History Tour at the Library
2024-01-19 11:00 - 12:00, 2024-01-26 11:00 - 12:00, 2024-02-02 11:00 - 12:00, 2024-02-09 11:00 (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. 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: Library Hide and Seek (ages 12–18)
2024-01-19 19:00 - 21:00 | The American Library in Paris
Join us for an evening dedicated to indoor games including classic games such as hide and seek, as well as new adaptations and original creations.
This event will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager Celeste Rhoads, Children’s and Teens’ Services Intern Amber Auer with the help of Library volunteers.
Drinks and lights snacks 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. After-hours events for teens, such as Teen Nights, require a signed permission slip, which can be downloaded here. One permission slip is needed per academic year (September–July).
Questions about collections and programs for children and teens can be sent to the Library’s Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

Music Together with Stacey Pavesi Debré (ages 0–5)
2024-01-20 16:00 - 17:00 | The American Library in Paris
Today, it’s common for us to simply listen to music rather than create it ourselves. But actively making music—with our voices and our bodies—is important to children’s overall development. Since 1987, Music Together, has introduced millions of children, parents, and teachers to the joys of music-making and the powerful benefits of having music in their lives. In our family workshops children and parents learn together through active exploration and live, meaningful interaction. So, take out the earbuds and pick up the instruments we were all given at birth—ourselves! Each child (aged 0–5) should accompany one of their favorite grownups.
About Stacey Pavesi Debré: An American in Paris since 2014, Stacey has been passionate about music and learning her whole life. She studied piano and string bass, joined choirs, orchestras, a capella groups and musical theaters, and worked as a vocalist in Japan and a singing bartender in NYC. In 2017, Stacey founded Bébé Music Box to bring Music Together’s award-winning music and movement classes to families and schools in Paris. Our weekly mixed-age family classes are a fun, dynamic, and inspiring way for families to connect through music. Plus, because music learning supports all learning, the benefits for our young music-makers extend well beyond class. For more information about Bébé Music Box family classes or to contact Stacey, visit www.bbmusicbox.com. To read more about music’s magical effects on children, visit www.musictogether.com. Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Caregivers are expected to familiarize themselves with the Library Policy for Children and the Rules and Code of Conduct so that we can provide a pleasant library environment for all patrons. Caregivers must remain with their children for the duration of this program. Questions about collections and programs for children and teens can be sent to the Library’s Children and Teens Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

Library is closed
2024-01-21
The Library will be exceptionally closed on Sunday 21 January 2024.

Fashion Week: An Exclusive Review with Idris Balogun
2024-01-22 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Idris Balogun is the founder of WINNIE New York, a menswear brand that creates high-quality, long-wearing clothing. Balogun was born to Nigerian immigrants in New York and raised in London. His career has taken him to the heights of the sartorial world, from London’s Savile Road to the creative suites of Burberry and Tom Ford. With WINNIE New York, Balogun has brought his designs to runways in London, New York, and Paris.
The Library is pleased to welcome Balogun in conversation with internationally renowned stylist Julie Ragolia to discuss his Fall/Winter 2024 collection, inspired by the work of African American jazz poet Ted Joans. Over the course of this exclusive preview, Balogun and Ragolia will review Fall/Winter 2024-25 Fashion Week in Paris and assess the contemporary luxury landscape. In turn, they will meditate upon the meaning of clothing, the role of fashion in self-expression, and innovations at the horizons of modern design. Learn more:
Balogun’s latest collection takes inspiration from African American poet Ted Joans. For an introduction to Joans’s work, check out this video excerpt, which features his poetry performed alongside live jazz.
Be sure to browse the website of WINNIE New York to get a sense of Balogun’s designs.
About the speakers:
At a young age, Idris Balogun earned an apprenticeship on the prestigious Savile Row. There he was able to hone and master his skills as a cutter and tailor before moving on to Burberry, where under the direction of Christopher Bailey, he helped to develop a singular view of the Burberry lines. Shortly after, he began his career with Tom Ford, where he worked as the Director of Menswear and Made to Measure before launching his label. In 2022 Idris won the Karl Lagerfeld award for design. He founded WINNIE, a label informed by luxury in its purest form, in 2019.
Julie Ragolia is renowned internationally for her work as a fashion stylist and consultant. Her approach is strikingly modern, rooted in observation; creating a distinct effect across editorial stories, fashion shows and advertising campaigns. Born in Brooklyn, New York to complex means, art was a way forward. Her desire to understand her own life story compels her deep interest in subject, and the manner in which clothing can define, enhance or recreate one’s self.
About WINNIE New York:
WINNIE, a label informed by luxury in its purest form. It is our mission to merge a modern design identity with classic artisanal practices. A focus on exceptional fabric, tailoring and craftsmanship is at the forefront of the brand’s core values. After holding positions at Tom Ford and Burberry, Idris Balogun founded WINNIE in 2019, as an ode to his grandmother. From the outset, WINNIE has endeavored to deliver the utmost quality product made in Italy, and is stocked worldwide at retailers including SSENSE, Mytheresa, Tasoni, Très Bien and MATCHESFASHION. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Balogun and Ragolia 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.

