Laurel Zuckerman's Paris Weblog

Paris Readings and Events September 2011!

This month, news from Gioia Diliberto, Best Paris Stories, David Barnes, Tony Alerbto Rigettini, Mitzi Szereto, Mary Lou Longworth, Elaine Sciolino, Al Herter, The Open University,  Jeffrey Greene, Tatiana de Rosnay, Louis Franke, Jamie Cat Callan, New Voices, New Projects, Ellen Sugarman, Mathhew Rose, Fany Pechiodat and more

New Books

Paris Without End: The True Story of Hemingway's First Wife by Gioia Diliberto

Parisian Postcards: Snapshots of Life in Paris by Loui Franke

Red Velvet and Absinthe: Paranormal Erotic Romance edited by Mitzi Szereto For review copies and interview requests, contact: [email protected]

Peter St John Dawe’s novel “Triple Agent”, based on the Gospel According to John, has been published as a digital book by Amazon Kindle   http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052YXN6W

My Little Paris by Fany Pechiodat

Susan Tiberghien had a Meanwhile article in the International Herald Tribune, Airport Chatter, July 7,   

Best Paris Stories Cover Contest : Deadline September 30  Many thanks to Tendayi Chirawu for helping us launch the ebook cover design contest!  

Literary Events in Paris (September 2011)

Monday 5th September - 7pm Mary Lou Longworth presents Death at the Chateau Bremont AT WH Smith

Monday 5th Sept, 9pm SpokenWord at Cabaret Populaire/Culture Rapide. Featuring Mr. Tony Alberto Rigettini as host and special guests from Samizdat Publishing and elsewhere! 103 rue Julien Lacroix Métro Belleville Expecting a crowd so - Get there early if you want a seat!!!!  SpokenWord’s format: 1. Sign up on the night from 8pm 2. Spoken word (poetry, prose, stand up, anything): you get 5 minutes, with a warning bell at 4.45 to let you know you have 15 seconds to finish. 3. Acoustic songs: you get to do one whole song, 5 mins or even a bit longer.  4. We do 2 or 3 rounds, starting at approx. 8.30pm, 9.45pm and 11pm. 5. Cinderella rule: we finish at midnight. (To chat & socialise...) The atmosphere is very supportive of anyone having a go. SpokenWord blog at http://spokenwordparis.blogspot.com/

 Wednesday September 7 7.30pm PIERS FACCINI and FRANCESCA BEARD, STANDING ROOM at Le Trianon in Montmartre Paris. Presented by Shakespeare and Co, this is the first in a new series celebrating spoken and sung word at Le Trianon in Montmartre. The first installment (in English) will present Piers' songwriting alongside the performance poetry of Francesca Beard, performing separately, then together to create new work on stage.  Tickets: 12€ presale / 15€ at the door.  FNAC http://tinyurl.com/3tpq8n3 or from 10 August at Shakespeare and Company 37 rue de la Bûcherie 75005 OR at the Trianon's café 80 bl. de Rochechouart 75018, or at fnac.com. www.shakespeareandcompany.com   www.letrianon.fr SpokenWord blog at http://spokenwordparis.blogspot.com/

Wednesday 7 September  19h30 Elaine Sciolino New York Times Paris correspondent presents ‘La Seduction: How The French Play the Game of Life.’ AT Am Library

Sunday 11 September  15h00-16h30 special exhibit ‘A New Yorker Remembers 9/11’, share your memories of 9/11 with Al Herter—native New Yorker and part-time Paris resident. AT Am Library

Sunday, September 11, at 7h30  Reading of play by Gwyneth Hughes: a one-woman show called 'Apple Pie' with an excellent British actress, Anna Cottis.  At Carr's (I rue du Mont Thabor, metro Tuileries).

