive of Tongues: An Intimate History of Brownness (Duke University Press, 2023) and Will the Real Pakistani Woman Please Stand Up: Empire, Visual Culture, and the Brown Female Body (McFarland 2015). Charania is also the recipient of a number of awards and fellowships, including the Anschutz Distinguished Fellow in American Studies at Princeton University (2024), a Fulbright Specialist Appointee (2023), Emory University Psychoanalytic Society (2023), a Fellow at Emory University James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference (2018). She is beginning a new book project on brownness and femicide.
Sandeep Bakshi researches on transnational queer and decolonial enunciation of knowledges. He received his PhD from the School of English, University of Leicester, UK, and is currently employed as an Associate Professor of Decolonial, Postcolonial and Queer Studies at University Paris Cité. He coordinates two research seminars, “Peripheral Knowledges” and “Empires, Souths, Sexualities,” and leads the Pôle Société Civile of the Cité du Genre Institute, Université Paris Cité. Co-editor of Decolonizing Sexualities: Transnational Perspectives, Critical Interventions (Oxford: Counterpress, 2016), ‘Decolonial Trajectories’, special issue of Interventions(2020), and Qu’est-ce que l’Intersectionnalité? Dominations plurielles : sexe, classe et race (2021), he has published on queer and race problematics in postcolonial literatures and cultures. He is the co-founder and serves on the board of the Decolonizing Sexualities Network (https://decolonizingsexualities.org).
About the International Library series:
This conversation is part of the International Library, a new series launched in collaboration with the Center for Fiction in Brooklyn and the Center for the Art of Translation in San Francisco which will offer conversations across time, place, and language.
The International Library celebrates the live diffusion of in-person conversations in the hope of connecting new audiences across land and sea for a collective, intercultural experience. These conversations will broach deeper questions about writing and translation as we learn to think critically about how stories are told, investigating the points of view, the timing of the translations, and the intended or assumed audiences as well as inspiration, philosophy, and craft. Learn more:
While she was completing the research and writing of her own book on brown maternal diaspora, Moon Charania wrote a review José Esteban Muñoz’s book The Sense of Brown. The review introduces some of the key themes and concepts of Charania’s work (including diasporic experience, brownness, and maternity). Read the review here. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (the speakers will appear in the Reading Room), the Library will stream the conversation on Zoom for a live viewing experience. Both in-person and online attendees will be able to pose questions.
This conversation will be livestreamed at the Center for the Art of Translation and the Center for Fiction as part of the International Library series.
Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes.
Evenings with an Author are free and open to the public (with a 10€ suggested donation)
thanks to the generous support of Gregory Annenberg Weingarten of GRoW @ Annenberg.

Toddler Time (ages 1–3)
2024-04-04 11:00 - 11:30 | The American Library in Paris
Our Toddler Time is for children ages 1–3 and their caregivers, and features 30 minutes of stories, songs, and rhymes. Stories featured during our Toddler Time programs include short picture books and board books, such as First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger which will be included in this 4 April event. This session will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager Celeste Rhoads.
The program is entirely in English, as are all of our events for children and teens. No translation will be provided. Each child must be accompanied by an adult chaperone, and chaperones are required to remain with their children for the duration of the program. Parents and caregivers are expected to sit with their children beside them, or in their laps, and participate in the program. We ask that all caregivers put away their phones and other electronic devices for the duration of this program. With your help, we hope to inspire children to become lifelong readers! Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Caregivers are expected to familiarize themselves with the Library Policy for Children and the Rules and Code of Conduct so that we can provide a pleasant library environment for all patrons. Questions about collections and programs for children and teens can be sent to the Library’s Children and Teens Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

Critical Conversations Meeting Six: Online Stupidity, Why Conversations Fail at Scale
2024-04-04 19:00 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
The problems of our century demand collective intelligence, and yet the rise of social media seems to bring nothing but collective stupidity. Why do social media apps and online forums seem to bring out our most extreme, gullible or trivial qualities? Could we redesign them to turn “groupthink” into large-scale, participatory problem-solving?
Readings to prepare:

“What is Groupthink?” (video)
“The Abilene Paradox” (video, see 06.14 – 10.14)