(Hybrid) Paris of the Present with Will Mountain Cox
2024-01-23 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Tired of romanticized visions of the Paris of the past, author Will Mountain Cox sets out in Roundabout to write Paris present: from the Notre Dame fire, to the November 2015 attacks, to concerns of gentrification, climate, and hyper-tourism. Cox, founder of the Belleville Park Pages, first proposed this present-tense vision in With Paris in Mind, a collection of interviews which dismisses the mythology of Paris as a city of artists and features the voices of the new creative generation. This generation is depicted yet again with attentiveness and insight in Roundabout— this time, through the prism of fiction. Ever sensitive to the spirit of the age, Cox will speak at the Library about the living Parisian cultural landscape.
About the speaker:
Will Mountain Cox is a writer from Portland, Oregon, living in Paris, France. His work has appeared in Forever Magazine, Hobart, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Shabby Doll House, and The Drunken Canal. He is the author of With Paris in Mind and was a cofounder of the literary magazine Belleville Park Pages. He is a graduate of Boston University and Sciences Po. Roundabout is his debut novel. Learn more:
Cox appeared on France 24 for an interview on With Paris in Mind, his book of collected interviews with artists in Paris. Watch on France 24.
Read one of Cox’s short stories published in the online magazine Vol. 1 Brooklyn.
Discover an excerpt of Roundabout in English and in French in an online journal dedicated to the 20th arrondissement. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (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. Copies of Roundabout 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: That's Ridiculous! (ages 3–5)
2024-01-24 14:30 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
For this Story Hour, we’ll read truly ridiculous, laugh-out-loud reads. Each Story Hour program features short picture books such as Penguin Problems by Jory John, illustrated by Lane Smith (pictured here), as well as songs and rhymes.
This Story Hour will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager Celeste Rhoads and Children’s and Teens’ Services Intern Amber Auer. They will read books and lead you and your little one in songs and hand-rhymes during a live, interactive session. 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:
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) Europe’s Past and Future with Timothy Garton Ash
2024-01-24 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
In recent years, populist and authoritarian regimes have gained momentum across Europe, and democratic norms have shown signs of erosion. How can we understand the tectonic shifts that have shaped contemporary Europe? What lessons can Europe learn from its own recent past?
With his new book, Homelands: A Personal History of Europe, Timothy Garton Ash braids personal memoir together with political analysis to produce a sweeping account of Europe in the last half-century. Drawing from his extensive experience as a journalist and a historian, Garton Ash expertly guides his readers through the various political transformations that have unfolded in Europe over the course of his own lifetime.
This event will be moderated by writer and academic, Thomas Dodman.
About the speakers:
Timothy Garton Ash is a political writer and Professor of European Studies at the University of Oxford. He is a longtime proponent of free speech, an advocate for liberal democracy, and an expert in international relations. He has written eleven books, most of which examine the contemporary history of Europe and European politics. His latest book, Homelands: A Personal History of Europe (2023) is set to be translated into nineteen languages. His journalism has appeared in The Guardian, The New York Review of Books, Prospect Magazine, and more.
Thomas Dodman is Associate Professor in the Department of French at Columbia University and director of the History & Literature program at Columbia’s Global Center in Paris. He is the author of What Nostalgia Was: War, Empire and the Time of a Deadly Emotion (Chicago) and he coedits the journal Sensibilités (Anamosa), whose latest issue is Race, l’ombre portée. He is currently a fellow at the Institute for Ideas & Imagination at Reid Hall. Learn more:
Garton Ash has written a column on international affairs for The Guardian since 2004. You can peruse his work here.
In 2011, Garton Ash launched the Free Speech Debate, an online project that brings together journalists, scholars, and businesspeople from around the world to discuss speech-related issues. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Garton Ash 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 Homelands 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 Registration Full) (Hybrid) Entre Nous: Art as Social Action with Peter Sellars and Yasmine Seale
2024-01-25 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
How can a director’s choices bring fresh perspectives to centuries-old operas and plays? What kinds of creative processes do theater directors engage with as they plan their productions? And, more generally, how can the arts act as catalysts for social change? The Library is delighted to welcome Peter Sellars, one of the leading living figures of theatrical history. From setting Così fan tutte in a diner in Cape Cod and The Marriage of Figaro in a luxury apartment in Trump Tower), to having worked with artists such as Warhol and received praise from critics such as Edward Said, Sellars’ groundbreaking stagings of classical and contemporary operas and plays have made him one of the most compelling director of our times. Discover his method of breaking into art, forging a theater of the present.
Sellars will speak in conversation with writer and translator Yasmine Seale.
Please note that in-person registration to this event is now full. Online registration is still available.
Learn more:
Among Sellars’s most famous productions was his late-1980s staging of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, which Sellars set in New York City’s East Harlem. Watch a recording of the production.
Last year, Sellars directed a production of Richard Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde at the Opéra Bastille. See him describe his vision for that production.
Yasmine Seale appeared at the Library last year to speak with author Kate Briggs. Rewatch their discussion.
About the speakers:
Peter Sellars is an internationally acclaimed director. He is best known for his innovative interpretations of operatic masterpieces. Since 1988, Sellars has been a professor at UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures / Dance. His production of Vincenzo Bellini’s Beatrice di Tenda will be performed Opéra Bastille in February and March of 2024. Book your tickets here!
Yasmine Seale is a writer whose work includes poetry, criticism, translation and visual art. Her essays on literature, art and film have appeared in many places, including Harper’s, The Nation, Paris Review, and the Times Literary Supplement. Among her books are Agitated Air: Poems After Ibn Arabi (Tenement Press), a collaboration with Robin Moger, and The Annotated Arabian Nights (W. W. Norton), described by the New Yorker as “an electric new translation”. She is currently a fellow of the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library.
The Entre Nous series is co-organized by Columbia Global Centers | Paris, the Institute for Ideas and Imagination, and the American Library in Paris.
Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (the speakers will appear in the Reading Room), the Library will stream the conversation on Zoom for a live viewing experience. Both in-person and online attendees will be able to pose questions.
This event requires advance registration.
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: Messy Art Night (ages 12–18)
2024-01-26 19:00 - 21:00 | The American Library in Paris
Join us for an evening dedicated to creative exploration. Try your hand at some of the messier art mediums such as pastels, charcoal, and more.
This event will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager Celeste Rhoads, Children’s and Teens’ Services Intern Amber Auer with the help of Library volunteers.
Drinks and light snacks 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. After-hours events for teens, such as Teen Nights, require a signed permission slip, which can be downloaded here. One permission slip is needed per academic year (September–July).
Questions about collections and programs for children and teens can be sent to the Library’s Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

