(Online) Henry Hoke and Melissa Broder on Animal Desire
2023-09-19 19:30 - 20:30 (Europe/Paris) | The American Library in Paris
In Open Throat, Henry Hoke’s “queer and dangerously hungry” protagonist confronts a central question: “Do they want to eat a person, or become one?” Inspired by a real-life Hollywood Hills puma, Hoke uses an animal perspective to break into human language, highlighting cruelties and contradictions in the anthropocene world. Our protagonist is a naive and probing witness to all that L.A. has to offer: sex, crime, cars, climate change, economic disparity, digital content creation, New York transplants, and more. A delicious contribution to contemporary fiction, the book defamiliarizes the human world, while simultaneously revealing hidden depths to hunger, desire, grief, and care.
Hoke will appear in conversation with celebrated author of Milk Fed and The Pisces, Melissa Broder.
About the speakers:
Henry Hoke is an editor at the Offing and the author of five books, most recently the novel Open Throat and the memoir Sticker.
Melissa Broder is the author of the novels Milk Fed, The Pisces, and the forthcoming Death Valley, the essay collection So Sad Today, and five poetry collections, including Superdoom. Her books are translated in ten languages. She has written for the New York Times, Elle.com, and New York magazine’s the Cut. She lives in Los Angeles. Learn more about Open Throat:
Eileen Myles writes of its protagonist that “the beauty and tragedy of all of nature is in this character”, and that “Open Throat is a fierce writing act. Henry Hoke makes it true.” It has been praised by Chris Kraus as “completely awakening.”
Author Marie-Helene Bertino described the book in the New York Times Book Review as “an act of ravishing and outlandish imagination,” and concludes: “At its best, fiction can make the familiar strange in order to bring readers and our world into scintillating focus. Open Throat is what fiction should be.” Read the review here.
Hoke’s protagonist is inspired by real-life puma P-22. Learn about LA’s most iconic feline here. Important information: This event is online. Attendees will receive a Zoom link upon registration. Participants will be able to pose questions through the Zoom chat function.
This event requires advance registration.
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: Fast and Slow (ages 3–5)
2023-09-20 14:30 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
For this Story Hour, we’ll read stories about all about creatures and characters who move very fast or very slowly, and other opposites. Each Story Hour program features short picture books such as Snail Crossing by Corey R. Tabor.
This Story Hour will be hosted by Assistant Children and Teens Services Librarian Jason Hazard, Visiting Librarian Arielle McCune, and Children and Teens Services Intern Kelly Cummings. They will read books and lead you and your little one in songs and hand-rhymes during a live, interactive session. This participatory program is intended to encourage children to actively engage with stories. Plan to join in, sing along, and 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. This activity is entirely in English, and no translation will be provided. 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.

(Hybrid) Emmanuel Dongala: Scribe of Social Reality
2023-09-20 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Emmanuel Dongala, “the most accomplished novelist from Africa since Chinua Achebe,” will make a special appearance at the Library to discuss the new English edition of The Stone Breakers: A Classic Novel of Labor Resistance. The novel tells the story of a feminist uprising among a group of workers in a gravel pit: what begins as a village protest escalates to a state-wide rebellion that confronts the corrupt leadership and challenges the status quo set by the government and the mining corporations. It has been adapted to the stage in Africa, Europe and South America, and, originally published by Actes Sud as Photo de groupe au bord du fleuve, was named the best French novel of 2010 by Lire. Dongala will appear in conversation with Will Mountain Cox, author of With Paris in Mind and the forthcoming debut novel, Roundabout. Learn more:
The 2023 winner of the Grand Prix Hervé Deluen from L’Académie française, awarded for contributing to the promotion of French as an international language, Dongala is described by Alain Mabanckou as “a key figure of French-language African literature… a scribe of social reality… his universe combines realism, meeting African and African-American cultures… and features memorable characters in search of freedom, equality and justice in the face of a decadent world.”
Dongala studied in the United States in 1961, and later returned to the U.S. in 1997, fleeing the Congolese Civil War, with the assistance of Philip Roth and William Styron.
Terry Gross named Dongala “One of [Republic of the Congo’s] best known novelists,” praising his bold ability to “criticize, even mock, the corruption in his country’s government.” Listen to his appearance on Fresh Air.
A film adaptation of Dongala’s celebrated book Johnny Mad Dog premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 2008. Read about it in the New York Times.
About the speakers:
Born in the Republic of Congo in 1941, Emmanuel Dongala is a scientist and author who came to the United States in 1997 during the civil war in his native country and was offered a professorship at Bard College. He was a Guggenheim Fellow in Fiction in 1999. Dongala is the author most recently of the acclaimed novel The Bridgetower Sonata, as well as Johnny Mad Dog, Little Boys Come from the Stars, and The Fire of Origins. He is the recipient of the 2011 Prix Ahmadou Kourouma Award and his most recent novel The Bridgetower Sonata was shortlisted for the Prix Albertine in 2022. This novel is currently under option to French film director David Lanzmann for a limited series.
Will Mountain Cox is the author of With Paris in Mind. His writing has been published in Forever Magazine, Hobart, Spectra Poets, The Drunken Canal and Vol.1 Brooklyn. In 2013, Will co-founded the Belleville Park Pages. He holds degrees from Boston University and from Sciences Po in Paris, where he was named Graduate of Honor. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Dongala and Cox 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.
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)
2023-09-21 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 Ain’t Gonne Paint No More by Karen Beaumont, illustrated by David Catrow, which will be included in this 21 September 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 and Teens Services Manager Celeste Rhoads, with the help of Visiting Librarian Arielle McCune. 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.