Some details: Whether in France or America, debate is central to healthy democracy. Critical Conversations encourages both disagreement and agreement through thinking, talking, reading, and actively participating in community. Since the series’ inception in 2020, we have tackled race in America, the climate crisis, migration, and technology. Across seasons, participants have challenged themselves, their peers, and the world in which we live.
Please note, this event and all event in the Critical Conversations series require advance registration and payment. Please register here by filling out the form at the bottom of the page.
Please write to programs@americanlibraryinparis.org with any questions or thoughts.
About Critical Conversations: Whether in France or America, debate is central to healthy democracy. Critical Conversations encourages both disagreement and agreement through thinking, talking, reading, and actively participating in community. Since the series’ inception in 2020, we have tackled race in America, the climate crisis, and migration. Across seasons, participants have challenged themselves, their peers, and the world in which we live.
About the Critical Conversations 2023-24 leaders:
Prof. Lex Paulson is Executive Director of the UM6P School of Collective Intelligence (Morocco) and lectures in advocacy at Sciences Po-Paris. Trained in classics and community organizing, he served as mobilization strategist for the campaigns of Barack Obama in 2008 and Emmanuel Macron in 2017. He served as legislative counsel in the 111th U.S. Congress (2009-2011), organized on six U.S. presidential campaigns, and has worked to advance democratic innovation at the European Commission and in India, Tunisia, Egypt, Uganda, Senegal, Czech Republic and Ukraine. He is author of Cicero and the People’s Will: Philosophy and Power at the End of the Roman Republic, from Cambridge University Press, and is co-editor of the Routledge Handbook of Collective Intelligence for Democracy and Governance.
Prof. Mark Klein is a Principal Research Scientist at the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence, serves as a professor and Senior Scientific Advisor at the UM6P School of Collective Intelligence, and Chief Scientist at HiveWise Inc, a startup in the collective intelligence space. His research draws from such fields as artificial intelligence, social computing, economics, operations research, and complexity science to develop and evaluate computer technologies that enable greater ‘collective intelligence’ in large groups faced with complex decisions. He has over 180 publications in these areas, and has served on the editorial boards of many prominent journals and conferences related to AI and social computing.
Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes.

(Hybrid) Charles Trueheart presents Diplomats at War
2024-04-04 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
For many in the American Library in Paris community, Charles Trueheart requires no introduction. Trueheart was the Director of the American Library from 2007 to 2017, during which time he oversaw remarkable growth and evolution at our beloved institution. He continues his service to the American Library as a member of the Board of Trustees.
Trueheart has recently published a memoir about his family’s involvement in American political history, specifically the Vietnam War. His godfather was Frederick “Fritz” Nolting, the US ambassador to South Vietnam from 1961 to 1963, and his father was William Trueheart, Nolting’s second-in-command. Nolting and William Trueheart were close friends for many years, but their friendship was torn apart by the war that went on to traumatize the populations of both the US and Vietnam for generations. In Diplomats at War, Trueheart draws from personal memory, family records, and his decades of experience as a political reporter to contemplate the breakdown of a friendship alongside the story of the US’s involvement in Vietnam.
About the speaker:
Charles Trueheart was director of the American Library in Paris from 2007 to 2017. Most of his earlier career was in journalism, including fifteen years at the Washington Post, first covering book publishing and literary topics, then as a correspondent in Canada and France. Before joining the Post, Trueheart was associate director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University and director of the Kennedy School of Government’s Public Affairs Forum. His writing has appeared in the Atlantic Monthly and the American Scholar, where he is a contributing editor. His book on Vietnam during the Kennedy years, Diplomats at War, was released in February 2024. Trueheart was educated at Exeter and Amherst. He and his wife, Anne Swardson, live in Paris and Staunton, Virginia. Learn more:
You can read excerpts from Diplomats at War here.
Trueheart is a contributing editor for the American Scholar. You can find his recent writing for the American Scholar here. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (the speaker will appear in the Reading Room), the Library will stream the conversation on Zoom for a live viewing experience. Both in-person and online attendees will be able to pose questions.
Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes. Read along with the Library! If you want to prepare ahead of this event, copies of Diplomats at War will be on sale one week in advance, as well as after the event. Stop by Member Services to purchase your copy. Books are generously provided by Smith&Son.
Attendees will have the opportunity to have their copy signed following the conversation.
Evenings with an Author are free and open to the public (with a 10€ suggested donation)
thanks to the generous support of Gregory Annenberg Weingarten of GRoW @ Annenberg.