Saturday Series: DIY Accordion Books (ages 6–12)
2024-01-27 11:00 - 12:00 | The American Library in Paris
Participants in this workshop will take a look at examples of accordion books, and then construct their own using cardstock, scissors, paper, glue, and recycled materials. Then particpants will have a chance to fill their books with an original story, drawings, or cartoons. All supplies will be provided by the Library.
This event will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Intern Amber Auer with the help of Library volunteers. The 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.

Choosing a Country for Your Child's University Education with Richard Montauk (ages 14–adult)
2024-01-27 14:00 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
In seeking the best opportunities for your child’s university education, it’s hard to know where to look. Which countries should you focus on? What are the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing a degree in one country rather than another? How can you make the most of the advantages and minimize the disadvantages? This presentation will explore a dozen countries’ offerings (all taught in English). We’ll examine a range of schools and programs, including their:

International and local standing
Tuition (price) for different subjects
Length
Flexibility (one subject vs. multiple)
Student experience
Application process & deadlines
Difficulty of admission

We’ll also look at a variety of other issues, such as opportunities to transfer from one university to another, how to combine bachelor’s and master’s programs to best effect, key decision criteria, and more.

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.

(In-Person Only) Screening: American Pavilion at Cannes Emerging Filmmakers
2024-01-30 18:50 - 21:30 | The American Library in Paris
Join us for a night at the Library celebrating cinema and up and coming filmmakers with a special screening event in partnership with The American Pavilion at Cannes and Deadline.
The American Pavilion’s Emerging Filmmaker Showcase has provided an opportunity for filmmakers to share their work with Cannes Festival and Film Market attendees. The Library will be transformed into a cinema, as we will be screening the past Emerging Filmmaker Showcase winners from the past six years.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with Deadline’s Diana Lodderhose and the filmmakers to learn more about their work.
The evening will conclude with a networking reception where aspiring and professional filmmakers–along with casual film lovers–can connect over a love of cinema.
In May, we will screen the winner of the American Pavilion’s 2024 Showcase following the conclusion of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Please note, this event will be In Person only. Guests are invited to arrive from 18h30 onwards for opening remarks at 18h50 before the screening’s start time at 19h00.
About the films:
MAN OF THE HOUR
Jury Award Winner 2018
Directors: Linda Ludwig & James Curle
Gemma receives a mysterious invitation to the birthday party of an enigmatic millionaire, Jeremy. She must pass herself off as Jeremy’s old friend and mingle with his glittering guests. But Gemma cannot help but wonder who Jeremy is and why he has tasked her with such a peculiar job – there’s something more to him than meets the eye.
SYLVIA
Jury Award Winner 2019
Writer/Director: Richard Prendergast Producer: Rachel Prendergast
A car. A family. An unwanted destination.
NOISY
Jury Award Winner 2022
Writer/Director: Cedric Hill
Sam gets on the subway to get home. He catches the eye of April. The two of them discover they have way more in common than where they’re heading. Sometimes you need a noisy place to have a quiet conversation.
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
Jury Award Winner 2023
Producer/Writer/Director: Goga Clay
Ibinabo, a young husband and father-to-be, lives an unremarkable but exemplary life. He strives to prove himself to his boss, but gets caught up in the horrors of the October 2020 protests against police brutality.
GIRL WITH A THERMAL GUN
Jury Award Winner 2021
Writer/Director: Rongfei Guo
During the pandemic, a grocery delivery man is busier than ever. He receives orders, fills shopping carts, and delivers packages. Receive, fill, deliver; from dawn to dusk, day in and day out. He navigates strange streets and knocks on unfamiliar doors. As he grows tired, a feeling of loneliness washes over him and he begins to feel defeated—until he suddenly finds a thermal gun pressed to his forehead.
MASTER MAGGIE
Jury Award Winner 2020
Director: Matthew Bonifacio
Writer: Julianna Gelinas Bonifacio, Matthew Bonifacio
A celebrity acting coach is interrupted by an unknown actor begging for her help for a TV audition. What follows is an unexpected journey for the both of them.
About the speakers:
Diana Lodderhose has been working in global film journalism since 2005. Before returning to Deadline in 2021 to focus on features for international film and television, she was previously International Reporter for the site. She is based in London and has frequently covered all the major film festivals and markets including Cannes, Berlin, AFM, Toronto and Sundance. Prior to joining Deadline, Diana was the UK correspondent for Variety and also covered film news and box office at Screen International.
About the American Pavilion’s Emerging Filmmaker Showcase:
Since 1989, The American Pavilion has offered unparalleled experiences in Cannes to film students and emerging filmmakers from around the world. AmPav’s Emerging Filmmaker Showcase provides an opportunity for filmmakers to have their works seen by Cannes Festival and Film Market attendees. If you are an aspiring filmmaker, submit your short film to the 2024 American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase!
Important information: This event requires advance registration. The discussion will be in person only. Our partners and filmmakers will appear in the Reading Room, and the discussion will not be recorded. Please note this event’s early start time.
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.

Story Hour: Flying Machines (ages 3–5)
2024-01-31 14:30 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
For this Story Hour, we’ll read books about aircrafts—including stories that are factual and stories that are fictional! Each Story Hour program features short picture books such as Jumbo Jet: The Making of the Boeing 747 by Chris Gall (pictured here), as well as songs and rhymes.
This Story Hour will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager Celeste Rhoads and Children’s and Teens’ Services Intern Amber Auer. They will read books and lead you and your little one in songs and hand-rhymes during a live, interactive session. 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’s and Teens’ Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

(Hybrid) Writing Disaster with Adam Levin
2024-01-31 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
A one-in-ten-billion natural disaster devastates Chicago. A Jewish comedian, his most devoted fan, and the city’s mayor must struggle to move forward while the world—quite literally—caves beneath their feet.
A sprawling work of meta-fiction, Mount Chicago follows the mapless mayor who wants to build Mount Chicago, a memorial to the disaster victims that is “as moving as Auschwitz” but “less depressing.” Mount Chicago is a story of Chicago-style politics and political correctness, stand-up comedy and Jewish identity, and the absurdist semantics of disaster. With his third novel, Adam Levin has created a monument to laughter, love, art, and resilience in an age of spectacular loss. Join him in conversation with author Amanda Dennis as they consider the contours of the sublime and the surreal, and the writing that surmounts fiction itself.
About the speakers:
Adam Levin is the author of the novels The Instructions, Bubblegum, and Mount Chicago, as well as the story collection, Hot Pink. His writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, and Playboy. He has been a New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award winner, a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, and a National Jewish Book Award finalist. He lives in Chicago.
Amanda Dennis is the author of the novel, Her Here, and a non-fiction book about Samuel Beckett, Beckett and Embodiment. Her writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Times Literary Supplement, and Guernica, among other places. She has held fellowships from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Columbia and Cambridge Universities, and UC Berkeley’s center for the humanities in Madrid. She lives in Paris, where she is Assistant Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the American University of Paris. Learn more:
In a glowing New York Times review, author Dan Chaon praised Levin’s “sustained, operatic balance of comedy, grief and despair,” calling the book a “a genuinely breathtaking achievement.”. Read more.
Levin was interviewed by the Chicago Review of Books about his influences, meta-fiction, and the city of Chicago. Read the interview.
Amanda Dennis appeared virtually at Evenings with an Author to discuss her novel Her Here, an existential detective story. Rewatch the conversation. 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.
Evenings with an Author are free and open to the public (with a 10€ suggested donation)
thanks to the generous support of Gregory Annenberg Weingarten of GRoW @ Annenberg.

