The American Library in Paris

(Hybrid) The Inseparables with Lauren Elkin and Deborah Levy
2022-05-24 20:00 - 21:00 (Europe/Paris) | The American Library in Paris
Join Evenings with an Author in collaboration with the London Review Bookshop* to discuss
The Inseparables
with novelists Lauren Elkin and Deborah Levy
Click here to RSVP to watch the live stream at the Library

Click here to RSVP to watch online
Written in 1954 but unpublished until after her death, Simone de Beauvoir’s The Inseparables is an intimate portrait, based on life, of female friendship on the cusp of womanhood. Its translator into English Lauren Elkin writes in her introductory note ‘“So is it any good?” people have asked me when I’ve told them I’m translating a ‘lost’ novel by Simone de Beauvoir … And I am relieved to say: yes. It is more than good. It is poignant, chilling and eviscerating.’
Elkin, author of Flâneuse and No. 91/92: Notes on a Parisian Commute will be in conversation with novelist and essayist Deborah Levy who has contributed an introduction to the UK edition. The event will be chaired by Alice McCrum, programs manager at the American Library in Paris.
Click here to RSVP to watch the live stream at the Library

Click here to RSVP to watch online
About the speakers:
Lauren Elkin’s writing on books, art, and culture have appeared in a variety of international publications including the London Review of Books, the New York Times, and Le Monde, among many others. A scholar of literature, Elkin has taught at New York University, the American University of Paris, the University of Liverpool, and the Université de Paris-Denis Diderot. Elkin’s last book, Flâneuse: Women Walk the City, was a finalist for the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay, a New York Times Notable Book of 2017, and a Radio 4 Book of the Week.

Deborah Levy is a novelist, playwright, and poet. Her novels Swimming Home (2011) and Hot Milk (2016) were shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and her works The Man Who Saw Everything (2019) and Black Vodka (2013) were longlisted. The final volume of her pioneering ‘living autobiography’ trilogy, winner of the Prix Femina Etranger 2020, was published in May 2021.

Registration required. Free and open to the public.
*The discussion will take place in-person at the London Review Bookshop. The Library will host a free screening of the conversation in the Reading Room for a live viewing experience.
Click here to RSVP to watch the live stream at the Library

Click here to RSVP to watch online
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Important on-site information regarding COVID-19: Masks remain strongly recommended, per the French Ministry of Health.

Roald Dahl Book Club (ages 8–12)
2022-05-22 14:00 - 15:00 | 75013
Roald Dahl Book Club

For ages 8–12

Join Children’s and Teens’ Services Librarian Kirsty and volunteers in the Children’s Library to read, play games, and answer trivia as you explore the work of Roald Dahl!
Each child (aged 8–12) may participate in the program on their own, while their chaperone remains inside the Library.

Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Please note: masks are strongly encouraged for all Library visitors ages 6 and up, staff, and volunteers. 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.

Children in the Library Policy

Register here

We are an independent, nonprofit organization celebrating our 101st year of service. With your continued support, we are able to provide over 200 programs each year for ages 0–18. If you would like to support the Library, you can make a donation to help sustain this vital institution, and programs such as this one.

Donate to the Library

YA Fantasy Book Club: "Throne of Glass" (ages 12–adult)
2022-05-21 14:00 - 15:00 | 75013
YA Fantasy Book Club: “Throne of Glass”

For ages 12–adult

Join fantasy fans to discuss new worlds and novels with like-minded readers.

New book club members are always welcome! Participants are welcome to attend meetings based on the individual book. In May, we’ll be reading and discussing Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. Beware—there will be spoilers! This book club meeting will be facilitated by Children’s and Teens’ Services Assistant (and fantasy fan) Claire Hargreaves.

The following books will be read and discussed during Saturday meetings from 14h00-15h00:
9 April: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
21 May: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Masks are strongly encouraged for all Library visitors ages 6 and up, staff, and volunteers. Event attendees are expected to familiarize themselves with the Library’s Rules and Code of Conduct so that we can provide a pleasant library environment for all patrons. Questions about collections and programs for teens can be sent to the Library’s Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

Rules and Code of Conduct

Register here

We are an independent, nonprofit organization celebrating our 101st year of service. With your continued support, we are able to provide over 200 programs each year for ages 0–18. If you would like to support the Library, you can make a donation to help sustain this vital institution, and programs such as this one.

Donate to the Library

Story Hour: Magical Friends (ages 3–5)
2022-05-18 14:30 - 15:30 | 75013
Story Hour:
Magical Friends

For ages 3–5
3–5 year-olds and their grown-ups are invited to join us for an interactive Story Hour in a small group! This program lasts an hour, and features songs, stories, and hand rhymes in English.
For this Story Hour, enjoy picture books all about magical creatures, including A Unicorn Named Sparkle by Amy Young. This Story Hour will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager Celeste Rhoads, with the help of Library volunteer Mary Wessels. 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 caregivers put away their phones and other devices for the duration of this program.

Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Please note: masks are strongly encouraged for all Library visitors ages 6 and up, staff, and volunteers. 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.
Register here

Children in the Library Policy

We are an independent, nonprofit organization celebrating our 101st year of service. With your continued support, we are able to provide over 200 programs each year for ages 0–18. If you would like to support the Library, you can make a donation to help sustain this vital institution, and programs such as this one.