History Tour at the Library
2024-04-05 11:00 | The American Library in Paris
The American Library in Paris invites you to register for a History Tour. Come visit us in person at 10 rue du Général Camou and discover:

Our origin story, when our Library warehoused a collection of books donated to the Doughboys fighting alongside Allied troupes in WWI
The establishment of the American Library in Paris as a private library
The famous writers of the Lost Generation (Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, Henry Miller, and more) who explored our stacks during their time in Paris
Our Paris Library School, which brought American innovations to French libraries in the 1920s
The true stories of the brave Librarians who kept the Library open during the Occupation of WWII
How the Library has evolved over its 103-year history into the largest English-language lending library on the European continent

All tours are on Fridays at 11h00, last one hour, and take place in person at the American Library in Paris.
Tours are free of charge and open to the public. Pre-registration is required. Please email us if you are reserving for 4 or more people. (Do not reserve through the site.)
Please email tours@americanlibraryinparis.org with any questions.
This initiative is made possible through the generous support of the Florence Gould Foundation and the American Center for Art and Culture.
Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes.

Focus on Paris: Creating Zines (ages 12–18)
2024-04-06 16:00 - 17:30 | The American Library in Paris
Meet other writers in the community and explore all aspects of creating a zine (a handmade magazine) as you create a DIY zine focused on highlighting the best of the city. Children’s and Teens’ Services Intern Amber Auer will host this event. Important information:
This event is free for Library members, and 15€ per teen for non-members. Advance registration is required. All visitors are expected to familiarize themselves with the Library Policy for Children and the Rules and Code of Conduct so that we can provide a pleasant library environment for all patrons.
Questions about collections and programs for children and teens can be sent to the Library’s Children and Teens Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

(Hybrid) Heroines and Historical Fiction with Katherine J. Chen
2024-04-09 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
In her new book Joan, Katherine J. Chen reimagines the life of the legendary Joan of Arc, infusing the historical narrative with a fresh, contemporary voice. Chen delves into the complexities of Joan’s character, presenting her not just as a martyr and saint, but as a flesh-and-blood young woman with fears, ambitions, and a formidable sense of purpose. Combining meticulous research with imaginative storytelling, Joan offers a nuanced exploration of faith, power, and gender dynamics in medieval France.
Chen will appear in conversation with Patricia Dailey, a medieval scholar who focuses on histories of gender and sexuality. Dailey is currently a Faculty Visitor at the Institute for Ideas and Imagination.
About the speaker:
Katherine J. Chen is the author of Joan: A Novel of Joan of Arc (Random House US / Hodder & Stoughton UK), which won the 2023 American Library in Paris Book Award, and Mary B. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Book Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, Literary Hub, and other publications. Her next book, under contract with Random House, will explore the complex sibling relationship between Morgan le Fay and Arthur. She is a graduate of Princeton University and Boston University’s MFA Fiction program, and she is currently a doctoral student in the Department of English at Brown University.
Patricia Dailey is an Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. Her work spans medieval literature, contemporary philosophy, gender studies, psychedelic studies, and eco-criticism. She is the author of Promised Bodies: Time, Language, and Corporeality in Medieval Women’s Mystical Texts (Columbia UP 2013), and has authored numerous articles. She is finishing a book on the arboreal sublime; while also writing an experimental autobiography of parentheses, or, what could be called life, in parentheses. Learn more:
Read an excerpt from Chen’s 2023 American Library in Paris Book Award winning novel Joan.
Chen’s first novel, Mary B, brings a vivid voice to the most-overlooked Bennet sister from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. In 2018, Chen wrote a piece for Literary Hub about her love for “plain” literary heroines like Mary Bennet. Read the piece here. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (the speakers will appear in the Reading Room), the Library will stream the conversation on Zoom for a live viewing experience. Both in-person and online attendees will be able to pose questions.
Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes. Read along with the Library! If you want to prepare ahead of this event, copies of Joan will be on sale one week in advance, as well as after the event. Stop by Member Services to purchase your copy. Books are generously provided by Smith&Son.
Attendees will have the opportunity to have their copy signed following the conversation.
Evenings with an Author are free and open to the public (with a 10€ suggested donation)
thanks to the generous support of Gregory Annenberg Weingarten of GRoW @ Annenberg.