History Tour at the Library
2023-09-22 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-09-29 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-10-06 11:00 - 12:00 | 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.

Teen Night: Creating Crosswords with Jane Mobille (ages 12–18)
2023-09-22 19:00 - 21:00 | The American Library in Paris
Across
1. My pants happen to be square
2. This intelligent candy consists of colorful drops of chocolate
3. My favorite sneakers were created in 1971 for a tennis player

Join us for a Teen Night and create your own crossword puzzle. Write clues whose answers reveal what you love about your life.
We’ll have all the supplies you need to put together a puzzle to dazzle your friends and family as you work in groups and individually to invent clues for your own crossword puzzle.
Light snacks and drinks will be provided by the Library for all participants.
About Jane Mobille: Memoir writer Jane Mobille is also a Professional Certified Coach with extensive experience coaching teens and young adults. Jane uses the tools of writing and coaching to inspire freedom and confidence in young writers as they learn to put their authenticity or “heart” on paper. Editor of the quarterly AAWE News magazine in Paris, Jane also authors a “Teen Coach” column at the online magazine INSPIRELLE. She holds degrees from Duke, University of Maryland, and Thunderbird. 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: Art and Illustration (ages 6–12)
2023-09-23 11:00 - 12:00 | The American Library in Paris
What do illustrators do? How are picture books made? Who are some of the best-known picture book artists in America? Find out the answers to these questions and more, then try your hand at illustration.
This event will be hosted by Children and Teens Services Manager Celeste Rhoads with the help of Visiting Librarian Arielle McCune 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 and speak English in order to participate in the 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.

Optimize Your College Application with Richard Montauk (ages 14–adult)
2023-09-23 15:00 - 16:30 | The American Library in Paris
You (or your student) will soon be applying to a U.S. college. This presentation examines what you need to know to maximize chances of admission, including:

How to get the most out of who you are, what you’ve done, and where you’re headed
How to optimize your essays, recommendations, resume, and interviews
How to tailor your application to each school (showing it fits you and you fit it)

Along the way, we’ll address application timing, demonstrating interest, the role of money in the process, the importance of correct positioning, estimating chances of acceptance, and much more. (We’ll also take a brief look at applying outside of the U.S.)
Substantial time will be available–during and after the presentation–for questions.

About Richard Montauk: Richard Montauk is the author of a series of best-selling guides, all published by Prentice Hall, including How to Get Into the Top Colleges and How to Get Into the Top MBA Programs. His most recent books include College Interviews: The Definitive Guide and Getting into Brown: Successful Applicants’ Essays, Resumes, and Interviews. He received a BA in literature from Brown University, an MA in government from Harvard, an MS in finance, and a JD from Stanford Law School. Pursuant to a graduate fellowship, he also studied at the London School of Economics and the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (University of London). After graduating from Stanford, Richard worked as a corporate lawyer for Latham & Watkins in Los Angeles, then as a corporate strategy consultant for Bain & Co. in London, before devoting himself full-time to admissions consulting. Since 1991, he has consulted to candidates for the world’s top universities, for both undergraduate and graduate programs. He can be reached through his website: www.richardmontauk.com. Important information:
This event is free for Library members, and 15€ per person for non-members, and advance registration is required. All Library users are expected to familiarize themselves with 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.

