The American Library in Paris

(Hybrid) Opening Doors in Architecture with Rahim Danto Barry
2022-07-06 19:30 - 20:30 (Europe/Paris) | The American Library in Paris
Join Evenings with an Author (in person and online*) to discuss
Portes d’Afrique
with architect and author Rahim Danto Barry
Click here to RSVP
Architect Rahim Danto Barry will be speaking about his career in France and his seminal work, Portes d’Afrique (1999). From the Centre Pompidou-Metz, to the Stade de France, to terminals of Charles de Gaulle, Barry has helped develop emblematic sites dedicated to sports, travel, and culture across France. He is an expert in movement, and this fascination with transit is expressed in his writing: Portes d’Afrique is both a rigorous study of doorways in African architecture, and a meditation upon heritage, culture, and identity. Considering the door as both a physical feature and a symbol of passage, Barry traverses an array of countries and regions in Africa in search of the functional, aesthetic, and spiritual as expressed in the doorway.
This conversation will be in French.
Click here to RSVP
About the speaker:
Rahim Danto Barry is an architect working in France. Notable projects to which he has contributed include the Centre Pompidou-Metz, the Stade de France, and the Pavillon de la France for the 1992 Seville Universal Exposition. His writings on architecture include a chapter in La Fondation Louis Vuitton par Frank Gehry (2014) and his 1999 work Portes d’Afrique.
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 (Barry 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.

(Hybrid) Lara Marlowe on Love and War
2022-07-13 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Join Evenings with an Author (in person and online*) to discuss
Love in a Time of War: My Years with Robert Fisk
with American author and journalist Lara Marlowe
Click here to RSVP
Join Lara Marlowe, Paris-based foreign correspondent for The Irish Times newspaper, for a conversation on the war in Ukraine and her memoir Love in a Time of War, My Years with Robert Fisk. Described by Noam Chomsky as “A gripping tale of savagery and courage, of history in the making, intertwined with rich personal reminiscences,” this account of her relationship with renowned British journalist Robert Fisk describes the intensity of love and the perils of journalism, set against geopolitical turbulence and violent war. Marlowe will be bringing her nearly 40 years of work in journalism to the library to discuss the writing of this book, the complicated experiences of war correspondents, and her perspective on the Ukraine war.
Click here to RSVP
About the speaker:
Lara Marlowe is an American journalist and author. Currently the Paris bureau chief for The Irish Times, she previously served as the paper’s US correspondent and worked in the Middle East for Time magazine for eight years. Marlowe has won four press awards for her journalism, including Features Writer of the Year in Ireland in 2021. Love in a Time of War is her third book and has been a best-seller in Ireland.
Registration required.
*The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Marlowe 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.

Brownies and Bananagrams (ages 12–18)
2022-07-16 14:00 - 15:00
Brownies and Bananagrams

For ages 12–18

Enjoy homemade brownies and a game of Banagrams during this Saturday afternoon event! There’s no need to be a pro at word games to enjoy this activity. If you’ve never played, Children’s and Teens’ Services Librarian Kirsty will teach you the rules of the game, with the help of Library volunteers.

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 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

Donate to the Library

Story Hour: Animals of the Safari (Ages 3-5)
2022-07-20 14:30 - 15:30
Story Hour:
Animals of the Safari

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, we’ll read books about the animals you may see on a safari including elephants, lions, and rhinos and will read the book The Ugly Five by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler.
This Story Hour will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Librarian Kirsty, 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. 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

Story Hour: Daring and Dastardly Dragons (ages 3-5)
2022-07-27 14:30 - 15:30
Story Hour:
Daring and Dastardly Dragons

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, we’ll read books all about dragons, including Zog by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler.
This Story Hour will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Librarian Kirsty, 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. 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

Farewell, Kirsty (all ages)
2022-08-06 11:00 - 12:00
Farewell, Kirsty

all ages

Join us for a Scotland and unicorn-themed farewell party for Librarian Kirsty McCulloch Reid
Children’s and Teens’ Services Librarian and YAFF Coordinator Kirsty McCulloch Reid will be leaving the American Library in Paris at the end of the summer to relocate back to Scotland. Kirsty’s contributions since she first began at the Library in 2015 are innumerable. She spearheaded the effort to grow YAFF to the incredible festival it has become, and she set a very high bar for accessibility in our catalog, along with assisting voracious readers find great books every day she comes to work. Kirsty will remain a part of the library community, and will continue as YAFF Coordinator on a volunteer basis for 2023. Two farewell celebrations will be hosted for Library members: one on Saturday 6 August at 11h00 for children ages 0–12 and their families, and other on Saturday 6 August at 14h00 for teens.