Toddler Time (ages 1–3)
2024-02-01 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 1 February event.
Our Toddler Time is for children ages 1–3 and their caregivers, and lasts 30 minutes. The program is entirely in English, as are all of our events for children and teens. No translation will be provided. This session will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager Celeste Rhoads. Each child must be accompanied by an adult chaperone, and chaperones are required to remain with their children for the duration of the program. Parents and caregivers are expected to sit with their children beside them, or in their laps, and participate in the program. Important information:
Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Caregivers are expected to familiarize themselves with the Library Policy for Children and the Rules and Code of Conduct so that we can provide a pleasant library environment for all patrons. Questions about collections and programs for children and teens can be sent to the Library’s Children and Teens Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

Saturday Series: Geometric Art Exploration (ages 6–12)
2024-02-03 11:00 - 12:00 | The American Library in Paris
Participants in this workshop will take a look at examples of geometric art, and then make their own masterpieces. All supplies will be provided by the Library.
This event will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Intern Amber Auer with the help of Library volunteers. The 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.

(In-Person) Experimental Fiction as Philosophical Experiment Part 1 with Justin Smith-Ruiu
2024-02-03 15:00 - 17:00 | The American Library in Paris
From Plato’s Symposium to the Bhagavad Ghita, to more recent figures such as Sartre and Camus, some of the most significant philosophical texts of human history have been written in the mode of storytelling. Avoiding the path of didactic truth, authors use basic tools of character and plot to tease out nuanced meditations upon love, truth, politics, enlightenment, and life itself.
How does fiction lend itself to philosophical inquiry? In what ways does philosophy, in turn, broaden the horizons of fiction? When looked at closely enough, where do the boundaries between fiction and philosophy exist–if such boundaries exist at all? And how can writers begin to do philosophy through fiction?
Philosopher, author, and historian Justin Smith-Ruiu is an expert in undertaking experimental fiction as a form of philosophizing. Over the course of three sessions, he will share his perspective on the relationship between philosophy and experiment, and demonstrate the role of creativity in the philosophical project.
The workshop will unfold over three two-hour sessions. These will take place in person at the Library on 3 February, 10 February, and 17 February from 15h00 to 17h00 CET and are open to both Library Members and non-members. Please register here by filling out the form at the bottom of the page.
In the first meeting, participants will be introduced to the subject matter of philosophical fiction, reading and discussing examples of philosophical texts. In the following two meetings, participants will bring their own ideas to the table through exercises and critique. We will explore thinking differently, writing strangely, and the avenues of expression which open up to us when we dare to break the rules.
Week One:

What is philosophy? What is fiction? How do the two overlap? Some key moments in history: Lucian of Samosata, True History; Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote; Margaret Cavendish, Blazing-World; Voltaire, Candide.
Why have some philosophers and some traditions preferred literary engagement with philosophical problems to direct argumentative treatises? Dostoyevsky, Brothers Karamazov; Sartre, Nausea.
What is “experiment”? How do genre-bending works, between philosophy and literature, help to illuminate the nature of both? Jorge Luis Borges, Ficciones; Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities; OuLiPo.
What are the nature and aims of Justin Smith-Ruiu’s activities in this domain? With special attention to In Search of the Third Bird and other more recent work.
Week One objective: devising our own projects.

Please note, this event and other workshop events require advance registration and payment. Please register here by filling out the form at the bottom of the page.
Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes.

Pop Up Cards (ages 12–18)
2024-02-04 16:00 - 17:00 | The American Library in Paris
From classic tales in pop-up form, to fold-out castles, the Library’s collection of pop-up books includes many a variety of beautiful titles. Take a look at examples of pop-up books as a group, and learn about the structure behind these creations, then make your own pop-up card inspired by what you learned. All supplies will be provided by the Library.

This event will be hosted by Assistant Children’s and Teens’ Services Librarian Laurine with the help of Library volunteers. Light refreshments will be provided.
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.