Donate to the Library

(Hybrid) Racialization and Disorientation with Ian Williams
2022-05-17 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Join Evenings with an Author (in person and online*) to discuss
Disorientation
with author Ian Williams
Click here to RSVP
In 2020, author, poet, and 2021-22 American Library Visiting Fellow (the Visiting Fellowship is generously sponsored by The de Groot Foundation) Ian Williams was living in Vancouver while working on his second novel. It was from this position that he lived through the beginning of the pandemic, the wildfires, and the Black Lives Matter protests. Witnessing a time of momentous change, Williams felt called to move beyond fiction. The result is Disorientation: Being Black in the World, a searching and startling new collection of essays.
Considering being a Black man in Trinidad, Canada, and the United States, Williams meditates upon the myriad ways racialization occurs. He sees it in higher education, where Standard Written English is valued over other English dialects such as African-American Vernacular English. He sees it in parking lots, where white gazes silently accuse him of breaking into his own car. He watches it occur to his niece, who experiences race for the first time in the playground at recess. An honest and lyrical consideration of both personal events and global movements, Disorientation describes the intrusion of race upon subjectivity with nuance and precision, offering an intimate perspective on systemic violence.
Click here to RSVP
About the speaker:
Ian Williams is the 2021-22 Visiting Fellow at the American Library in Paris. The Visiting Fellowship is generously sponsored by The de Groot Foundation. The author of six books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, Williams was awarded the Scotiabank Giller Prize for his 2019 novel Reproduction. His latest work, Disorientation (2021), was a finalist for the 2021 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction. Williams is a tenured professor of English at the University of Toronto.
Registration required. Free and open to the public.
*The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Williams 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.
Click here to RSVP
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Important on-site information regarding COVID-19: Masks remain strongly recommended, per the French Ministry of Health.

(Online) Understanding the American University Application Process (ages 14–adult)
2022-05-15 15:30 - 16:30 | 75013
Understanding the American University Application Process

with College Goals
For teens ages 14+ and their guardians

Given the demands of the American university application process, students interested in pursuing higher education in the US are well advised to begin preparing early in their high school career, before they embark on their final two years of study toward the French bac or IB. What do families need to know for their students to be successful and satisfied by the university search and application process? How do students produce a strong and interesting US university application? College Goals’ counselor, Andrea van Niekerk, will address the complexities of the American university application system, with special attention to the process and mechanics. She will also take questions about applications to the UK and Canada.
Andrea van Niekerk served for a decade as Associate Director of Admission, with a focus on international applicants, and as Freshman Academic Adviser at Brown University, and as Residential Fellow in a dorm at Stanford. Still based in Silicon Valley, she now works with both American and international families as part of College Goals. Andrea has over 20 years of experience in college admission and academic advising. She is a member of NACAC, HECA and WACAC.
College Goals is a university admission consulting practice specializing in counseling families interested in higher education opportunities in the US and in English-medium universities around the world. The team of counselors collectively offers decades of professional experience in higher education. College Goals provides expert counsel and support throughout the college search and application process, including choice of appropriate institutions, test requirements, recommendations and interviews, essay writing, and the preparation of distinguished applications. Find out more at www.collegegoals.com
This event will be hosted virtually via Zoom.
Important information: Advance registration is required to attend this event. Participation in teen events is free for Library members and 10 euros per person for non-members. Library visitors and event attendees are expected to familiarize themselves with the Rules and Code of Conduct so that we can provide a pleasant environment for all. 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.

Register here

Donate to the Library

We thank you for your continued support and for being a part of the Library community!

Teen Writing Group meeting (ages 12–18) (Full)
2022-05-14 17:00 - 18:30 | 75013
For ages 12–18
Join fellow aspiring writers in a relaxed and creative setting where you can share your ideas, get feedback and work on your technique.
The Teen Writing Group offers an opportunity for experienced writers and amateurs to share their work and get to know other writers in our community. Some Teen Writing Group meetings are led by group members, others by guest hosts. Authors who have hosted the Teen Writing Group in the past include: Clementine Beauvais, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Anne Heltzel, Veronica Kugler, Amy Plum, Hilary Reyl, Tioka Tokdira, and James Verini.
Applications were accepted through 31 July for the 2021-2022 Teen Writing Group, and the group is full. See this page for more information about the Teen Writing Group, and subscribe to e-Libris to receive news about upcoming events, application deadlines and more.
Questions about collections and programs for teens can be sent to the Library’s Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

Poetry with Scott Hobbs Bourne (ages 6–12)
2022-05-14 11:00 - 12:00 | 75013
Poetry with Scott Hobbs Bourne

For ages 6–12

Join Scott Hobbs Bourne, author of An Act of Imagination for an interactive poetry workshop. Bourne will read several poems from his book, and brainstorm ideas with the group before leading participants in the creation of their own poems. Read more about Bourne’s book of poetry here.
Each child (aged 6–12) may participate in the program on their own, while their chaperone remains inside the Library.

About the authors of An Act of Imagination: Scott Bourne and Todd Bratrud met in 1998. Scott was skateboarding professionally and Todd had just become the art director at Consolidated Skateboards, one of the companies who sponsored Scott. A friendship quickly sparked over ideas and illustrations. Since then, Todd has created graphics for nearly every major skateboard company and several shoes in collaboration with Nike. He calls Grand Forks home, working from his studio and running an independent skateboard brand called SEND HELP. Scott began his writing career with a monthly column in Slap skateboard magazine. Since then, he has published a novel, a book of short stories, several journals and a trilogy of poems. His poetry has been put to score by American composer Shinji Eshima, which premiered at San Francisco Opera Lab in April of 2016. Scott now lives in Paris. The short poems collected in the book are inspired by his two children.
Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Masks are strongly encouraged for all Library visitors ages 6 and up, staff, and volunteers. 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.

