The American Library in Paris

History Tour at the Library
2023-07-28 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-08-04 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-08-11 11:00 - 12:00 (Europe/Paris) | 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.
This initiative is made possible through the generous support of the Florence Gould Foundation and the American Center for Art and Culture.
Please email tours@americanlibraryinparis.org with any 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.

Saturday Series: Escape the Library (ages 8–12)
2023-07-29 11:00 - 12:00 | The American Library in Paris
Solve puzzles and decipher clues to win this game!
This event will be hosted by Children and Teens Services Librarian Kirsty McCulloch Reid with the help of Front of House Assistant Sinamen MaGee and Library volunteers.

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. This is the main body text about the event. Two or three lines about what will happen.
This event will be hosted by Children and Teens Services staff members with the help of Library volunteers.

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.

Story Hour: Summer Days (ages 3–5)
2023-08-02 14:30 - 15:30
For this Story Hour, we’ll read stories about summer, summer vacation, and the seasons. Each Story Hour program features short picture books such as Summer by Cao Wenxuan and illustrated by Yu Rong, 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. 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.

Toddler Time (ages 1–3)
2023-08-03 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 I’m Not Small by Nina Crews, which will be included in this 3 August event.
Our Toddler Time is for children ages 1–3 and their caregivers, and lasts 30 minutes. 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.

Summer Book Club (ages 12–18)
2023-08-04 13:30 - 14:00 | The American Library in Paris
Bring in your favorite summer read to share with the group. We’ll talk about what we’re reading this summer, and how to find the best new reads. The meeting will be facilitated by Children and Teens Services Manager Celeste Rhoads.

Light snacks and drinks will be provided by the Library. 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.

Saturday Series: Hoop Gliders (ages 6–12)
2023-08-05 11:00 - 12:00 | The American Library in Paris
Create your own hoop glider with simple, everyday materials (and a little help), then try it out and see how fast it flies. We’ll race our gliders to see whose is the fastest.
This event will be hosted by Children and Teens Services Intern Kelly Cummings with the help of Library volunteers.

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.

Story Hour: Giggles Galore (ages 3–5)
2023-08-09 14:30 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
For this Story Hour, we’ll read stories that make us giggle. Each Story Hour program features short picture books such as There is a Bird on Your Head! by Mo Willems, 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. 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.

Saturday Series: Exploring Watercolor (ages 6–12)
2023-08-12 11:00 - 12:00 | The American Library in Paris
Take a look at examples of art created with watercolors, then explore watercolor techniques using the tools, tips, and tricks provided. All materials will be supplied by the Library.
This event will be hosted by Children and Teens Services Manager Celeste Rhoads, with the help of Library volunteers.

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.

Library is closed
2023-08-15

Story Hour: A Day at the Farm (ages 3–5)
2023-08-16 14:30 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
For this Story Hour, we’ll read stories about life on a farm, and farm animals. Each Story Hour program features short picture books such as A Home in the Barn written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, 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. 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.

Toddler Time (ages 1–3)
2023-08-17 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 Machines Go to Work by William Low, which will be included in this 17 August event.
Our Toddler Time is for children ages 1–3 and their caregivers, and lasts 30 minutes. This session will be hosted by Children 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.

Saturday Series: Fairy Tale Tea Party (ages 6–12)
2023-08-19 11:00 - 12:00 | The American Library in Paris
Enjoy fairy tales, trivia, tea, lemonade, and cookies during this special tea party for bookworms!
Costumes are encouraged!
This event will be hosted by Children and Teens Services Manager Celeste Rhoads and Children and Teens Services Intern Kelly Cummings, with the help of Library volunteers.

Children between the ages 6–12 may participate in Library programs on their own, while their chaperone remains inside the Library. Caregivers are encouraged to participate in this event with their children. Please let us know in the comments section of the RSVP form if you plan to participate with your child.
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.

Story Hour: Classics & Favorites (ages 3–5)
2023-08-23 14:30 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
For this Story Hour, we’ll read contemporary classics and favorite stories. Each Story Hour program features short picture books such as Sometimes It’s Nice to be Alone written by Amy Hest and illustrated by Philip Stead, 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. 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
2023-08-25 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-09-08 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.

Bookworm Mix-Up (all ages)
2023-08-26 11:00 - 12:00 | The American Library in Paris
Join us for an event dedicated to readers of all ages. Meet our Children and Teens Services staff and other bookworms as you participate in games of all sorts—all inspired by books!
This event will be hosted by Children and Teens Services staff members with the help of Library volunteers.

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.

Tiny Paintings (ages 12–18)
2023-08-26 13:30 - 14:30 | The American Library in Paris
Experiment with different techniques as you decorate your own mini-masterpieces using the tips, tricks, and tools provided.
This event will be hosted by Children and Teens Services Intern Kelly Cummings with the help of Library volunteers.

All supplies will be provided by the Library.
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: We Love the Library (ages 3–5)
2023-08-30 14:30 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
For this Story Hour, we’ll read stories all about libraries. Each Story Hour program features short picture books such as Library Lion written by Michelle Knudson and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, 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. 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.