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.

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

Sundae Saturday: Farewell, Kirsty (ages 12–18)
2022-08-06 14:00 - 15:30
Sundae Saturday: Farewell, Kirsty

For ages 12–18

Join us for ice-cream sundaes and a farewell party for Children’s and Teens’ Services Librarian Kirsty McCulloch Reid.
Children’s and Teens’ Services Librarian and YAFF Coordinator Kirsty McCulloch Reid will be leaving the American Library in Paris at the end of the summer to relocate back to Scotland. Kirsty’s contributions since she first began at the Library in 2015 are innumerable. She spearheaded the effort to grow YAFF to the incredible festival it has become, and she set a very high bar for accessibility in our catalog, along with assisting voracious readers find great books every day she comes to work. Kirsty will remain a part of the library community, and will continue as YAFF Coordinator on a volunteer basis for 2023. Two farewell celebrations will be hosted for Library members: one on Saturday 6 August at 11h00 for children ages 0–12 and their families, and other on Saturday 6 August at 14h00 for teens.

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. 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

Donate to the Library

Friendship Bracelets (all ages)
2022-08-13 11:00 - 12:00
Friendship Bracelets
all ages

Learn how to braid a friendship bracelet, or two (for ages 6+) or make a beaded bracelet for someone special.

Children ages 5 and under must be accompanied by a chaperone for the duration of this workshop. Children between the ages of 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. 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

Written in Ink: a Writing Workshop with Jion Sheibani (ages 12–18)
2022-08-27 13:00 - 15:00 | The American Library in Paris
About Jion Sheibani: Jion is the author and illustrator of the young adult novel The Silver Chain, as well as the picture book Lily & The Polar Bears and The Worries young fiction series. She grew up in Brighton and now lives in Paris with her family. She’s a self-taught illustrator and studied English literature at Oxford University. When she moved to Paris, she taught English to students at Sciences Po and ENSAE universities before opening her own language school for children, Anglofun. Now, she mainly draws and writes in her garden studio. As well as picture books and young fiction, she also writes and illustrates for older readers. Find out more about Jion and her work here. 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.

LEGO Creations (ages 6–12)
2022-09-03 11:00 - 12:00 | The American Library in Paris
Join the Children’s and Teens’ Services team for construction games and a friendly building competition. We’ll have all the supplies you need to create your own original creations.

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’s and Teens’ Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

(Hybrid) Amor Towles on The Lincoln Highway
2022-09-08 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Amor Towles’s latest book, The Lincoln Highway, is populated by a vivacious ensemble of misfits cast against the American landscape. When troubled teenager Emmett and his brother Billy make plans to leave their Nebraska farm behind for California, the road ahead quickly presents twists and deviations. Unexpected companions, petty crime, and a youthful spirit of adventure combine to transform a simple road trip into a high-stakes railway pursuit across the country. Along the way, readers meet an exciting cast of complex characters that bring this charming novel to life. Exploring themes of American myth, storytelling, and history, Towles’ Lincoln Highway enlightens and entertains.
Copies of the French translation of The Lincoln Highway will be available for purchase at this event thanks to the generous participation of Librairie Tome 7. This event was organized in collaboration with Editions Fayard.
About the speaker:
Amor Towles is the author of three bestselling novels: Rules of Civility (2011), A Gentleman in Moscow (2016), and The Lincoln Highway (2021). Towles’s works have been translated into over thirty languages. His essays and short stories have been published in the Paris Review, British Vogue, Audible Originals, and Granta.
Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Towles 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.
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) Anne Weber on Epic Annette
2022-09-13 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Epic Annette: A Heroine’s Tale details the miraculous and harrowing story of Annette Beaumanoir, a medical student whose involvement with the French Resistance and the Algerian FLN cemented her name in history. Weber seizes on Beaumanoir’s gripping personal tale, including her exile from France and separation from her children, to explore the tragic conflict between political activism and familial obligation. With poetic language she crafts the history of Annette into a tale of epic proportions, while ruminating on the ethical and philosophical consequences of Annette’s decisions. Weber will be in conversation with Tess Lewis, the English translator of her novel.
About the speakers:
Anne Weber is a German-French author and translator based in Paris. She has received the 3Sat award at the Festival of German-Language Literature as well as a European translation award for her translation of Pierre Michon. Her most recent novel, Epic Annette, won the 2020 German Book Prize.
Tess Lewis is a writer and translator from French and German. Lewis is a recipient of the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, and was awarded the ACFNY Translation Prize and the 2017 PEN Translation Prize for her translation of the novel Angel of Oblivion by Maja Haderlap.
Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Weber and Lewis 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.
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: Pirates, Ahoy! (ages 3–5)
2022-09-14 14:30 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
For this Story Hour, we’ll read books (fictional and factual) all about pirates, including The Pirates Next Door: Starring the Jolley-Rogers, by Jonny Duddle.
This Story Hour will be hosted by Children’s and Teens’ Manager Celeste Rhoads and Assistant Children’s and Teens’ Services Librarian Jason Hazard. 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. 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.