(In-Person Full) (Hybrid) Changing the World for Women with Catharine A. MacKinnon and Kate Kirkpatrick
2024-02-06 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Join us at the Library for a conversation about activism and the law with one the most distinguished thought leaders and public intellectual voices of our time.
Catharine A. MacKinnon has been at the forefront of legal and social fights for gender equality for nearly fifty years. In 1979, she was the first to make the groundbreaking argument that sexual harassment in the workplace violates laws against sex discrimination, setting the legal groundwork for the #MeToo revolution forty years later. Over the course of her career, MacKinnon has contributed to countless issues, including pornography and prostitution, and court cases that have resulted in unparalleled gains for women’s rights. She has developed a robust philosophy devoted to equality.
Prior to the present book, MacKinnon’s Butterfly Politics collected essays and speeches from her fifty years of fighting for legal and social change. The title refers to the “butterfly effect:” the idea that a butterfly opening and closing its wings can–under the right conditions–cause a tornado on the other side of the world. Considering a legal system built to keep inequality in place which can be transformed into a tool to provide equality rights, MacKinnon develops the metaphor of the “butterfly effect” to propose simple steps that everyone can take to generate large-scale social change.
MacKinnon will be joined in conversation with former American Library in Paris Visiting Fellow and renowned feminist philosopher Kate Kirkpatrick.
About the speakers:
Catharine A. MacKinnon is an internationally renowned scholar, lawyer and jurist. She pioneered the legal claim for sexual harassment and with clients conceived and established the legal recognition of rape as an act of genocide in international law. Her theory of equality is increasingly being embraced around the world.
Kate Kirkpatrick is a philosopher based at Regent’s Park College, University of Oxford. Her research focuses primarily on French phenomenology and existentialism; feminism; and ethics. She is author of several books and articles on these topics and an internationally acclaimed biography of Simone de Beauvoir, Becoming Beauvoir: A Life (Bloomsbury, 2019), which has been translated into over a dozen languages. She is currently writing a philosophical commentary on Beauvoir’s The Second Sex.
Portrait of Catharine A. MacKinnon by ©Camille McOuat Learn more:
In 2017, MacKinnon wrote a piece for The Guardian about the legal history that gave rise to the #MeToo movement. Read it here.
For an introduction to MacKinnon’s approach to law and social change in her most recent book, Butterfly Politics, check out this video. 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. Copies of Le Viol Redéfini and Butterfly Politics 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 Tome7 and 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: From Turtles to T-Rex (ages 3–5)
2024-02-07 14:30 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
For this Story Hour, we’ll read books all about reptiles—from turtles to Tyrannosaurus rex. Each Story Hour program features short picture books such as Tea Rex by Molly Idle (pictured here), as well as songs and rhymes.
This Story Hour will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager Celeste Rhoads and Children’s and Teens’ Services Intern Amber Auer. They will read books and lead you and your little one in songs and hand-rhymes during a live, interactive session. 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: 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) Dispatches from Insomnia with Marie Darrieussecq
2024-02-07 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Sleep is a basic and essential bodily function, but it is not always easily achieved. We have all experienced it at one time or another: a night of sleepless torment, in which our minds refuse to slip into unconsciousness, even despite our exhaustion.
For decades, Marie Darrieussecq has struggled with insomnia. She is in good company, especially among writers: famous literary insomniacs include Marcel Proust, Franz Kafka, Virginia Woolf, Marguerite Duras, and Georges Perec. In her new book Sleepless (translated into English by Penny Hueston), Darrieussecq explores the contours of her own sleepless nights and finds camaraderie with the sleep-deprived writers of days gone by. Combining memoir, literary history, cultural criticism, and photography, Darrieussecq flits between various cultural histories of sleeplessness, including considerations of motherhood, homelessness, travel, and meditation. Described in the Los Angeles Review of Books as being “like an encyclopedia composed according to the logic of dream sequences”, the book is a witty and poetic kaleidoscope of restlessness.
About the speaker:
Marie Darrieussecq was born in Bayonne in 1969 and is recognized as one of the leading voices of contemporary French literature. Her first novel, Pig Tales, was translated into thirty-five languages. She has written more than twenty books. Text has published Tom Is Dead, All the Way, Men, Being Here: The Life of Paula Modersohn-Becker, Our Life in the Forest, The Baby and Crossed Lines. In 2013 Marie Darrieussecq was awarded the Prix Médicis and the Prix des Prix for her novel Men. She has written art criticism and journalism for a number of publications, including Libération and Charlie Hebdo, and is also a translator from English and has practised as a psychoanalyst. She lives in Paris. Learn more:
Darrieussecq recently appeared in conversation with novelist and poet Deborah Levy and cultural critic Lauren Elkin–both of whom were also recent guests at the American Library! Watch their conversation here.
A review in The Guardian calls Sleepless “electric” and “musical.” Read the review here.
You can find an excerpt from Sleepless here, through the MIT Press Reader. About Fitzcarraldo February at the Library:
This program is part of Fitzcarraldo February, a series of events at The American Library in Paris featuring authors who have recently published books with the London-based independent publisher Fitzcarraldo Editions.
Known for their distinctive blue and white covers, and esteemed for their highly selective catalogue, Fitzcarraldo is the leading publisher of innovative, boundary-pushing literature. Founded in 2014 with the mission to publish only twenty-two works per year, the publishing house has already established itself as champion of the most exciting and ambitious literary voices of our time, including four Nobel Prize-winning writers: Svetlana Alexievich (2015), Olga Tokarczuk (2018), Annie Ernaux (2022), and Jon Fosse (2023). The Library is delighted to welcome Marie Darrieussecq, Thea Lenarduzzi, Claudia Durastanti, Vanessa Onwuemezi, Kirsty Bell, and Brian Dillon, all of whose work explores the frontiers of genre, form, and craft, challenging us to rethink what writing can do.
Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (the speaker will appear in the Reading Room), the Library will stream the conversation on Zoom for a live viewing experience. Both in-person and online attendees will be able to pose questions.
Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes. Read along with the Library! If you want to prepare ahead of this event, copies of Sleepless and Pas Dormir will be on sale one week in advance, as well as after the event. Stop by Member Services to purchase your copy. Books are generously provided by Smith&Son and Tome7.
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 at the Center for the Art of Translation) The International Library: Global Indigenous Stories
2024-02-07 22:00 - 23:00 | The Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11217, United States
In person at the Center for the Art of Translation (San Francisco) and over Zoom, Linnea Axelsson and Alexis Wright explore the legacy of colonialism across the globe. Axelsson’s Ædnan, translated by Saskia Vogel, is a multigenerational novel-in-verse about two Sámi families and their quest to stay together across a century of migration, violence, and colonial trauma. Weaving together the voices of half a dozen characters, Ædnan is a powerful reminder of how durable language can be, even when it is borrowed, especially when it has to hold what no longer remains. Wright’s Praiseworthy is a phantasmagorical epic following one family contending with interconnected crises amidst a mysterious cloud encroaching on their Northern Australian town, heralding both an ecological catastrophe and a gathering of the ancestors.
A cry of outrage against oppression and disadvantage and a fable for the end of days, Praiseworthy pushes allegory and language to its limit. Pulitzer finalist Tommy Orange (There There) will moderate a conversation between Axelsson, Wright, and Vogel about their novels; the past, present, and future of indigeneity and colonialism; and writing across time, place, and form.
About the speakers:
Linnea Axelsson is a Sámi-Swedish writer, born in the province of North Bothnia in Sweden. In 2018, she was awarded the August Prize for this book. She lives in Stockholm, Sweden. Linnea’s US tour is being implemented with the assistance of a grant from the Swedish Arts Council.
Saskia Vogel is an author and translator from Los Angeles, now living in Berlin. She was awarded the Berlin Senate grant for non-German literature and two English PEN Translates Awards and was a PEN America Translation Prize finalist. She is Princeton University’s Fall 2022 Translator in Residence.
Alexis Wright is a member of the Waanyi nation of the southern highlands of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The author of the prize-winning novels Carpentaria, The Swan Book, and Praiseworthy. Wright has published three works of nonfiction: Take Power, an oral history of the Central Land Council; Grog War, a study of alcohol abuse in the Northern Territory; and Tracker, an award-winning collective memoir of Aboriginal leader Tracker Tilmouth. Her work has been translated into Chinese, Polish, French, and Italian. She held the position of Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature at the University of Melbourne between 2017–2022. Wright is the only author to win both the Miles Franklin Award (in 2007 for Carpentaria) and the Stella Prize (in 2018 for Tracker).
Tommy Orange is a graduate of the MFA program at the Institute of American Indian Arts. An enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, he was born and raised in Oakland, California. His first book, There There, was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize and received the 2019 American Book Award. He lives in Oakland, CA.
Important information: This is a livestreamed event with an in-person audience at The Center for the Art of Translation (San Francisco). Axelsson, Vogel, and Orange will be hosted by the Center for the Art of Translation at The Center for Architecture + Design, 140 Sutter St., San Francisco (1pm PT) with Wright joining remotely.
Access to this event requires registration through the Center for the Art of Translation. Click on the button below to RSVP.
About The International Library
Conversations across time, place, and language
Join the American Library in Paris, the Center for the Art of Translation, and The Center for Fiction for conversations across time, place, culture, and literary tradition, with live audiences in San Francisco, Brooklyn, and Paris.
At the intersection of theory and practice, past and present, as well as story and history, The International Library celebrates the live diffusion of in-person conversations in the hope of conjuring new possibilities and connecting new audiences across land and sea for a collective, intercultural experience.
Over the course of these conversations, we hope to broach the following questions about writing and translation: Who gets to translate? To be translated? How to translate? And for whom to translate? More broadly, the series will guide readers to think critically about how stories are told, investigating the points of view, the timing of the translations, and the intended or assumed audiences as well as inspiration, philosophy, and craft.