Children in the Library Policy

Register here

We are an independent, nonprofit organization celebrating our 101st year of service. With your continued support, we are able to provide over 200 programs each year for ages 0–18. If you would like to support the Library, you can make a donation to help sustain this vital institution, and programs such as this one.

Donate to the Library

(Online) A Guide to Ulysses with Patrick Hastings
2022-05-12 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Join Evenings with an Author (online*) to discuss
The Guide to James Joyce’s Ulysses
with author Patrick Hastings
Click here to RSVP
Author and educator Patrick Hastings first discovered Ulysses while living and working at the Shakespeare & Co. bookstore on the left bank of Paris. He now returns to the cobbled streets of the rive gauche to speak about his debut release, The Guide to James Joyce’s Ulysses, a product of years of dedicated study of and reverence for Joyce’s text.
No one forgets their first experience reading Ulysses. Hastings, wielding his pedagogical background, is not interested in infringing upon this experience, but enhancing it. The guide’s remarkable feat is to make Ulysses accessible without condescending to the reader or compromising the intellect and humor of the work. Rather than dictating how to interpret the novel, Hastings provides the reader with the tools for constructing their own interpretations: relating historical context, explaining the myriad allusions and Joycean vocabulary, and even producing detailed maps of each episode. With his infectious enthusiasm and scholarly rigor, Hastings has made the challenge of reading literature’s most daunting book surmountable.
Click here to RSVP
About the speaker:
Patrick Hastings is the English Department Chair at Gilman School in Baltimore, Maryland. He is the creator of Ulyssesguide.com, a free website which offers background on Ulysses, detailed analysis of each episode, and resources for further reading. Hastings has been researching Joyce and Ulysses since 2003, and has been published in the James Joyce Quarterly.
Registration required. Free and open to the public.
*Due to unforeseen pandemic-related events, the discussion will only be available online. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
Click here to RSVP
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Important on-site information regarding COVID-19: Masks remain strongly recommended, per the French Ministry of Health.

Story Hour in the Park (ages 3–5)
2022-05-11 14:30 - 15:30 | 75013
Story Hour in the Park
For ages 3–5

3–5 year-olds and their grown-ups are invited to join us for an interactive Story Hour in a small group! This program lasts an hour, and features songs, stories, and hand rhymes in English.
For this Story Hour, enjoy picture books outdoors on the Champs de Mars. This Story Hour will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager Celeste Rhoads, and Volunteer Mary Wessels. For this Story Hour, visiting flutist Leonard Garrison and clarinetist Shannon Scott will read several stories and accompany them with music. 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 caregivers put away their phones and other devices for the duration of this program.

This Story Hour event will be held outside on the Champs de Mars (weather permitting) for a small group. Registered participants will be sent information about where to meet a day before the event. Registration closes 24 hours before the event. In the event of rain, this event will be held in the Children’s Library, and depending on government regulations and safety recommendations, we will accept participants on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Please note: masks are strongly encouraged for all Library visitors ages 6 and up, staff, and volunteers. 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.
Register here

Children in the Library Policy

We are an independent, nonprofit organization celebrating our 101st year of service. With your continued support, we are able to provide over 200 programs each year for ages 0–18. If you would like to support the Library, you can make a donation to help sustain this vital institution, and programs such as this one.

Donate to the Library

(Hybrid) Why Read Shakespeare with Robert McCrum
2022-05-10 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Join Evenings with an Author (in person and online*) to discuss
Shakespearean: On Life and Language in Times of Disruption
with author Robert McCrum
Click here to RSVP
Describing his turn to Shakespeare while recovering from a life-altering stroke, author and editor Robert McCrum writes in his new book, Shakespearean: On Life and Language in Times of Disruption, that “during convalescence, the Complete Works became my book of life.” Written in the contemporary age of chaos and crisis, McCrum’s demonstrates the relevance of the Shakespearean corpus to a convalescent world.
Spanning personal narrative, textual analysis, and cultural commentary, McCrum uncovers the source of Shakespeare’s eternally present voice. How is the Bard able to speak across the centuries with words that still resonate today? What ideas, experiences, and outlooks do his characters express that feel timeless? What can reading Shakespeare teach us about being human? The book argues both for the humanity permeating the Shakespearean world, and for the process of reading, rereading, rediscovering, and reinterpreting Shakespeare as a source of solace and creativity. Ultimately, McCrum makes the case for the vital importance of listening and speaking in Shakespearean.
Click here to RSVP
About the speaker:
Robert McCrum is a writer, journalist, editor, and broadcaster. After nearly two decades as Editor-in-Chief of Faber & Faber, McCrum worked at the Observer as Associate Editor and former Literary Editor for many years. He is the author of multiple works in fiction and non-fiction, including Every Third Thought (2017), which was adapted and broadcast as BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week. His newest book, Shakespearean, was named a Washington Post Best Book of the Year.
Registration required. Free and open to the public.
*The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (McCrum 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.
Click here to RSVP
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Important on-site information regarding COVID-19: Masks remain strongly recommended, per the French Ministry of Health.