Monuments of Paris Scavenger Hunt (ages 12–18)
2023-09-24 14:00 - 16:00 | The American Library in Paris
Join us for a scavenger hunt in the Library and outdoors. We’ll meet to talk about ways to gather accurate information, then you will be sent out to discover new facts about the city of light. This event will be hosted by Assistant Children and Teens Services Librarian Jason Hazard and Children and Teens Services Intern Kelly Cummings.
Parents/caregivers are welcome to participate along with their teens for this activity.

Important information:
This event is free for Library members, and 15€ per person for non-members, and advance registration is required. All Library users are expected to familiarize themselves with 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) Myth, Power, Genre with Scholar of Note Ladee Hubbard
2023-09-26 19:30 - 21:00 | The American Library in Paris
While in residence, Scholar of Note Ladee has been re-imagining society’s relationship to mythical women across literature, from Eurydice to the femme fatale, as a way of understanding our vision of Black women today. In conversation, Ladee will consider: what is our relationship to myth? What makes it eternally fascinating, relevant, and open to new interpretations? How does it reveal and conceal power, gender, and race? Moreover, who is the femme fatale, and what is her role in the noir genre? How can we explain current interest in noir, and what might this interest explain to us about ourselves? Join us to learn how Ladee works within literary history, adopting genres of mythology and crime, in order to reinvent the narratives marginalized women are forced into.
This event will be followed by a cocktail reception. Learn more:
Ladee’s most recent short story collection imagines life in a Black neighborhood from the 1980’s through Obama’s election. Listen to what she said about it on NPR.
The Rib King is a domestic tale turned revenge saga following the servants of an aristocratic family in decline in early-twentieth-century Chicago. Read a review in the Washington Post.
Ladee’s debut novel, The Talented Ribkins, was inspired by a famous essay by philosopher and activist W.E.B. Du Bois entitled “The Talented Tenth”. Read what she has to say about Du Bois in the Guardian.
About the speaker:
Ladee Hubbard is the author of the novels The Last Suspicious Holdout, The Talented Ribkins, which received the 2018 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence and the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction, and The Rib King. Her writing has appeared in Oxford American, Guernica, Virginia Quarterly and Callaloo among other venues. She is a recipient of a Berlin Prize, a Radcliffe Institute Fellowship and a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award.
The American Library in Paris Scholar of Note program is generously sponsored by the de Groot Foundation. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Hubbard 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. Copies of The Last Suspicious Holdout will be available for purchase at the Library in the week leading up to this event and while the event takes place, generously provided by Smith&Son. All sales support this local independent bookstore.
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: Fun Fruits and Veggies (ages 3–5)
2023-09-27 14:30 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
For this Story Hour, we’ll read stories about fun (and sometimes funny!) fruits and veggies. Each Story Hour program features short picture books such as I Yam a Donkey by Cece Bell, as well as songs and rhymes.
This Story Hour will be hosted by Children and Teens Services Manager Celeste Rhoads and Visiting Librarian Arielle McCune. They will read books and lead you and your little one in songs and hand-rhymes during a live, interactive session. This participatory program is intended to encourage children to actively engage with stories. Plan to join in, sing along, and 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. This activity is entirely in English, and no translation will be provided. 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.