(In Person Full) (Hybrid) Marquee Event: Dickens in Appalachia with Barbara Kingsolver
2024-02-08 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Evenings with an Author at the American Library in Paris is thrilled to continue our marquee series spotlighting exceptional thinkers of our age. Join Pulitzer Prize-winning author Barbara Kingsolver to discuss narrating Appalachia.
Barbara Kingsolver first rocketed to literary fame with her 1998 novel The Poisonwood Bible. Over the past year, she has swept the global literary marketplace yet again with the release of her new novel, Demon Copperhead, a spirited retelling of Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield. Kingsolver draws energy from Dickens’s beloved plot and characters, but with a crucial difference: her setting is not Dickens’s London, but contemporary Appalachia–specifically, the mountains of southwest Virginia. Like Dickens’s novel before it, Demon Copperhead confronts and condemns a range of social problems. Kingsolver’s targets include the opioid crisis, the foster care system, and the economic abandonment of Appalachia. Demon Copperhead offers a vivid portrayal of rural American life, reclaiming hero status for a region that is often ignored or disparaged in American film, television, and literature.
Please note that in-person registration is now full. Online registration is still available and free of charge. Learn more:
Kingsolver has won widespread praise for the strong voice of her protagonist and first-person narrator, Damon Fields (nicknamed “Demon Copperhead). Read the opening paragraphs of the novel here.
The New York Times published a profile on Kingsolver and her work in 2022. Read it here.
About the speaker:
Barbara Kingsolver was born in 1955, and grew up in rural Kentucky. She earned degrees in biology from DePauw University and the University of Arizona, and has worked as a freelance writer and author since 1985. At various times in her adult life she has lived in England, France, and the Canary Islands, and has worked in Europe, Africa, Asia, Mexico, and South America. She spent two decades in Tucson, Arizona, before moving to southwestern Virginia where she currently resides.
Demon Copperhead was named an Oprah Book Club selection immediately upon publication, and in 2023 was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Demon Copperhead also received Britain’s prestigious Women’s Prize for Fiction (formerly known as the Orange Prize), making Kingsolver the first author in the history of the prize to receive the award twice.
Kingsolver established the Bellwether Prize for Fiction, the nation’s largest prize for an unpublished first novel, which since 1998 has helped to establish the careers of more than a half dozen new literary voices. Through a recent agreement, the prize has now become the PEN / Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction.
Since June 2004, Barbara and her family have lived on a farm in southern Appalachia, where they raise an extensive vegetable garden and Icelandic sheep. Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Kingsolver 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 Demon Copperhead 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.