(Online) The War in Ukraine, Analyzed
2022-05-04 19:30 - 20:30 | 75013
Join Evenings with an Author (online) to discuss
The War in Ukraine
with journalists Robin Wright, Steven Erlanger, and Serge Schmemann
Click here to RSVP
The Russian invasion of Ukraine rocked the globe. As emergency councils convene and as an increasing list of sanctions is considered, the future of international diplomacy seems to hang in the balance. What will be the global consequences of this war? What will it mean for NATO, and for Europe? How might this crisis end?
While the war rages on, three eminent journalists will speak virtually at the American Library on the invasion’s history, the many forces at play in the war, and the possible directions the conflict might take. Robin Wright (the New Yorker), Steven Erlanger (the New York Times) and Serge Schmemann (the New York Times), drawing on their collective knowledge and long international careers, will tune in virtually for a discussion moderated by Alice McCrum.
Click here to RSVP
About the speakers:
Robin Wright is a foreign affairs analyst, author and journalist for the New Yorker. She has authored five books, including Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East (2008), which was a 2008 New York Times Notable Book, and Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the Islamic World (2011), selected as a Best Book on International Affairs by the Overseas Press Club. She is a MacArthur Foundation grant recipient.
Steven Erlanger is the Chief Diplomatic Correspondent for Europe for the New York Times. He has worked as a journalist for the Times since 1987, and previously served as the London bureau chief. Erlanger, along with his colleagues at the Times, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2002 for reporting on Al Qaeda and in 2017 for reporting on Vladimir Putin’s efforts to project Russia’s power abroad.
Serge Schmemann is a journalist and author. He served as the editorial page editor of The International Herald Tribune in Paris from 2003 to 2013, and has been a Times correspondent and bureau chief in Moscow, Bonn and Jerusalem and at the United Nations. An expert in Russia and Soviet history, Shmemann received the 1991 Pulitzer Prize in international reporting for coverage of the reunification of Germany and the fall of Soviet communism.
Registration required. Free and open to the public.

2022 Read-a-Thon (ages 0–18)
2022-05-01 - 2022-05-07 | 75013
The 2022 Read-a-Thon
The American Library in Paris and Message Paris are organizing a Read-A-Thon to encourage vacation reading, and raise funds for the American Library in Paris!

The American Library in Paris and Message Paris are organizing a Read-A-Thon to encourage vacation reading, and to raise funds for the Library! This event is open to children and teens who are members of Message Paris or The American Library in Paris. Over a 1-week period, participants are encouraged to read as much as possible and collect donations based on the number of minutes that they read!

WHY READ FOR THE AMERICAN LIBRARY IN PARIS?
Donations will be used to support the American Library in Paris, a non-profit English language Library founded in 1920, and the largest English-language lending library on the European continent! It is a place where people gather to explore ideas, build community and connect with other English speakers. As a non-profit, we count on your donations to continue to provide programs, books and services for the English-language community. All participants who turn in a completed Read-a-Thon pack and a donation from at least one sponsor will be entered into a prize drawing. Prizes will be awarded for top readers in each of the following categories: ages 0–3, ages 4–8, ages 9–12, and ages 12–18.

ABOUT MESSAGE PARIS:
Message Paris is the largest association for English-speaking parents and parents-to-be in France! It is an entirely volunteer-run, independent, non-profit association that provides a social and support network to expectant women, new mothers and fathers, and parents of children of all ages. Message Paris is proud to bring you this Read-A-Thon in conjunction with the American Library in Paris! Learn more at www.messageparis.org.

How to participate:

Register for the 2022 Read-a-Thon! Register using the link below.

Download your Read-a-Thon materials. Download your reading log once it is sent to the email address provided.
Find sponsors (like family and friends) who will pledge (or promise!) a certain amount of money for every reading challenge that you complete (for example: 1€ per hour).
Write your sponsors on your pledge sheet. Add each sponsor’s name, address, and pledge amount to your pledge sheet.
1–7 May: Read! Keep a log of your reading! The more you read the more you raise for the Library!
Collect your pledges.
Tell your friends and family how much you read, and collect your pledges (promised donations).
Submit your pledge sheet at the Library or by email by Saturday 14 May at 14h00.
Turn in donations online or in-person at the Library by Saturday 14 May at 14h00.
Attend our finale celebration on Saturday 14 May at 14h00 to find out the top readers, and raffle winners, to meet other bookworms, and collect your certificate of participation!

Register here

Click here to submit a donation for your champion reader

Read-A-Thon is open to members of the American Library in Paris and Message Paris. Please register to participate and download your Read-a-Thon pack.

Spring Egg-stravaganza (ages 0–12)
2022-04-30 11:00 - 12:00 | 75013
Spring Egg-Stravaganza

all ages!

Celebrate spring with tories and trivia, followed by an egg-tastic hunt in the Library and craft-making! Learn about spring symbols during this event full of facts, fiction, and fun!
Children under the age of 6 must be accompanied at all times for the duration of this event. Children aged 6–12 may participate in the program on their own, while their chaperone remains inside the Library.

Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Please note: masks are strongly encouraged for all Library visitors ages 6 and up, staff, and volunteers. 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.

Children in the Library Policy

Register here for the 11h00 event

We are an independent, nonprofit organization celebrating our 101st year of service. With your continued support, we are able to provide over 200 programs each year for ages 0–18. If you would like to support the Library, you can make a donation to help sustain this vital institution, and programs such as this one.