Story Hour: Maps and Geography (ages 3–5)
2024-04-10 14:30 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
For this Story Hour, we’ll read stories all about maps, mapmakers, and geography, such as A Map Into the World by Kao Kalia Yang, illustrated by Seo Kim (pictured here). We’ll also sing songs and practice rhymes. This activity is entirely in English, and no translation will be provided.
This participatory program is intended to encourage children to actively engage with stories. This Story Hour will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager Celeste Rhoads and Children’s and Teens’ Services Intern Amber Auer. They will read books and lead you and your little one in songs and hand-rhymes during a live, interactive session. Plan to join in, sing along, move around, and model movement and listening for your little one. We ask that all caregivers put away their phones and other electronic devices for the duration of this program. With your help, we hope to inspire children to become lifelong readers!
You can find children’s atlases in our Early Nonfiction section in the Children’s Library.
Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Caregivers are expected to familiarize themselves with the Library Policy for Children and the Rules and Code of Conduct so that we can provide a pleasant library environment for all patrons. Questions about collections and programs for children and teens can be sent to the Library’s Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

(Hybrid) Recovery and Renewal with Octavia Bright
2024-04-10 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
In memoir This Ragged Grace, celebrated writer and broadcaster Octavia Bright follows two events from her life that coincided in the same period: her recovery from addiction and her father’s descent into dementia. With vivid prose and a candid, open-hearted voice, Bright explores the complex interplays between family dynamics, mental health, loss, and resilience. Her work challenges conventional narratives around grief, putting forward a more nuanced understanding that embraces its messy, nonlinear process. In this program, Bright will reflect upon her approach to writing memoir, her multifaceted perspectives on grief and sobriety, and the roles that literature, philosophy, and art have played in her recovery.
About the speaker:
Octavia Bright is a writer and broadcaster. She co-hosts Literary Friction, the literary podcast and NTS Radio show, with Carrie Plitt. Recommended by The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC Culture, Electric Literature, The Sunday Times and others, it has had over 1.4 million downloads. Her writing has been published in a number of magazines including The White Review, Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, Wasafiri, Somesuch Stories, and the Sunday Times. This Ragged Grace, published by Canongate, is her first book. Learn more:
You can read an excerpt from This Ragged Grace here.
Bright is the co-host of a popular literary podcast called Literary Friction. You can listen to the podcast here, on NTS Radio, or you can also find it on a podcast app. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (the speakers will appear in the Reading Room), the Library will stream the conversation on Zoom for a live viewing experience. Both in-person and online attendees will be able to pose questions.
Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes. Read along with the Library! If you want to prepare ahead of this event, copies of This Ragged Grace will be on sale one week in advance, as well as after the event. Stop by Member Services to purchase your copy. Books are generously provided by Smith&Son.
Attendees will have the opportunity to have their copy signed following the conversation.
Evenings with an Author are free and open to the public (with a 10€ suggested donation)
thanks to the generous support of Gregory Annenberg Weingarten of GRoW @ Annenberg.

(In-Person) Spring Workshop Session 1 with Katherine J. Chen
2024-04-11 19:00 - 21:00 | The American Library in Paris
Join us for a two-part workshop and conversation with author Katherine J. Chen on the craft of writing. This workshop is open to participants who are interested in having either their fiction or creative nonfiction read and discussed in a supportive environment; it is a space to ask questions, to circulate ideas, and to have an open, seminar-like discussion. Katherine will also share her own research and writing process.
Please note, this event and other workshop events require advance registration and payment. Please register here by filling out the form at the bottom of the page.
Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes.