September 12: Creative Writing Workshop at The Open University in Paris Sept 12th http://bit.ly/qjBShd

12 SEPTEMBER: NIKOLAI GROZNI, WUNDERKIND (FICTION, MUSIC) THEN FLIP GRATER (FOLK) AT Shakespeare and co

Sept 13 at 7 p.m.  Jeffrey Greene will talk about French Spirits and the Golden Bristled Boar: Last Ferocious Beast of the Forest. Read his WSJ and NPR interviews here    World View: 

Thursday, September 15th at 7pm Richard Zimmler presents The Warsaw Anagrams. Born in America, Richard Zimler has worked for many years as a journalist in the San Francisco Bay area. He currently lives in Portugal and has written several novels about generations of a Portuguese Jewish family.  The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon, Hunting Midnight, Guardian of the Dawn and The Seventh Gate form the ‘The Sephardic Cycle’ a group of inter-connected, but fully independent, novels. Richard Zimler also wrote the screenplay for The Slow Mirror, a short film which was awarded the Best Drama award at the New York City Short Film Festival in May of 2010. AT Village Voice

 19 SEPTEMBER: BOBBIE ANN MASON, THE GIRL WITH THE BLUE BERET AT Shakespeare and co

 20 SEPTEMBER: DW BROWN, JOANNE BARON, YOU CAN ACT AT Shakespeare and co

 Tuesday 20 September  19h30 Photographer Jennifer Huxta on the intersection of imagery and poetry. AT Am Library

Thursday 22 September  19h30 Tatiana de Rosnay, bestselling author of ‘Sarah’s Key,’ explores her new novel, ‘Rose.’ AT Am Library

Thursday 22rd September - 7pm Jamie Cat Callan, author of French Women Don't Sleep Alone, will present and sign her most recent book Bonjour Happiness. AT WH Smith

26 SEPTEMBER: TARIQ ALI, THE OBAMA SYNDROME AT Shakespeare and co

Sunday 25 September  13h00-19h00 Open House at the Library tours, demonstrations, activities for children. AT Am Library

The Bookclub at the Carmen : Last Weds of each month. See Paris Nighlife Goes Literary for more

Submissions

New Voices, New Projects is a Paris-based platform for artists to exhibit and network innovative new projects that are already in development. We welcome submissions that are multicultural, multilingual and multimedia. We are looking to be struck by originality, creativity and talent.  New Voices, New Projects is a joint initiative between BAW and AUP - please see our website for more details: http://www.bilingualacting.com/index.php?lp=CallForProjectsL Projects should be submitted to: [email protected]

Graphic Designers: showcase your talent with a submission to the ebook cover contest for BEST PARIS STORIES, a collection of the winning stories of the Paris Short Story Contest. 100 euro prize plus publication as ebook cover for the winning artists. Participants: your work will be displayed on Best Paris Stories website + Facebook + other sites! See here for submissions guidelines. Deadline: September 30, 2011

News and calls for submissions from our friends in Geneva (Thank you  Susan Tiberghien!)

(Geneva) American Citizens Abroad is in need of an Editor-in-Chief for their Newsletter. This is a volunteer position, a service to all Americans living abroad. It is an excellent opportunity to hone professional editing skills and to gain a subject area of expertise, while making an essential contribution to a worthy cause. The position requires approximately two days of work each month.  Interested parties should ACA, [email protected].  To learn more about American Citizens Abroad,  www.americansabroad.org

Prose and Poetry Prizes 2011, The New Writer magazine, closing date 30 November. Now in its 15th year, one of the major annual international competitions for short stories, microfiction, single poems, poetry collections, essays and articles; offers cash prizes as well as publication for the prize-winning writers in The Collection, special edition of The New Writer magazine each July. Back copies are available at the TNW website: http://www.thenewwriter.com/subscribe.htm  Further information including guidelines and entry fees at: http://www.thenewwriter.com/prizes.htm

Society of Women Writers and Journalists, International Online “Life Writing” Competition, http://swwj.co.uk/lifewritingcomp.html; closing date, Sept. 30, 2011

Workshop (Geneva) September 17, From Personal Essays to Opinion and Travel Essays. In the afternoon there will be the regular critiquing workshop. Please send your registrations with the attached form, or directly in an email.  If you have already registered, it is noted. Please note that the workshops will exceptionally be at Webster University, Bellevue. We will be there for the full day.