Donate to the Library

(Online) Entre Nous: The Future of the Humanities with Roosevelt Montás and Andrew Delbanco
2022-04-29 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Are the humanities in crisis? What to do with the hotly-contested idea of the (hard to define) canon? In the midst of an American identity crisis, are the liberal arts struggling to articulate their method, content, and goals? Should students still read the canon? How might it be taught? Should we work to expand its limits, or should we be abolishing it entirely? In his new book, Rescuing Socrates, Columbia University Professor Roosevelt Montás argues that the humanities must not relinquish its Great Books.
Click here to RSVP
As part of the Entre Nous series in collaboration with Columbia Global Centers | Paris and the Institute for Ideas and Imagination, Montás will be discussing Rescuing Socrates, with Columbia Professor Andrew Delbanco. Drawing on his experience as a Dominican-born, low-income undergraduate at Columbia discovering Augustine, Plato, and Gandhi for the first time through the university’s Core Curriculum, Montás makes a case for the liberal arts. Similarly advocating for the humanities as a force for good is Delbanco who, in his position as trustee for the Teagle Foundation, works to strengthen liberal arts education by increasing its accessibility. In conversation, the two will consider the challenges the humanities face, the ways they need to change, and what they offer in the contemporary age.
Click here to RSVP
About the speakers:
Roosevelt Montás is senior lecturer at Columbia’s Center for American Studies. From 2008 to 2018, he served as director of Columbia’s Center for the Core Curriculum and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Columbia College. Montás is director of Columbia’s Freedom and Citizenship Program, which instructs low-income high school students on the foundational texts of the Western political tradition.
Andrew Delbanco is the Alexander Hamilton Professor of American Studies at Columbia University. He is the author of nine books, including College: What It Was, Is, and Should Be (2012). Delbanco is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the American Philosophical Association, and a trustee of the Teagle Foundation and the Library of America. He was awarded a National Humanities Medal by Barack Obama in 2012.
Click here to RSVP

Teen Night: Cupcake Decorating (ages 12–18)
2022-04-29 19:00 - 21:00 | 75013
Teen Night: Cupcake Decorating
For ages 12–18

Join us for an evening of sugar-fueled creativity. Participants will work together and in teams to create original, iced masterpieces. We’ll provide the cupcakes, frosting, sprinkles, and more! Finished products may be enjoyed at the Library or at home. Spaces are limited, so register early!

Important information: Advance registration is required to attend this event, and each teen must have a signed permission slip on file at the Library in order to participate. Participation in teen events is free for Library members and 10 euros per person for non-members. Masks are strongly encouraged for all Library visitors ages 6 and up, staff, and volunteers. Library visitors 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.
We thank you for your continued support and for being a part of the Library community!
Register here

Download a permission slip

Donate to the Library

Toddler Time (ages 1–3)
2022-04-28 11:00 - 11:30 | 75013
for ages 1–3
Toddler Time

This interactive program features songs, rhymes and stories in English for the very young. Books featured during our Toddler Time events include short picture books and board books such as This is Not My Hat by John Klassen. Our Toddler Time is for children ages 1–3 and their caregivers. The program lasts 30 minutes and this session will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Librarian Kirsty. 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: 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.
Register here

Children in the Library Policy

We are an independent, nonprofit organization celebrating our 101st year of service. With your continued support, we are able to provide over 200 programs each year for ages 0–18. If you would like to support the Library, you can make a donation to help sustain this vital institution, and programs such as this one.
Donate to the Library

(Hybrid) News as a Public Good with Julia Cagé
2022-04-27 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Join Evenings with an Author (in person and online*) to discuss
News as a Public Good
with economist Julia Cagé
Click here to RSVP
We face a crisis of faith in the media. From fake news to online misinformation campaigns, the knowledge economy arrives at a pivotal moment. In her work L’Information est un bien public (2021), Sciences Po economist Julia Cagé addresses this broken relationship between the media and the public, and offers a radical, structural solution.
Cagé’s argument is not that media content needs revision, but that its organizational and economic structure must be reworked. Arguing for a change in tax rules on the basis of the media’s role as a public good, Cagé offers a stabilized and decentralized solution for an industry constantly in flux. At stake is the free press, which is to say, democracy itself.
Click here to RSVP
About the speakers:
Julia Cagé is Associate Professor of Economics at Sciences Po and a Research Fellow at the Center for Economic Policy Research. Cagé is the author of five books. Sauver les médias (2015) was awarded the 2016 Special Jury Prize for Best Books on Media by the Assises du Journalisme, and Le prix de la démocratie (2018) was awarded the Prix Ethique by Anticor and the Prix Pétrarque de l’Essai France Culture-Le Monde. She published Pour une télé libre contre Bolloré in 2022 of this year.
Registration required. Free and open to the public.
*The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Cagé 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.
Click here to RSVP
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Important on-site information regarding COVID-19: Masks remain strongly recommended, per the French Ministry of Health.

Story Hour: I Love Our Earth (ages 3–5)
2022-04-27 14:30 - 15:30 | 75013
Story Hour:
I Love Our Earth

For ages 3–5
3–5 year-olds and their grown-ups are invited to join us for an interactive Story Hour in a small group! This program lasts an hour, and features songs, stories, and hand rhymes in English.
For this Story Hour, enjoy picture books all about planet earth, including 10 Things I Can Do To Help My Earth by Melanie Walsh. This Story Hour will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Librarian Kirsty McCulloch Reid, with the help of Library volunteer Mary Wessels, and Library Intern Pallas-Amenah Morgan. 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 caregivers put away their phones and other devices for the duration of this program.

Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Please note: masks are strongly encouraged for all Library visitors ages 6 and up, staff, and volunteers. 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.
Register here

Children in the Library Policy

We are an independent, nonprofit organization celebrating our 101st year of service. With your continued support, we are able to provide over 200 programs each year for ages 0–18. If you would like to support the Library, you can make a donation to help sustain this vital institution, and programs such as this one.