(Hybrid) Paris Beyond the Postcard with Cole Stangler
2023-09-27 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Where is the ‘real’ Paris? In popular imagination, Paris has streets lined with stylish cafés and fashion boutiques. In new book Paris is Not Dead: Surviving Hypergentrification in the City of Light, Cole Stangler combines street reportage with recent history and political analysis to paint a true-to-life portrait of a vibrant city. As urban centers evolve, Stangler shows, our collective responsibility to honor and sustain the cultural identities woven within their fabric becomes paramount. In a call to action for lovers of Paris and urban-dwellers everywhere, Stangler, a French-American journalist, and Erin Ogunkeye, a journalist with France 24, will locate the heart of the city of lights in its working class history, and reveal the mechanisms at work pricing residents out of their homes. Praise for Paris is Not Dead:
“Cole Stangler succeeds wonderfully in capturing the contradictions of the most visited city in the world. Paris is finally introduced as it is: the heart of the conflicting transformation of Europe’s identity, and the place of a fascinating reinvention inspired by its margins.” —Rokhaya Diallo, writer, filmmaker, and activist
“Paris Is Not Dead reveals that the causes of so much social unrest are the harsh living conditions and the punishing wage-rent ratio. . . . [Stangler] looks back to the historic roots of social conflict and is witness to the creative vitality of the oppressed.” —Edmund White, author of The Flaneur: A Stroll Through the Paradoxes of Paris
Learn more:
Read articles by Cole in the New York Times, the Atlantic, and the Nation,
Watch Cole’s appearances on Democracy Now! and France24.
About the speakers:
Cole Stangler is a journalist based in Marseille, France. A contributor to The Nation, Jacobin, and the international news network France 24, he has also published work in the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Guardian, Foreign Policy, and other outlets. He is the author of Paris Is Not Dead.
Erin Ogunkeye grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, but has spent more time living in Paris than any other city. She studied French law before realizing she wanted to feel a closer connection to the rest of the world by following, relaying and breaking down current events; perhaps not too differently from the way a lawyer connects with a jury. She is an anchor at France 24 and presents Live From Paris in the mornings. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Stangler and Ogunkeye 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. Copies of Paris is Not Dead will be available for purchase at the Library in the week leading up to this event and while the event takes place, generously provided by Smith&Son. All sales support this local independent bookstore.
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) Writing Workshop: Channeling History Meeting One
2023-09-28 19:00 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Join American Library in Paris Scholar of Note Ladee Hubbard in a two-part writing workshop devoted to historical fiction.
During the workshop, participants will focus on how to write history: conducting historical research, adopting historical language, and situating themselves in foreign time. Led by Hubbard, they will demystify archival research, and consider the imagination required in recreating an era. How do we write characters into the traps of history, and how do we write them out? They will consider the boundaries between fact and fiction: what is our relationship to accuracy, and how do we define this?
Simultaneously, participants will consider the axes of socially conscious literature. History is constantly adopted, appropriated, used and abused to serve political and artistic ends. Is all historical writing necessarily political writing? How do plot and character map onto the interstices of the personal and the political? When we wield history as a tool for narrative, what is our responsibility to the present? About Ladee Hubbard:
Ladee Hubbard is the author of the novels The Last Suspicious Holdout, The Talented Ribkins, which received the 2018 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence and the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction, and The Rib King. Her writing has appeared in Oxford American, Guernica, Virginia Quarterly and Callaloo among other venues. She is a recipient of a Berlin Prize, a Radcliffe Institute Fellowship and a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award.
The American Library in Paris Scholar of Note program is generously sponsored by the de Groot Foundation. About the workshop:
The workshop will unfold over two 90 minute sessions. These will take place in person at the Library on 28 September and 4 October from 19h00 to 20h30 CEST and are open to both Library Members and non-members.
Advance payment and registration is required:
Members rate: 40€ per participant.
Non-members rate: 60€ per participant.
Please note that registration will open on Thursday, 7 September. Register here.

Teen Night: Escape the Library (ages 12–18)
2023-09-29 19:00 - 21:00 | The American Library in Paris
Working in teams, solve puzzles and beat the clock to escape the Library.
This event will be hosted by Children and Teens Services Manager Celeste Rhoads with the help of Library volunteers. Light snacks and drinks will be provided by all participants. 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: Map Making (ages 6–12)
2023-09-30 11:00 - 12:00 | The American Library in Paris
Look at examples of fantasy maps included in works of children’s literature, then create a fictional world of your own! You’ll learn about commonly used symbols used on maps and techniques used by cartographers as well as how authors create their worlds.
This event will be hosted by Children and Teens Services Intern Kelly Cummings 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 and speak English in order to participate in the program.