September 11  6 pm (Geneva) : last evening of readings at the Château de Lavigny. Most readings will be in French. Readings tobe  followed by an apératif with the chance to speak with the resident writers. For more information, www.chateaudelavigny.ch. Please reserve with Sophie Kandaouroff, [email protected]. 

Launch of Offshoots (Geneva) 11, at 17:00 to 19:30, with readings and a reception. Geeta Kothari, Fiction Editor, Kenyon Review. 

Registration forms for the Geneva Writers Conference, February 3-5, 2012 will be available on our website and at workshops from November onward.

Editing services

Author/journalist available to edit your fiction and non-fiction work. Excellent references in Paris and US.  email Ellen Sugarman at  [email protected] or call at 06-3836-0545. NO TEXT MESSAGES PLEASE

 Other expos

GOD & COUNTRY | MATTHEW ROSE NEW WORKS ON PAPER Exhibition: 30 Août –30 Septembre 2011 STORIE | 20 rue Delambre 75014 Paris, France Horaires: 15H00 - 20H00 tlj, sauf Lundi Métro: Vavin/Montparnasse/Edgar Quinet 

 

 

Flash: Creative Writing Workshop at The Open University in Paris Sept 12th

The Open University is running a Creative Writing workshop in Paris for complete beginners - Monday, 12^th September, 6-8pm.  For booking and further details contact David on [email protected].

Vichy France with Robert Paxton and Alan Riding, a literary evening in Paris

 

 A new literary scene is emerging at the Hotel La Perle on rue Canettes.

On July 27, La Perle held a fascinating evening on Vichy France, in partnership with Terrance Gelenter, the publisher of "Paris Through Expatriate Eyes".

Mary Duncan filed this report.

In exchange for 20 euros admission, La Perle hosted the speakers and guests in a tree lined atrium with a high, decorative glass ceiling. Odile Hellier of The Village Voice provided books and an attentive bartender poured wine. Approximately forty guests mingled, sat at small round tables, chatted with friends and nibbled on cheese, peanuts and sausage.

Terrance Gelenter introduced Robert Paxton, author of Vichy France 1940 -1944 (Columbia University Press 1973), and Alan Riding , author of And the Show Went On: Cultural Life in Nazi-Occupied Paris (Knopf 2010). Acclaimed experts on the Occupation and its affect on the people and institutions of France during and after World War II, they discussed.their research methods and the results of their work.

Paxton relied on diplomatic dispatches and letters sent between embassies before, during and after the war. He found great disparities in the before and after descriptions of what had transpired in France. Once the war turned in favor of the allies, many Vichy officials and others who had supported the Nazis, began changing documents and letters. But, Paxton said, they could not alter the diplomatic dispatches which were sitting in the US and German archives. These became the basis for his book, which shook the French establishment and challenged the prevailing views of how France responded to the German invasion.

Riding said he partially relied on interviews with over thirty elderly French people who survived the war. Most were over ninety-years old. Riding also read numerous clandestine Resistance newspapers such as "Les Lettres Française", which was published by Jean Paulhan, a Gallimard editor. Riding, who focused on cultural life during the Occupation, discussed writers such as Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. Basically, Riding said, most writers wanted to write and be published. Gallimard and other publishers accommodated them. This fit well with Germany’s policy of maintaining "life as normal" in France. Hitler wanted the French to be distracted so as not to deter his primary goal which was to invade England.

Hitler's goal was what determined how France was geographically divided between Occupied France and Vichy France. To gain military advantage over England, Hitler kept control of the French coastline and the northern part of the country. He didn't want to be burdened with governing all of France and left that to the Vichy administrators. It was Vichy who instituted the anti-Jewish laws. Though the theaters, orchestras and literary salons continued throughout the war, there was a conspicuous absence of Jewish musicians, writers and artists. Many had fled to the countryside, the south, left the country or changed their names. Others died in the concentration camps.