(Online) Rob Nixon on Environmental Justice and Slow Violence
2022-09-14 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
From flooded Kentucky streets to Portugal engulfed in flames, images of the climate crisis are used to underscore its urgency and communicate the scale of its devastation. For Princeton scholar Rob Nixon, however, of equal importance are the parts of climate change that are largely invisible and unspectacular. In his seminal 2011 work Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor, Nixon encourages us to look at gradual processes of environmental harm which lead to catastrophic events. When we consider the unseen alongside the seen, new strategies for the fight against climate change emerge, and environmental justice becomes a more attainable goal.
About the speaker:
Rob Nixon is the Princeton Department of English Currie C. and Thomas A. Barron Family Professor in the Humanities and the Environment. He is the author of four books and a frequent contributor to the New York Times. Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor was named a 2012 American Book Award winner and Choice outstanding book of 2011.
Important information: This event requires advance registration.
Evenings with an Author are free and open to the public (with a 10€ suggested donation)
thanks to the generous support of Gregory Annenberg Weingarten of GRoW @ Annenberg.

(In Person at mk2 Bibliothèque) Eileen Myles on Chelsea Girls
2022-09-15 20:00 - 21:00 | mk2 Bibliotheque, 128 - 162 Av. de France, Paris, 75013, France
Poet Eileen Myles will be speaking at the mk2 Bibliothèque as part of the mk2 Institut conferences. Myles will be presenting their work Chelsea Girls, originally published in 1994 and triumphantly republished in 2015. Acclaimed as a tour-de-force of literary liberty, the book is both addictive and magistral. An iconoclast, Eileen Myles is one of the most celebrated living authors in the United States. With a poetic power reminiscent of Patti Smith, Myles, like Smith, fled catholic, working class America for the allures of New York life: anger, poetry, drugs, and women. Chelsea Girls was translated into French by Héloïse Esquié and published by Editions du Sous-Sol in 2022.
The American Library in Paris will be co-sponsoring this event.
About the speaker:
Eileen Myles is a poet and writer. Myles has published more than twenty volumes of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, libretti, plays, and performance pieces. They are a 2012 Guggenheim Fellow and 2011 Lambda Literary Award winner. In 2020, they received the Bill Whitehead Award for lifetime achievement by writers within the LGBT community.
Important information: This event will take place in person at the mk2 Bibliothèque at 128 – 162 Av. de France, 75013 Paris.
Access to this event requires purchase of a ticket through mk2. Click on the button below to purchase your ticket.

Teen Night: Paper Cutting with Shalinee Laval (ages 12–18)
2022-09-16 19:00 - 21:00 | The American Library in Paris
Paper cut art is a folk art that plays with positive and negative spaces, and involves carefully cutting out a design through a piece of paper with a sharp knife. The areas of the paper left are the light areas of the design and the cut out areas become the darker contrast which then can be layered on top of a contrasting background. It is popular in China and Indonesia, as well as Switzerland where it is known as Schehrenschnitte. In Mexico artists use inexpensive tissue paper to create papel picado for both religious and secular purposes.