Teen Night: Ping Pong Play Off (ages 12–18)
2024-02-09 19:00 - 21:00 | The American Library in Paris
Meet other teen Library members, and English-speakers as you compete in teams (double-matches). No previous experience is necessary. We’ll go over the rules of ping-pong/table tennis at the start of the evening.
This event will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager Celeste Rhoads, Children’s and Teens’ Services Intern Amber Auer with the help of Library volunteers.
Drinks and light snacks 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. After-hours events for teens, such as Teen Nights, require a signed permission slip, which can be downloaded here. One permission slip is needed per academic year (September–July).
Questions about collections and programs for children and teens can be sent to the Library’s Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

DIY Valentines (ages 3–12)
2024-02-10 11:00 - 12:00 | The American Library in Paris
Enjoy a Valentine’s Day story, then make your own original Valentines. Experiment with different artistic techniques to make a truly heart-felt Valentine for friends and family, and try creating your own original Valentine jokes and puns to make your friends and family smile.
This event will be hosted by Children and Teens Services Manager Celeste Rhoads with the help of Library volunteers. The 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 ages 6–12 may participate in the program on their own, while their chaperone remains inside the Library. Children ages 3–6 must have a chaperone with them at all times.

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) Experimental Fiction as Philosophical Experiment Part 2 with Justin Smith-Ruiu
2024-02-10 15:00 - 17:00 | The American Library in Paris
From Plato’s Symposium to the Bhagavad Ghita, to more recent figures such as Sartre and Camus, some of the most significant philosophical texts of human history have been written in the mode of storytelling. Avoiding the path of didactic truth, authors use basic tools of character and plot to tease out nuanced meditations upon love, truth, politics, enlightenment, and life itself.
How does fiction lend itself to philosophical inquiry? In what ways does philosophy, in turn, broaden the horizons of fiction? When looked at closely enough, where do the boundaries between fiction and philosophy exist–if such boundaries exist at all? And how can writers begin to do philosophy through fiction?
Philosopher, author, and historian Justin Smith-Ruiu is an expert in undertaking experimental fiction as a form of philosophizing. Over the course of three sessions, he will share his perspective on the relationship between philosophy and experiment, and demonstrate the role of creativity in the philosophical project.
The workshop will unfold over three two-hour sessions. These will take place in person at the Library on 3 February, 10 February, and 17 February from 15h00 to 17h00 CET and are open to both Library Members and non-members. Please register here by filling out the form at the bottom of the page.
In the first meeting, participants will be introduced to the subject matter of philosophical fiction, reading and discussing examples of philosophical texts. In the following two meetings, participants will bring their own ideas to the table through exercises and critique. We will explore thinking differently, writing strangely, and the avenues of expression which open up to us when we dare to break the rules.
Week Two:

What is “metafiction”? Milorard Pavić, Dictionary of the Khazars; Roberto Bolaño, Nazi Literature in the Americas; Han Shaogong, A Dictionary of Maqiao.
How does new technology shape our idea of what is possible / permissible in fiction-writing? Can there be internet-specific fiction? What can it / will it look like?
Week Two Objective: Developing our project

Please note, this event and other workshop events require advance registration and payment. Please register here by filling out the form at the bottom of the page.
Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes.