After Hitler invaded Russia, most of France's industrial and agricultural output was used to support Germany's war effort. This was why France wasn't decimated like Poland. Germany needed France's resources. As the war was ending, there was a race to see who would control the French government. The US had established interim administrators in Italy and tried to do the same in France. Charles de Gaulle headed off the Americans by appointing French officials who were loyal to him. As soon as a town was liberated, de Gaulle sent in someone to run the town.

Were there any positive results following the war?Yes, Riding and Paxton agreed, France increased its birthrate.

Following Paxton and Riding's talk, the alert audience asked questions for over thirty minutes. Sitting at tables with friends, the wine and food added to the evening's casual ambiance.

While most guests were young at heart, it was definitely a group "of a certain age." The admission fee may have deterred a younger crowd. I enjoyed the event and felt it was worth the admission fee. I had already heard Riding discuss his excellent book at other events. Meeting the distinguished Robert Paxton was an honor.

          - Mary Duncan

Mary Duncan is author of Henry Miller is Under My Bed: People and Places on the Way to Paris, soon to be released in a new edition (see review in San Diego Magazine and interview). She is working on a new book, subtitled "Love, Lust, Literature and Death on a Paris Street," which deals with Vichy France and the Occupation. Mary also coordinates The Paris Writers Group which she founded in 2008.

Paris Writers News Interviews Paris Travel Blogger Richard Nahem, author of Eye Prefer Paris

Author on Authors :

Richard Nahem, author of Eye Prefer Paris,

talks with

Laurel Zuckerman, Editor of Paris Writers News

 

Richard Nahem's highly successful Paris blog, Eye Prefer Paris, is embarking on its sixth year. Looking back, Richard talks with Paris Writers News about finding a voice, building a readership, and integrating blogging with his other activity, Paris tours. Looking forward, he shares his insights into changes in the travel writing profession, and the keys to good blogs.

___

Laurel Zuckerman: Richard, your blog Eye Prefer Paris, just celebrated its fifth year. Congratulations! What gave you the idea originally?

Richard Nahem: Thank you. I moved here in 2005 and was looking to do something new with my life. It was the beginning of the blogging boom and I thought I would get in on the ground floor with  the idea of an insiders guide to Paris from an ex-New Yorker’s viewpoint.

LZ: How did Eye Prefer Paris evolve?

RN: I found my voice rather quickly and in the beginning I just did two posts a week. I later started reading a lot about successful blogs and how blogs can make money plus bring other opportunities. I switched to four times a week to become more substantial and to position myself better.

 


LZ: You have thousands of faithful readers and subscribers. How do you build a faithful readership?

RN: I think that with almost all good blogs, interesting content is key plus with mine the photos play an important role in my success. Also, if you are consistent and post regularly readers know what to expect. My readers know they are getting a little piece of Paris in their email Monday through Thursday. Whenever I meet people or have new tour clients I ask if I could subscribe them. I must have personally subscribed hundreds of people

LZ: Favorite recurrent features of Eye Prefer Paris include door of the month, photo by Meredith Mullens and lunches with Lynn—all very different. How were they conceived?

RN: Most of them were organic or just on a whim. I had a feature called Metro station of the month and after a year or so I was running out of interesting metro stations to write about. I was walking in the 6^th arr. One day and started taking photos of doors and voila! The Door of the Month was born. Parisian of the Month & Dessert of the Month were suggested by two of my readers. I met Meredith at a wine shop one day and liked her photos & suggested she do a monthly feature.

LZ: How do you work with guest bloggers? What do they bring to the blog?

RN: I think guest bloggers bring a fresh voice and readers appreciate that. Sometimes I have themes and people will write around them. Otherwise I just give them freedom to write what hey want as long as it’s something to do with Paris or France and has a certain amount of words.

 
 
LZ: Your writing has appeared in many other publications. Is it hard to switch from one style of writing to another?

RN: I regularly write for www.julib.com, a fashion and trend site, and a monthly Paris column on http://www.travelagentcentral.com/blogs, a luxury travel agent blog. I have also written for a luxury gay travel magazine Passport and an article for The Guardian in London. Actually it’s fun switching writing styles and third person can be a relief from writing “I” all the time. It’s also a great exercise in writing; it really expands and strengthens your writing. It also puts your brain on a different setting.