Children between the ages 6–12 may participate in Library programs on their own, while their chaperone remains inside the Library. OR: Caregivers are encouraged to participate in this event with their 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 and Teens Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

Reading and Bilingualism with Denielle Adibi
2023-09-30 15:00 - 16:30 | The American Library in Paris
In this workshop-style event with educator Danielle Adibi, we’ll learn about the keys to oral language with a focus on activities for bilingual children. Join us to explore listening comprehension activities and more.
About Denielle Adibi: Originally from Upstate New York, Denielle Adibi is a veteran teacher with over 37 years of experience. As a dyslexic herself, Denielle is passionate about helping other neurodiverse learners feel comfortable, confident and successful in learning. Denielle is specifically interested in bilingualism and helping learners find their voice to best express themselves in their languages of choice. As an experienced educator in the international school arena, Denielle also offers help to families who have both neurodiverse and bilingual children. Denielle holds a Master Degree in Education from the US, an Educational Therapy and Reading Specialist certification as well as having a mastery level training in coaching for Executive Function Skills. 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’s and Teens’ Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

Creative Collaborations (ages 12–18)
2023-10-01 14:00 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
Spooky month is here! Join Visiting Librarian Arielle McCune for a creative writing workshop with writing exercises, literary games, and group activities to get in the Halloween spirit.
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) After the Protests: Talking about Race in France
2023-10-03 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
In-person registration for this event is now closed. Please register to attend online using the link above. This past summer, France saw mass protests following the fatal police shooting of Nahel M., a 17-year-old boy from Nanterre. This movement voiced an untreated wound at the heart of French society: the question of race.
In partnership with the Overseas Press Club, this panel brings together a diverse, international group of journalists to explore the complex landscape of race in France, the US, and UK. From the very foundation of language to the bureaucratic systems in place, these experts will examine how race is both acknowledged and erased in France, dissecting the clash between the values of republicanism and identity-based politics. We will ask: how does France’s historical commitment to universalism intersect with the complexities of addressing racial disparities? What is the status of racial justice in France, the US, and the UK? Each country bears a different social and historical relationship to racialization. How does this translate to the current political reality? Transcending borders, this conversation will foster a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities in discussing race in a country which, deeply committed to equality, often downplays or denies its existence. Learn more:
Roger Cohen, Paris Bureau Chief for the New York Times, covered the funeral for Nahel M. He writes: “There was consensus in the crowd: If Nahel M., a French citizen of Algerian and Moroccan descent, had been white rather than an Arab, he would not have been killed.” Read the full article.
In Washington Post op-ed “Police brutality isn’t just an American problem. It’s France’s, too”, Rokhaya Diallo remembers other victims of police violence, arguing that “institutional violence against minorities has been a hallmark of French life ever since the colonial era.”
Angelique Chrisafis spoke on the Guardian’s podcast about a summer of “grief and fury” in France. Listen here.
The last time a team of journalists convened at the American Library with the Overseas Press Club, it was to discuss Macron’s controversial pension reform and the social unrest that followed. Rewatch the conversation.
About the speakers:
In 2023, Roger Cohen and a team of New York Times reporters were awarded a Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting and a George Polk Award in Foreign Reporting for their coverage of the war in Ukraine. Cohen is the Paris bureau chief for the New York Times, where he began working in 1990. He has also worked for the Times as bureau chief in Berlin and in the Balkans, where he covered the Bosnian war and received the Eric and Amy Burger Award from the Overseas Press Club of America. In 2021, he received the Légion d’Honneur from the French Republic for his work over four decades.
Angelique Chrisafis is the Guardian’s Paris correspondent. She has reported from France since 2006. She reported in-depth on the terrorist attacks that struck France from 2015 and has also written about social issues and politics, including the rise of the far-right vote. She has reported across Europe including in Ireland, Spain, Greece and Cyprus.
Guillaume Debré is Deputy head of news for TF1 Television, overseeing coverage in the evening newscast at France’s biggest private network, and author of several books on U.S. politics and France. See his LinkedIn profile.
Vivienne Walt is a Paris correspondent for TIME Magazine and Fortune Magazine. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, BusinessWeek, and more. She is governor of the Overseas Press Club of America.
Mame-Fatou Niang, Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies Carnegie Mellon University, author of “Universalisme” said on France 24: “Anybody who wants to critique, to highlight the weaknesses of the system, is now accused of being separatist. Because we’re in a country that doesn’t talk about race, about color, we’re in this weird rhetorical void.” Watch the interview.
Rokhaya Diallo is a French journalist, author, and filmmaker known for her activism in the fields of racial and sexual equality. Her work has appeared in the Guardian, Al Jazeera, the Washington Post, Slate, Libération, and ELLE Magazine among others. She has published 10 acclaimed books, including a graphic novel, and has produced five activist documentaries. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Diallo, Cohen, Chrisafis, and Walt 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. In-person registration for this event is now closed. Please register to attend online using the link above.
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: Seasons Change (ages 3–5)
2023-10-04 14:30 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
For this Story Hour, we’ll read stories about seasons with a special emphasis on fall. Each Story Hour program features short picture books such as Emile and the Field by Kevin Young and illustrated by Chioma Ebinama, as well as songs and rhymes.
This Story Hour will be hosted by Visiting Librarian Arielle McCune and Children and Teens Services Manager Celeste Rhoads. They will read books and lead you and your little one in songs and hand-rhymes during a live, interactive session. This participatory program is intended to encourage children to actively engage with stories. Plan to join in, sing along, and 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. This activity is entirely in English, and no translation will be provided. 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.