About Shalinee Laval: Shalinee Laval makes paper cut art inspired by children’s fairy-tales. Her work has ben exhibited at Le médiathèque de Chantilly. You can find out more about Shalinee and see examples of her work here.

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 15€ per person for non-members. 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.

Baby Gym (ages 0–3)
2022-09-17 11:00 - 11:30 | The American Library in Paris
This participatory event for young children ages 0–3 and their caregivers includes music, movement, and song, and will be hosted by Patricia de Sereys of Pari-Grandir,who created this workshop and has been working at Pari-Grandir for the past 11 years.
This Baby Gym session is aimed at developing children’s motor, emotional, and cognitive skills. Gymnastics activities are used in an educational play mode, as games are essential for the child in a pedagogical approach that respects the child’s rhythm and needs, and is particularly effective for children from birth to 3 years old. This activity meets children’s need to mimic adults while encouraging their curiosity and their desire to discover. The different movements are done in pairs and are playful, safe and aim to develop the child’s personal growth and development. 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.

Scrap Poetry (ages 12–18)
2022-09-17 14:00 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
Join Front of House Assistant Pallas-Amenah Morgan as she guides you in the creation of your own original poetry using found words and phrases. Supplies will be provided, as well as light snacks. Important information: This event is 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 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.

Research Skills: A Workshop (ages 8–12)
2022-09-18 14:00 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
Join Assistant Children’s and Teens’ Services Librarian Jason Hazard for a workshop dedicated to research and creating factual reports. We’ll focus on ways to gather accurate information, different ways to present it, and methods of writing.
Participants who have a portable computer or electronic tablet are encouraged to bring them along for this workshop. Devices will be provided if required. 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) Andrew Curran on Who's Black and Why
2022-09-20 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
In 1739, the Bordeaux Royal Academy of Sciences held an essay competition on the scientific cause of ‘blackness.’ The Academy received sixteen submissions. Editors Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Andrew S. Curran have published these never-before-seen documents alongside a study of the birth of ‘scientific racism’. Curran will be speaking at the library on this curious competition, the history of race and racism, the relationship of science and the Enlightenment, and the relationship of these ideas to the concept of race in the present-day.
About the speaker:
Andrew S. Curran is a non-fiction writer and William Armstrong Professor of the Humanities at Wesleyan University. He has contributed to the New York Review of Books, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Time Magazine, and more. He is also the author or editor of five books, including The Anatomy of Blackness: Science and Slavery in an Era of Enlightenment (2013), which received the 2018 Louis Marin Prize from the Académie des sciences d’outre-mer. He was also a finalist for the American Library in Paris’s best book of 2019 for his Diderot and the Art of Thinking Freely.
Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Curran 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.
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: Summer Turns to Fall (ages 3–5)
2022-09-21 14:30 - 15:30 | The American Library in Paris
For this Story Hour, we’ll read books (fictional and factual) all about the seasons, including the tale Goodbye, Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak.
This Story Hour will be hosted by Assistant Children’s and Teens’ Services Librarian Jason Hazard and 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. 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) Festival America: Invisibles et Très Visibles with Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and Viet Thanh Nguyen
2022-09-21 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
As part of Festival America, join authors Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and Viet Thanh Nguyen for a discussion on visibility and invisibility in literature. Invisible as minorities, visible as stereotypes, and highly visible as threats, Asian Americans like Black Americans like First Nation Americans constantly slip in and out of sight, rarely seen for who they are. How can literature disrupt this slippage? How can writing authentically illuminate the overlooked corners of society? Equipped with humor and violence, theory and experience, the best literature exposes not only the hidden tensions of the world, but the hidden tensions of the reader herself. In exposing depths and wounds, literature which makes the invisible visible can be seen as a type of cure.
About the speakers:
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is the author of the New York Times-bestselling story collection Friday Black (2018). His writing has been published in the New York Times Book Review, Esquire, Literary Hub, the Paris Review, and Guernica. Adjei-Brenyah’s forthcoming debut novel Chain-Gang All-Stars will be published in 2023.
Viet Thanh Nguyen is the author of eight works. His 2016 novel The Sympathizer was awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. He is the Aerol Arnold Professor of English and American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California and a recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim and MacArthur foundations.
Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Adjei-Brenyah and Nguyen 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.
This discussion will be in English.
Evenings with an Author are free and open to the public (with a 10€ suggested donation)
thanks to the generous support of Gregory Annenberg Weingarten of GRoW @ Annenberg.