Saturday Series: LEGO Creations (ages 6–12)
2023-09-02 11:00 - 12:00 | The American Library in Paris
Compete building challenges with LEGOs provided by the Library. See what you can create!
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.

(Hybrid) Poetic Confluence: Marilyn Hacker and Karthika Naïr in Conversation
2023-09-05 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Join Marilyn Hacker, one of the most celebrated figures in American poetry, and Karthika Naïr, known for her dynamic work at the borders of dance, poetry, and the visual arts, as they discuss the many migrations of the poetic voice. When confinement forced artists into their homes, Hacker and Naïr adopted an ancient poetic technique, the renga, in order to co-author A Different Distance: a poetic exploration of distance, written at a distance, as a way of understanding and overcoming it. Hacker, an award-winning translator of French into English, and Nair, known for adapting narrative into dance performance, are masters of movement. They will consider the poetic act as that of bridging distance between disparate and linked images, sounds, languages, cultures, and forms. Learn more:
A renga is a special kind of poem that’s created by multiple poets working together. It’s like a poetic conversation where each poet adds lines to build a poem that flows from one part to another. Read excerpts of Hacker and Naïr’s renga, A Different Distance.
Marilyn Hacker won the National Book Award for her first book, Presentation Piece. She is known for writing about identity, womanhood, sexuality, illness, power, and social issues such as the AIDS crisis. A.M Juster has claimed that “there is no poet writing in English with a better claim for the Nobel Prize in Literature than Marilyn Hacker. Discover her incredible career.
Naïr works with choreographers to script dances, taking into consideration the different ways environment, soundscape, and movement can combine to tell a story. See examples of this: a performance of her book Until the Lions, and a queer reimagining of Madame Butterfly.
About the speakers:
Marilyn Hacker is the author of nineteen books of poems, most recently, Calligraphies (2023), and translator of twenty-three books of poetry and essays. She has received the Lenore Marshall Prize and the Voelcker Award from the Poetry Society of America, the PEN Award in Translation, the Audre Lorde Prize and the National Book Award. She was editor of the Kenyon Review for five years, and on the editorial collective of the French journal Siècle 21 for eight.
Poet, librettist, and fabulist, Karthika Naïr is the coauthor of A Different Distance, renga written with Marilyn Hacker. Until the Lions: Echoes from the Mahabharata, her reimagining of the foundational South Asian epic in multiple voices, won the 2015 Tata Literature Live Award for Book of the Year, and was highly commended in the 2016 Forward Prizes. The dance performances Naïr has scripted and co-scripted have been staged at venues across the world. These include Akram Khan’s multiple-award-winning DESH and Until the Lions, and Carlos Pons Guerra’s Mariposa, a queer reimagining of Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Hacker and Naïr 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.

Story Hour: Back to School (ages 3–5)
2023-09-06 14:30 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
For this Story Hour, we’ll read stories about school and the classroom. Each Story Hour program features short picture books such as The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, and illustrated by Rafael Lopez, 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) Meditations on Life, Politics, and Journalism with Roger Cohen
2023-09-06 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. From China and Kyiv, to Afghanistan and Israel, to elections in Iran and the debacle of Brexit, for over forty years New York Times Paris bureau chief Roger Cohen has journeyed to all corners of the world to cover everything from truth and dissent, to dictatorship, revolution, and displacement.
Now, in An Affirming Flame: Meditations on Life and Politics, Cohen’s finest columns, dispatched from Tehran, China, Cairo, Libya, Vietnam, Gaza, Ukraine, Munich, Hungary, and Poland, and more, have been compiled together for the first time, accompanied by a never-before-seen essay on the state of the world. In these writings, offering an assessment of politics and journalism in the twenty-first century, Cohen traces out a path for the future of democracy. He will appear in conversation with European history expert Jacques Rupnik.
This event will be followed by a cocktail reception. Learn more:
Roger Cohen was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the invasion of Ukraine. Reporting for the New York Times, he recently traveled from Moscow to Siberia to the Ukrainian border, seeking to understand the “nationalist lurch into an unprovoked war and its mood more than 17 months into a conflict conceived as a lightning strike, only to become a lingering nightmare.” Discover what he found.
Watch Cohen’s appearance on CNN to discuss An Affirming Flame. When asked why he describes himself as a “stubborn optimist,” Cohen responded: “We have to believe in our capacity to improve the world.”
The title of Cohen’s book, An Affirming Flame, is the last line of a poem written by W.H. Auden on the eve of World War II. In the poem, Auden writes, “We must love one another or die.” Read it here.
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.
Jacques Rupnik was educated at the University of Paris-Sorbonne and at Harvard, is currently Research Professor at CERI-Sciences Po in Paris as well as visiting professor at the College of Europe in Bruges. Executive director of the International Commission for the Balkans he was previously advisor to president Vaclav Havel. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Cohen and Rupnik 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. Copies of An Affirming Flame 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.

Toddler Time (ages 1–3)
2023-09-07 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 The World and Everything In It by Kevin Henkes, which will be included in this 7 September event.
Our Toddler Time is for children ages 1–3 and their caregivers, and lasts 30 minutes. 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.