(In person) Writing Workshop: Channeling History Meeting Two
2023-10-04 19:00 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Join American Library in Paris Scholar of Note Ladee Hubbard in a two-part writing workshop devoted to historical fiction.
During the workshop, participants will focus on how to write history: conducting historical research, adopting historical language, and situating themselves in foreign time. Led by Hubbard, they will demystify archival research, and consider the imagination required in recreating an era. How do we write characters into the traps of history, and how do we write them out? They will consider the boundaries between fact and fiction: what is our relationship to accuracy, and how do we define this?
Simultaneously, participants will consider the axes of socially conscious literature. History is constantly adopted, appropriated, used and abused to serve political and artistic ends. Is all historical writing necessarily political writing? How do plot and character map onto the interstices of the personal and the political? When we wield history as a tool for narrative, what is our responsibility to the present? About Ladee Hubbard:
Ladee Hubbard is the author of the novels The Last Suspicious Holdout, The Talented Ribkins, which received the 2018 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence and the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction, and The Rib King. Her writing has appeared in Oxford American, Guernica, Virginia Quarterly and Callaloo among other venues. She is a recipient of a Berlin Prize, a Radcliffe Institute Fellowship and a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award.
The American Library in Paris Scholar of Note program is generously sponsored by the de Groot Foundation. About the workshop:
The workshop will unfold over two 90 minute sessions. These will take place in person at the Library on 28 September and 4 October from 19h00 to 20h30 CEST and are open to both Library Members and non-members.
Advance payment and registration is required:
Members rate: 40€ per participant.
Non-members rate: 60€ per participant.
Please note that registration will open on Friday, 1 September. Register here.