Teen Night: Save Yourself From Trolls (ages 12–18)
2022-09-23 19:00 - 21:00 | The American Library in Paris
Why do we call it real news? Assess real vs. fake news vs. satire, and verifiable facts vs. urban legends. Learn to tell an authentic images from photo-shopped pictures. We bet you’ll be surprised at what you discover, and the ways you’ll be able to foil online trolls once you’ve left the Library!

Light refreshments will be provided. Prizes too!

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 15€ per person for non-members. 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.

Bookworms Book Club: "The Last Cuentista" (ages 9–12)
2022-09-24 14:00 - 15:00 | The American Library in Paris
Discuss the 2022 Newbery Medal-winning novel The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera, and explore what it means to live in a dystopian world, and to share our stories.

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’s and Teens’ Services Manager, Celeste Rhoads: celeste@americanlibraryinparis.org.

(In Person at the Pompidou in Vincennes) Festival America: Politique de la Littérature with Jonathan Franzen, Karl Marlantes, and Viet Thanh Nguyen
2022-09-24 18:15 - 19:30 | Centre Culturel Georges Pompidou in Vincennes, 142 rue de Fontenay, Vincennes, 94300, France
As part of Festival America, join Jonathan Franzen, Karl Marlantes, and Viet Thanh Nguyen for a panel on the politics of literature. To write a novel can be an eminently political gesture. Whether one is denouncing infamy, reporting on unjust living conditions, or telling the story of a just fight, there are many books that have accompanied, throughout history, the struggles of humanity. How does the writer wield material that is simultaneously historical and political? Like Dos Passos, Steinbeck or Toni Morrison, writers of this camp do not intend to write to entertain, but rather to help open our eyes to the world as it is.
About the speakers:
Jonathan Franzen is an essayist and novelist. He is the author of six novels, including The Corrections (2021), which was awarded a National Book Award, a James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Franzen is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Karl Marlantes is an American author. His work Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War received the 2011 Washington State Book Award. His other works are What it is Like to Go to War (2011) and Deep River (2019).
Viet Thanh Nguyen is the author of eight works. His 2016 novel The Sympathizer was awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, the Edgar Award for Best First Novel, and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. He is the Aerol Arnold Professor of English and American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California and a recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim and MacArthur foundations.
Important information: The discussion will take place in person at the Centre Culturel Georges Pompidou at 142 rue de Fontenay 94300 Vincennes
Access to this event requires the advance purchase of a one or two-day PASS through the Festival America website. Click the button below to get your Pass.

(In Person at the Maison des Associations in Vincennes) Festival America: L'empire des Sens with Marcial Gala, Brandon Taylor, and Bryan Washington
2022-09-25 15:30 - 17:00 | Maison des Associations, 41 Rue Raymond du Temple, Vincennes, 94300, France
As part of Festival America, writers Marcial Gala, Brandon Taylor, and Bryan Washington will discuss desire and the body in literature. How does writing give flesh to sensation? What is the bodily experience of writing? From the famous denial of the senses performed by Descartes in order to doubt his own identity to the modern day, the relationship between sensation, embodiment, and writing has been at the center of literature and philosophy. The authors will interrogate the limits of literature faced with the contours of desire, considering its capacity to describe the intimate, the corporeal, and the sensual. Join them as they voyage into the empire of the senses.
About the speakers:
Marcial Gala is a Cuban novelist, poet, and architect. He is the author of four works, including The Black Cathedral (2012), awarded the 2012 Alejo Carpentier Award for novels and Critics’ Award for the best books published in Cuba in 2012. Gala’s most recent work, Call me Cassandra (2018), was awarded the 2018 Ñ Prize of the City of Buenos Aires-Clarín.
Brandon Taylor is a novelist. His debut novel Real Life (2020) was a finalist for the 2020 Booker Prize, The National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize, and the 2021 Young Lions Fiction Award, and was named a NYT Editors’ Choice and NYT Notable Book. His story collection Filthy Animals (2021) was awarded the 2022 Story Prize and was a finalist for the Dylan Thomas Prize.
Bryan Washington is the author of three works. His debut story collection Lot (2019) was the winner of the 2019 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, the 2020 Dylan Thomas Prize, and the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction. Washington’s debut novel Memorial (2020) was named a New York Times Notable Book of 2020 and TIME Book of the Year.
Important information: The discussion will take place in person at the Maison des Associations at 41 Rue Raymond du Temple, 94300 Vincennes
Access to this event requires advance purchase of a one or two-day PASS through the Festival America website. Click the button below to purchase your Pass.