Donate to the Library

(Hybrid) The French Election, Analyzed
2022-04-26 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Evenings with an Author and The Overseas Press Club of America (in person and online*) present
The French Election, Analyzed
with journalists Vivienne Walt, Victor Mallet, Sarah Paillou, and Nadia Pantel. The conversation will be moderated by David A. Andelman.
Click here to RSVP
The Overseas Press Club of America (OPC) and the American Library in Paris will convene to discuss the outcome of the 2022 French presidential election. Broadly seen as a litmus test for the rising tide of populism across Europe, the results of this election may determine the future of the European Union and its international vision. At stake is the identity of the Fifth Republic: will the French people align themselves with Macron’s image of France as the center of European partnership, or with the nationalist picture of a once-strong France in decline? What will happen to immigration, secularism, security, and social cohesion in France in the election’s wake?
Click here to RSVP
About the speakers:
Vivienne Walt, OPC Governor and Paris correspondent for TIME & Fortune.
Victor Mallet, Paris bureau chief, Financial Times
Sarah Paillou, presidential campaign reporter, Journal du Dimanche.
Nadia Pantel, chief Paris correspondent, Süddeutsche Zeitung (Munich).
The moderator will be David A. Andelman, Past OPC President, CNN columnist and former CBS News Paris correspondent, author of Andelman Unleashed.
Click here to RSVP
Registration required. Free and open to the public.
*The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (all panelists 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.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Important on-site information regarding COVID-19: Masks remain strongly recommended, per the French Ministry of Health.

(Online) How Forests Think with Eduardo Kohn
2022-04-20 19:30 - 20:30 | 75013
Join Evenings with an Author (online) to discuss
How Forests Think
with anthropologist and author Eduardo Kohn
Click here to RSVP
Can forests think? The driving force (and question) of anthropologist Eduardo Kohn’s How Forests Think is quickly answered; yes, he writes, and other entities are capable of thought, too. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork from the Runa people of Amazonian Ecuador, Kohn offers a different approach to anthropology, one that decenters the human from the field of research. Rather, he describes a landscape of relations among different beings–a landscape that at once involves and exceeds humans.
Kohn’s central argument revolves around signs, and the ways that trees and other non-human entities are capable of producing, interpreting, and responding to them. If a forest is capable of communication between trees, how is this communication not thought? What else in the natural world could be viewed as thinking? What anthropocentric biases exist which prevent us from seeing thought in this way? And how might the Runa people’s approach to nature help push anthropology in a more non-human direction? Join Kohn as he wrestles with these questions and with the future of ethnographic research.
Click here to RSVP
About the speaker:
Eduardo Kohn is an author and Associate Professor of Anthropology at McGill University. He was awarded the 2014 Gregory Bateson Prize in Anthropology for How Forests Think. He has lectured at the New York Academy of Sciences, arguing for the ecologization of ethics.
Registration required. Free and open to the public.
Click here to RSVP

Story Hour: Surprises Galore (ages 3–5)
2022-04-20 14:30 - 15:30 | 75013
Story Hour:
Surprises Galore!

For ages 3–5
3–5 year-olds and their grown-ups are invited to join us for an interactive Story Hour in a small group! This program lasts an hour, and features songs, stories, and hand rhymes in English.
For this Story Hour, enjoy picture books, songs and rhymes full of surprises, including Once Upon a Rainy Day by Edouard Monceau. This Story Hour will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager Celeste Rhoads, with the help of Library volunteer Mary Wessels. For this Story Hour, visiting flutists Leonard Garrison and Shannon Scott will read several stories and accompany them with music. 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 caregivers put away their phones and other devices for the duration of this program. Guests Leonard Garrison and Shannon Scott will join us for this story hour, to read and provide musical accompaniment.

Register here

Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Masks are strongly encouraged for all Library visitors ages 6 and up, staff, and volunteers. 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.

We are an independent, nonprofit organization celebrating our 101st year of service. With your continued support, we are able to provide over 200 programs each year for ages 0–18. If you would like to support the Library, you can make a donation to help sustain this vital institution, and programs such as this one.

Children in the Library Policy

Donate to the Library

(Online) Entre Nous: Alternative Narratives with Helen Lewis and Christia Mercer
2022-04-19 19:30 - 20:30 | 75013
In Difficult Women, writer and journalist Helen Lewis explores the complexities, incoherencies, and bad behavior across a history of feminism. Rejecting the contemporary taste for feel-good stories of perfect heroines, Lewis lands on hard questions: When does the harm outweigh the good? How can we measure the moral sum of a person? And, now free from the grip of the one-dimensional ‘badass babe’ trope, where can contemporary feminism take us?
Continuing her research on forgotten women, Lewis’ new radio program, Great Wives, looks at the spouses of history’s most famous geniuses. How have men consistently attained the status of “genius,” while women have remained (by their side) wives? Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University Christia Mercer has done similar work uncovering forgotten voices and destabilizing the mythology of genius. From Spanish mysticism to 17th-century Neoplatonism, Mercer’s research in overlooked women complicates the legend of modern philosophy’s origins and most famous contributors. As part of the Entre Nous series in partnership with Columbia Global Centers | Paris and the Institute for Ideas and Imagination, join these two authors as they discuss their work on changing the historical record and seeking alternative narratives for the history of thought and action.
Click here to RSVP
About the speakers:
Helen Lewis is an author and journalist. A staff writer at The Atlantic, Lewis is also the former deputy editor of the New Statesman and has written for The Guardian and The Sunday Times. She was appointed 2018-19 Women in the Humanities Honorary Writing Fellow at Oxford University, and serves on the advisory board for the Reuters Institute for Journalism at Oxford. Lewis is the creator of the longform Radio 4 interview series The Spark (2019).
Christia Mercer is the Gustave M. Berne Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University. A specialist in early modern philosophy, Platonism, and philosophy and gender, Mercer founded and acts as Director of the Center for New Narratives in Philosophy at Columbia. She served as the 2019-20 President of the American Philosophical Association. Mercer is the editor of Oxford Philosophical Concepts and co-edits Oxford New Histories of Philosophy.
Click here to RSVP