(Online) Leadership On and Off Court with Katrina Adams
2023-10-04 19:30 - 20:30 | https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82552161346
It is the 2018 U.S. Open Women’s Championship Match, and newcomer Naomi Osaka has just defeated favorite Serena Williams. Stunned, the crowd begins to boo. As a leader of the US Open, how do you handle the upset? How do you console Osaka, control the crowd, communicate with the press, and maintain the spirit of sportsmanship central to the event? For Katrina Adams, former President and CEO of the United States Tennis Association, these questions are not hypothetical. In her book Own the Arena, she speaks on her experience as the first Black woman and youngest person ever to hold this position, and reveals everything that has to happen off-court to make the game possible. From managing the logistics of a major tournament to fostering an inclusive and diverse environment, her behind-the-scenes perspective paints a vivid picture of leadership in action. The lessons she imparts in effective decision-making, empathetic communication, and adaptability apply to every match one faces in life. Join her in conversation with Damon Austin to learn what it takes to lead.
Learn more:
Katrina Adams gave a TEDx Talk on how to own the arena. Watch it here.
One of the challenges Katrina faced in her role was managing the legendary Serena Williams vs. Naomi Osaka match. Learn what made this so dramatic.
The 2023 U.S. Open just concluded. Read a recap of this year’s results.
About the speakers:
With an outstanding track record in leading, innovating and collaborating, Katrina Adams is the first African American to lead the USTA, the first two term Chairman and President (2015-2018) and the first former player to hold that honor. Under her tutelage, the USTA achieved several major milestones, including the opening of the USTA National Campus and the transformation of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, an outreach effort into underserved communities to share the sport of tennis. She is also a broadcaster, author and board member, serving on multiple Advisory Boards such as Athletes Unlimited, Highlight Pro Skydiving, Full Court Tennis and Racquet Magazine.
Damon L. Austin is an American Library in Paris Trustee, career librarian, research information consultant with over two decades of experience, and professional tennis coach.. His diverse background includes work with academic, special, and school libraries in the USA and European outlets. He began visiting Paris some two decades prior to serving as the American Library Association Representative to the Board of Trustees (2018-2022).
Important information: This event is online. Attendees will receive a Zoom link upon registration. Participants will be able to pose questions through the Zoom chat function.
This event requires advance registration.
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: Pumpkin Party* (ages 1–3)
2023-10-05 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 Amara’s Farm by JaNay Brown-Wood, illustrated by Samara Hardy, which will be included in this 5 October event.
*This event is part of the Library’s annual Halloween Extravaganza programming. Costumes are encouraged for all of our Halloween Extravaganza events.
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 and Teens Services Manager Celeste Rhoads and Visiting Librarian Arielle McCune. 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.

(Hybrid) W. David Marx and B.J. Novak: Decoding Culture
2023-10-05 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
In-person registration for this event is now closed. Please fill out the form below to register to attend online. Evenings with an Author at the American Library in Paris is thrilled to announce our marquee series spotlighting exceptional thinkers of our age. Join inaugural speakers W. David Marx and B.J. Novak as they confront the mystery of culture.
Since the dawn of human society, writers have argued about what culture is. Where does it come from, and who makes it? Is it dictated by behaviors, or does it determine them?
We are delighted to host culture expert and author of Status and Culture and Ametora W. David Marx, in conversation with author and actor B.J. Novak, as they offer a fresh perspective on these questions. All social animals use hierarchy to relate to one another, yet humans have developed a particularly complex system for signaling their rank: appearance, possessions, and behaviors, both conscious and ingrained, from the price of your shoes to the way you hold your fork, reveal your position and background to those around you. Marx and Novak will explore how these everyday choices are informed by hidden economic, social, and educational influences, considering the different ways that demand and distinction emerge. Join them as they break down fashion, fads, fame, and the enduring mystery of taste, revealing to us why we behave the way we do, and how we learn to want what we want. Learn more:
Ametora is a Japanese term meaning “American Traditional.” Learn more about the fascinating overlap between American and Japanese fashion and read an excerpt of Ametora in the New Yorker.
Listen to Marx discuss Status and Culture on NPR.
BJ Novak, well known for his work on NBC’s Emmy Award-winning comedy series The Office, is the author of two books. Discover his writing.
About the speakers:
David Marx is the author of two books: a cultural history of Japanese menswear, Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style, and a general theory of cultural change, Status and Culture. His writing has also appeared in VOX, Popeye, and the New Republic as well as on NewYorker.com. He works as an Outside Director for Otsumo Co., Ltd, the company behind the brand Human Made. He was born in the United States but has lived in Tokyo, Japan for the last twenty years. Wdavidmarx.com
B.J. Novak is a writer and actor known for his work on the Emmy Award-winning comedy The Office, as well as films including Inglorious Basterds and Vengeance. He is the best selling author of One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories and The Book With No Pictures. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Marx and Novak 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. In-person registration for this event is now closed. Please fill out the form below to register to attend online. Copies of Status and Culture will be available for purchase at the Library in the week leading up to this event and while the event takes place, generously provided by Smith&Son. All sales support this local independent bookstore.
Attendees will have the opportunity to have their copy signed following the conversation.

DIY Halloween Decorations (ages 3–12)*
2023-10-07 11:00 - 12:00 | The American Library in Paris
Just in time for Halloween, come in and make your own seasonal decorations. We’ll have all the supplies you need to make a fun decorations to take home.