(Hybrid) An Evening with Joyce Maynard
2022-09-27 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
Joyce Maynard is a renowned American author celebrated for her cool voice, clear gaze, and stylistic breadth. A figure of national attention since the publication of her first essay in the New York Times at age eighteen, Maynard has now authored eighteen books. Over the course of this long career, Maynard has worked as a New York Times reporter, a syndicated newspaper columnist, a performer with the Moth, and a contributor to NPR, Vogue, the New York Times Magazine, and others. Her most recent novel, Count the Ways, was published in July 2021. She will be speaking on her writing process, the trajectory of her work, and a life lived dedicated to the written word.
About the speaker:
Joyce Maynard is an author and essayist. She is a fellow of the MacDowell Colony and Yaddo as well as the founder of Write by the Lake, a memoir-writing workshop. Her works Labor Day (2009), To Die For (1992), Under the Influence (2016), and memoirs At Home in the World (1998) and The Best of Us (2017) were New York Times bestselling novels.
Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Maynard 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.
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) Peter Conradi on Who Lost Russia
2022-09-28 19:30 - 20:30 | The American Library in Paris
In 2017, author and journalist Peter Conradi released Who Lost Russia? How the World Entered a New Cold War. The work offered expert analysis of Western policy toward Russia following the fall of the USSR. Conradi drew a straight line from the political and economic isolation of Russia to Putin’s rise, and diagnosed his determination to rebuild the Soviet empire. In 2022 with the invasion of Ukraine, Conradi saw his prediction confirmed. In this updated edition of the celebrated book, Conradi turns his attention to Ukraine, examining the war in the context of Russia’s post-Soviet history and Putin’s authoritarian regime. With clarity and precision, Conradi considers what the consequences will be for Europe and the world. Conradi will be in conversation with journalist Vivienne Walt.
About the speakers:
Peter Conradi is the Europe Editor of the Sunday Times. He is the author of The Red Ripper: Inside the Mind of Russia’s Most Brutal Serial Killer (1992) and Hitler’s Piano Player (2002), and co-author of the best-selling book The King’s Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy (2010).
Vivienne Walt is a Paris correspondent for TIME Magazine and Fortune Magazine. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, BusinessWeek, and more. She is governor of the Overseas Press Club of America.
Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Conradi 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.
Evenings with an Author are free and open to the public (with a 10€ suggested donation)
thanks to the generous support of Gregory Annenberg Weingarten of GRoW @ Annenberg.

Teen Night: Photography with Angelica Brewis (ages 12–18)
2022-09-30 19:00 - 21:00 | The American Library in Paris
Get to know other creative teens and aspiring photographers as you explore photography with Angelica Brewis. Participants will ideally have a camera with manual capacities (to change the ISO settings, aperture, etc.) so that they can learn technical aspects of photography as well as working on their technique, however several cameras will be provided.
About Angelica Brewis: Born in Jamaica, Angelica is a global citizen who has traveled extensively and lived in Canada, the U.S.A., Australia, England, and now Paris. While in high school she took an interest in photography where one of her black and white portraits gave her recognition winning first place. She learned how to develop and enlarge her black and white photography in a darkroom and went on to obtain a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in Photography in Toronto, Canada.
After a year working as a freelance photographer, Angelica returned to university to obtain a Graduate Diploma in Education and become an elementary school teacher. She currently teaches at a bilingual school in Paris while simultaneously pursuing her passion for photography. Find out more About Angelica here.

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 15 euros per person for non-members. 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.

Creating Scary Stories* (ages 8–12)
2022-10-01 11:00 - 12:00 | The American Library in Paris
Join Children and Teens’ Services Intern Diya and Library volunteers in a creative writing workshop, and write spine tingling stories in time for Halloween!

Children between the ages 8–12 may participate in Library programs on their own, while their chaperone remains inside the Library.

*This event is part of our Halloween Extravaganza programming. Costumes and festive attire are welcome!

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.