Storytelling with Sylvia Mombo (ages 6–12)
2022-04-16 11:00 - 12:00 | 75013
Storytelling with Sylvie Mombo

For ages 6–12

During this special event, professional storyteller Sylvie Mombo will share her stories with participants, then talk about her process hunting down great tales and preparing them to share. Children and their families are invited to join in and participate in these interactive stories!

About Sylvie Mombo: Born in Paris, Sylvie inherited a love of words and a passion for sharing stories from her Gabonese and Guadeloupean parents. Before becoming a professional storyteller, she had many careers: librarian, dancer, and teacher. Through these experiences, and through working with artists such as Irène Tassembedo Malien (choreographer), Thomas Leabart (American mime artist/actor), Philippe Adrien (director), and Gilles Bizouerne (storyteller) Sylvie developed an original style of storytelling, which is a mix of mime, dance, and comedy. Find out more about Sylvie here.

Each child (aged 6–12) may participate in the program on their own, while their chaperone remains inside the Library.

Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Please note: masks are strongly encouraged for all Library visitors ages 6 and up, staff, and volunteers. 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.

Children in the Library Policy

Register here

We are an independent, nonprofit organization celebrating our 101st year of service. With your continued support, we are able to provide over 200 programs each year for ages 0–18. If you would like to support the Library, you can make a donation to help sustain this vital institution, and programs such as this one.

Donate to the Library

Teen Night: The Art of Performance (ages 12–18)
2022-04-15 19:00 - 21:00 | 75013
Teen Night: The Art of Performance
For ages 12–18

Join Children’s and Teens’ Services Intern Pallas-Amenah, staff and volunteers for a night dedicated to the art of performance: spoken word, improvisation and more. We’ll warm up with improv games, then participants will have an opportunity to create a performance piece, which can be shared with the group.

Important information: Advance registration is required to attend this event, and each teen must have a signed permission slip on file at the Library in order to participate. Participation in teen events is free for Library members and 10 euros per person for non-members. Masks are strongly encouraged for all Library visitors ages 6 and up, staff, and volunteers. Library visitors 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.
We thank you for your continued support and for being a part of the Library community!
Register here

Download a permission slip

Donate to the Library

Toddler Time (ages 1–3)
2022-04-14 11:00 - 11:30 | 75013
for ages 1–3
Toddler Time

This interactive program features songs, rhymes and stories in English for the very young. Books featured during our Toddler Time events include short picture books and board books such as Maisy Grows a Garden. Our Toddler Time is for children ages 1–3 and their caregivers. The program lasts 30 minutes and this session will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager Celeste. 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: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. In compliance with French regulations, please note: masks are strongly encouraged for all Library visitors ages 6 and up, staff, and volunteers. 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.
Register here

Children in the Library Policy

We are an independent, nonprofit organization celebrating our 101st year of service. With your continued support, we are able to provide over 200 programs each year for ages 0–18. If you would like to support the Library, you can make a donation to help sustain this vital institution, and programs such as this one.
Donate to the Library

(Hybrid) The Private World of Édouard Vuillard with Julia Frey & Beverly Held
2022-04-12 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Join Evenings with an Author (in person and online*) to discuss
Venus Betrayed: The Private World of Édouard Vuillard
with art biographer Julia Frey and art historian Beverly Held
Click here to RSVP
Many have researched Édouard Vuillard, prolific and adventurous 20th-century painter, for his contributions to the avant-garde. But what sets Venus Betrayed (Professor Emeritus and writer Julia Frey’s study of the artist) apart is its attention to the figure behind the paintings. Indeed, Frey uses Vuillard’s body of work to access the interior state of the artist. In this way, rather than a chronology of Vuillard’s life, Frey subtly reveals this life through: his relationships with figures ranging from Toulouse-Lautrec to Mallarmé; the ideas that obsessed him; his often-tortured artistic process. This newfound access into Vuillard’s private life in turn draws out previously hidden depths from the artist’s work.
Carefully reading Vuillard’s unpublished journals and looking to his work with exacting visual analysis, Frey has produced a deeply intimate picture of the artist in life and at work. The result is a refined perspective into both the artist’s masterpieces and unfinished projects, as well as a striking argument for the relationship between artistic atmosphere and production. Venus Betrayed reinvigorates the genre of biography, infusing new motivations and stakes into the project of reading art through the lens of life.
Copies of Venus Betrayed will be for sale at a discounted price during the event thanks to Bill & Rosa’s Book Room (Paris West – Boulogne). After the event, additional copies may be ordered by contacting BRbookroom@gmail.com.
Click here to RSVP
About the speakers:
Julia Frey, PhD in French literature and culture, is professor emeritus at the University of Colorado. A biographer and novelist, she is the author of Toulouse-Lautrec: A Life, which received the 1995 Pen Center West Nonfiction Literary Award, and Balcony View: A 9/11 Diary. She currently resides in France.
Beverly Held, PhD in History of Art, was the founding director of San Francisco Arts & Humanities Seminars, a non-profit educational organization. Held now writes a weekly newsletter on art exhibitions, collectors, and collections in and around Paris where she spends most of her time running from one exhibition to another.
Registration required. Free and open to the public.
*The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Frey and Held 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.
Click here to RSVP
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Important on-site information regarding COVID-19: Masks remain strongly recommended, per the French Ministry of Health.