This event will be hosted by Children and Teens Services staff 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 and speak English in order to participate in the program.

Children between the ages 6–12 may participate in Library programs on their own, while their chaperone remains inside the Library. Caregivers and parents of children ages 3–6 are encouraged to participate in this event with their children.

*This event is part of the Library’s annual Halloween Extravaganza programming. Costumes are encouraged for all of our Halloween Extravaganza events.
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.

Jack-O-Lanterns: Pumpkin Carving (ages 12–18)
2023-10-07 14:00 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
Join us for this festive workshop, and make your own jack-o-lantern to decorate for Halloween while meeting other teens. Children and Teens Services Manager Celeste Rhoads and Library volunteers will give you tips and tricks for making your own Halloween creation. The Library will supply all the tools and decorations! 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.

Story Hour: Surprises and Scares (ages 3–5)
2023-10-11 14:30 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
For this Story Hour, we’ll read stories full of surprises! Each Story Hour program features short picture books such as Boo! Haiku by Deanna Caswell and illustrated by Bob Shea, as well as songs and rhymes.
This Story Hour will be hosted by Children and Teens Services Manager Celeste Rhoads and Children and Teens Services Intern Kelly Cummings. They will read books and lead you and your little one in songs and hand-rhymes during a live, interactive session. This participatory program is intended to encourage children to actively engage with stories. Plan to join in, sing along, and 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. This activity is entirely in English, and no translation will be provided. 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.

(Hybrid) Voices of America: Emily Dickinson and Modernism
2023-10-11 19:30 - 21:00 | The American Library in Paris
In an evening celebrating American art and Franco-American relations, we are delighted to present Poésies d’Emily Dickinson, published by Éditions Diane de Selliers.
Since 1992, Éditions Diane de Selliers has been committed to building bridges between words and images to produce books that stand the test of time.
Once a year, they publish a major literary or poetic text alongside monumental pieces of art history, staging a conversation across the works and opening a dialogue between the written word and the visual world.
This year, they have elected to open their repertoire to American literature, and share with their readers the captivating American modernist paintings of the early 20th century. Touched by the sensitivity, spirituality, modernity and universality that run through her work, this esteemed publishing house has chosen Emily Dickinson as its first American voice.
Accompanied by Anna Hiddleston, curator at the Centre Pompidou and a specialist in American painting, Diane de Selliers and her team have combined a selection of Emily Dickinson’s poems with paintings by Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, Charles Sheeler, Arthur Dove, Agnes Pelton, Marguerite Zorach, Helen Torr and some sixty other artists from the first half of the twentieth century. New depths to Emily Dickinson’s work is unveiled in a selection of 160 poems, presented in their original version and translated into French by Françoise Delphy. Her powerful, incisive and resolutely modern language, at odds with the literature of her time, resonates perfectly with American modernism. In sum, the book is a voyage to the heart of the American continent.
Françoise Delphy, Anna Hiddleston and Diane de Selliers will speak at the Library, offering their insight into American art and poetry.
Copies of Poésies d’Emily Dickinson will be available for purchase.
This conversation will be followed by a champagne reception. Learn more about Éditions Diane de Selliers:
In the words of founder Diane de Selliers, their mission is to “image bridges between word and image.” Read about their history.
Flip through a sneak peak of Poesies d’Emily Dickinson.
Previous titles from Editions Diane de Selliers include the Epic of Gilgamesh, illustrated by Mesopatamian art, and Ovid’s Metamorphoses, illustrated by Baroque painting. Discover their collection. 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.
This event is made possible through the generous support of the support of The Florence Gould Foundation and the American Center for Art and Culture.
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: Scary Movie Night (ages 12–18)
2023-10-13 19:00 - 21:00 | The American Library in Paris
Vote on the horror film to you’d like to watch when you register for this event. Participate in scary movie trivia at the start of the evening, then settle in with popcorn and enjoy a screening in the Library’s comfortable reading room. We’ll discuss the film as a group at the end of the night. This event will be hosted by Children and Teens Services Manager Celeste Rhoads, Children and Teens Services Intern Kelly Cummings with the help of Library volunteers.
Drinks and light snacks will be provided, as well as lots of popcorn. 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.