Teen Night: Capture the Flag (ages 12–18)
2023-09-08 19:00 - 21:00 | The American Library in Paris
Join us for a game of capture the flag on the Champ de Mars (weather permitting). We’ll meet at the Library to divide into teams and go over the rules of the game, then we’ll set out as a group to the Champ de Mars to play the game outdoors. We’ll be playing in two teams. Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager Celeste Rhoads, and Master Shot Film Club host Clarence Tokley will each lead a team.
In the case of light rain, we’ll go ahead and play. In the event of heavy rain or storms, we’ll move the event inside to play board games. You are welcome to call the Children’s and Teens’ Services Desk directly for an update before the event. Parents/guardians can pick up participating teens at the Library at 21h00. 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. A permission slip is required for this event.
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.

Music Together with Stacey Pavesi Debré (ages 0–5)
2023-09-09 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. 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) Journalism under Siege with The Dial and Forbidden Stories
2023-09-12 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
We live in a dangerous time for journalists. Killings of reporters are on the rise, while countless journalists have been forced to work in exile. Why are journalists such targets? How does this affect how they report? What can readers do to support the free press? Faced with danger, what can journalism do? We are delighted to welcome Madeleine Schwartz, editor-in-chief of global magazine of culture and politics the Dial, in conversation with Laurent Richard and Sandrine Rigaud of Forbidden Stories, an organization whose mission is to protect, pursue and publish the work of other journalists facing threats, prison, or murder. They will discuss their work bringing the work of endangered journalists to readers, share recent projects, and consider why journalism matters.
This event is organized in partnership with the Dial. Learn more:
Forbidden Stories enables journalists under threat to share dangerous information through secure channels, and carry on the work of reporters imprisoned or murdered for their work.
In their words: “We send a powerful signal to enemies of the free press: even if you succeed in stopping a single messenger, you will not stop the message. What is the point of killing a journalist if 10, 20 or 30 others are waiting in the wings to carry on their work? Collaboration is the best form of protection.” Learn more about the history of Forbidden Stories and discover the reporting they have brought to light.
“The world’s little magazine,” The Dial is a new online magazine of culture, politics, and ideas with a focus on locally sourced writing from around the world. A space where daring writers stage global conversations unconstrained by geography, the publication spotlights writers who write the world as they see it—from wherever they might be. Check out their recent issue, with contributors from Sudan, Ukraine, Sweden, Chile, South Korea, and more.
About the speakers:
Laurent Richard is a journalist, executive producer of investigative documentaries, founder and executive director of Forbidden Stories. A French award-winning investigative reporter for Premieres Lignes Television and 2017 Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan, he was named “European Journalist of the Year” at the Prix Europa in Berlin in 2018.
Sandrine Rigaud is a French investigative journalist. As editor of Forbidden Stories since 2019, she coordinated the “Pegasus Project” published in July 2021 and the “Cartel Project,” a massive cross-border collaboration to finish the investigations of a murdered Mexican journalist that won a George Polk Award and the Maria Moors Cabot Prize.
Madeleine Schwartz lives in Paris, where she writes about the rise of the far right, urban politics and art fraud. Her work appears in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker and the New York Review of Books, where she previously worked as an editor. In 2019, her article “The End of Atlanticism: Has Trump killed the ideology that won the cold war?” won the European Press Prize. She teaches journalism at Sciences Po. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Schwartz, Richard, and Rigaud 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.

Story Hour: Big Bad Wolves (ages 3–5)
2023-09-13 14:30 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
For this Story Hour, we’ll read stories about wolves—some big, some bad, and some very gentle. Each Story Hour program features short picture books such as The Girl and the Wolf by Katherena Vermette, illustrated by Julie Flett, as well as songs and rhymes.
This Story Hour will be hosted by Children and Teens Services Manager Celeste Rhoads, 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) Picking Evil Flowers with Gunnhild Øyehaug and Daniel Medin
2023-09-13 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
In partnership with the Center for Writers and Translators, Shakespeare and Company, and NORLA, we are delighted to present Norway’s most celebrated contemporary writer, Gunnhild Øyehaug, in conversation on her latest collection of short fiction Evil Flowers.
Across its 25 stories, Øyehaug renovates the form again and again, confirming Lydia Davis’s observation that each of her fictions is “a formal surprise, smart and droll.” Inspired by Charles Baudelaire, the groundbreaking book features an ornithologist whose brain slips into the toilet bowl, medicinal leeches that ingest information from fiberoptic cables, and an elderly woman who is trapped with a ravenous lion. Join us as we step inside Øyehaug’s wonderfully imaginative mind and explore the marvelous new directions she has paved for short fiction. Learn more:
Gunnhild Øyehaug was described in a 2017 New Yorker review as a “master of the short story.” Find out why.
Want to discover her innovative style first-hand? Read an excerpt from Evil Flowers.
About the speakers:
Gunnhild Øyehaug is an award-winning Norwegian poet, essayist, and fiction writer whose work has been translated into many languages. She teaches creative writing in Bergen.
Daniel Medin is an editor and professor of comparative literature at the American University of Paris. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Øyehaug and Medin 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 Evil Flowers 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.