Paper Flower Crafts (ages 6–12)
2022-04-09 11:00 - 12:00 | 75013
Paper Flower Crafts

For ages 6–12

Join Children’s and Teens’ Services Intern Pallas-Amenah and Library volunteers in the Children’s Library to make paper flowers and flower bouquets to take home!
Each child (aged 6–12) may participate in the program on their own, while their chaperone remains inside the Library.

Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Masks are strongly encouraged for all Library visitors ages 6 and up, staff, and volunteers. 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.

Children in the Library Policy

Register here

We are an independent, nonprofit organization celebrating our 101st year of service. With your continued support, we are able to provide over 200 programs each year for ages 0–18. If you would like to support the Library, you can make a donation to help sustain this vital institution, and programs such as this one.

Donate to the Library

(Hybrid) Entre Nous: Shakespeare Speaks to the Present with Stephen Greenblatt and James Shapiro
2022-04-04 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
As part of the Entre Nous series in partnership with Columbia Global Centers | Paris and the Institute for Ideas and Imagination, join professors Stephen Greenblatt and James Shapiro (in person and online*) for a discussion about Shakespeare and the present age.
Click here to RSVP
From the collected works on Abraham Lincoln’s White House desk, to the Public Theater’s incendiary 2018 production of Julius Caesar, Shakespeare has long been adopted as the voice of the cultural moment. Two figures qualified to speak on this phenomenon are Stephen Greenblatt and James Shapiro, celebrated Shakespeare scholars and authors of multiple books on the Bard.
In his 2020 book Shakespeare in a Divided America, Shapiro considers the many uses and abuses of Shakespeare in American history; from issues of race and democracy, to liberty and marriage, Shapiro highlights Shakespeare’s presence at the heart of the American cultural imagination. In his 2019 book Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics, Greenblatt demonstrates the similarities between Shakespearean tyranny and power in the current age: unstable leaders, crumbling faith in institutions, and a public more interested in the spectacle of politics than participation. This April at the Library, the two authors will discuss Shakespeare in relation to the pandemic, racial justice, the climate crisis, arguing, in a moderated conversation, for Shakespeare’s role as an eternal mouthpiece of the present.
Click here to RSVP
About the speakers:
Stephen Greenblatt is an author, literary historian, Shakespearean, and the John Cogan Professor of the Humanities at Harvard. He is General Editor of and a contributor to The Norton Shakespeare and The Norton Anthology of English Literature, and is a founding editor of the literary-cultural journal Representations. The author of fourteen books, he was awarded the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction and the 2011 National Book Award for Nonfiction for his work The Swerve: How the World Became Modern (2011).
James Shapiro is an author and Larry Miller Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. A specialist in Shakespeare and the early modern period, Shapiro has published a number of books on topics ranging from the Shakespeare authorship question to Shakespeare’s legacy in American history. Shapiro was inducted into the Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2011.
Click here to RSVP
*The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Greenblatt and Shapiro 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.
Important on-site information regarding COVID-19: Masks remain strongly recommended, per the French Ministry of Health.

Master Shot Film Club meeting (ages 12–18) (FULL)
2022-04-02 17:00 - 18:30 | 75013
MASTER SHOT FILM CLUB

For ages 12-18.
Led by Paris-based filmmaker and writer Clarence Tokley, the purpose of this club is to allow budding filmmakers the opportunity to produce high quality short films.

The Master Shot Film Club provides a space for teens to explore all aspects of film-making, including the development and production process, script-writing, camera work, directing, acting, editing and much more, not to mention that you’ll get to know other young filmmakers in the community! This club is open to teens ages 12–18 in the Paris area who are fluent in English, by application. Applications were open through the end of September and are closed for the 2021–2022 film club. Applications for the 2022–2023 club opened on 27 May. Apply to here for the 2022–2023 Master Shot Film Club.
About Clarence Tokley:Clarence Tokley is a Paris-based teacher, filmmaker, and writer. A native of New Jersey, Clarence attended Rutgers University, obtaining a degree in History and Film Studies. Clarence then attended the New York Film Academy in New York City, before packing up everything and moving to Paris—he wanted to get a taste of the European style of storytelling. He fully immersed himself in the film industry and quickly landed his first job in Paris. Some of his credits include Rush Hour 3, Truth in 24, Exes, and the Cherry Orchard. Clarence also does voice-over work in Paris. Along with his duties as teacher of the BAW Teen and Youth Acting courses, he is the director of camps in France and provides workshops and private coaching. When he’s not teaching or coaching, Clarence continues to work professionally in film and theater productions in and around Paris.

Important information: This event is for Library members, and advance registration is required. Masks are strongly encouraged for all Library visitors ages 6 and up, staff, and volunteers. Library visitors 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 teens can be sent to the Library’s Children’s and Teens’ Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

We are an independent, nonprofit organization celebrating our 101st year of service. With your continued support, we are able to provide over 200 programs each year for ages 0–18. If you would like to support the Library, you can make a donation to help sustain this vital institution, and programs such as this one.

Donate to the Library