LZ: What makes for good blog writing?

RN: Concise, down to earth from the heart writing. Also a personal and strong viewpoint. being personal without being too personal. No one needs to know your personal hygiene habits or why you broke up with your boyfriend.

LZ: You offer tours of Paris, especially the Marais which is your home. A business question—how do the blog and the touring business complement each other? Is each independent or do they work together?

RN:  They complement each other perfectly and work off one another. I started the blog first and the tours six months later. The tours are an extension of the blog and I tell clients that many of the places I write about on the blog will be on the tours. The blog inadvertently became a marketing tool for the tours. I make Paris so irresistible to my readers that they eventually have to come to Paris and book a tour. But it’s not why I write the blog, but it’s an extra bonus when someone books a tour because they found my blog.

 

LZ: Travel writing has changed dramatically in the past few years. What do you see as the biggest changes?

RN: Online publications and online content for magazines has made the biggest difference. Most travel magazines are much more targeted now and also articles are getting shorter. Also the pay is a lot less now and many online publications don’t compensate that well. Magazines are competing with so much more free content online from blogs and other sites. It is mind-boggling how many travel sites and blogs there are.

LZ: What advice would you give to a young writer—especially a travel writer—starting out today?

RN: Start a blog, it’s the best way to build your writing and write consistently. A good blog is a great calling card/resume builder.

LZ: Of all the pieces you’ve ever written, which one makes you proudest?

RN: Besides the five years of my blog, I have to say the Guardian piece, which not so much for the content but the honor of being in such a publication and also my first 3000 word article “10 Ways to Say I Love You in Paris” for Passport magazine. It was exciting seeing a 6-page article with my name in big letters.

 

LZ: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

RN: I never planned on being a writer. In fact I barely ever wrote anything before I started my blog. After I started my blog, some publications asked me to write articles for them and that’s how I started.

LZ: Is there any other profession you’ve always dreamed about?

RN: I always wanted to be a travel photographer and I am now partly fulfilling that dream with the photos I take for my blog. I eventually want to have my photos in other outlets like magazines books, etc.  and travel the rest of the world and take photos.

LZ: How (and this is an important question given the sedentary nature of writing) do you stay in shape?

RN: I do yoga, go to the gym, and walk a lot on my tours.

LZ: Why Paris?

RN: Because “eye “ prefer it.

LZ: What are you working on now?

RN: I am writing an article for Passport for the September issue about made to measure clothing and accessories in Paris. I am also working on some book ideas based on certain features on my blog.

 ___

 
Richard Nahem is an ex-New Yorker living in Paris for 6 years. He writes a popular blog Eye Prefer Paris  (www.eyepreferparis.com) and also leads  private walking tours  (www.eyepreferparistours.com) - showing clients the off-beat, insiders Paris they never usually see on their own. You can follow Richard on Twitter at:  http://www.Twitter.com/eyepreferparis 

 

Laurel Zuckerman is the author of Sorbonne Confidential, based on her surreal experiences as an aspiring ESL teacher in France, and the editor of Paris Writers News. You can follow Laurel on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/LaurelZuckerman 

 

Interview with Clotilde Dusoulier, author of Chocolate and Zucchini

 

 "If you haven’t heard of multi-lingual Chocolate and Zucchini by now, you’ve obviously been living in gastronomic purgatory," -- Times Online's guide to the world's 50 tastiest food blogs.  

Clotilde Dusoulier is the author of Chocolate & Zucchini, Clotilde’s Edible Adventures in Paris, and an editor of I Know How to Cook. She launched her bilingual food blog, Chocolate & Zucchini, in 2003. It has repeatedly been named one of the best food blogs in the world, most recently by The Daily Meal, Delish, The Times, and New Statesman.

This week, Laurel Zuckerman talks with Clotilde Dusoulier about cooking, writing and the ingredients for creating a great food blog -- in English and in French.

Lockerbie bomber alive and well and enjoying pro-Gaddafi rallies

Update: July 27, 2011  

A Libyan man convicted in the 1988 bombing of a Pan America plane over the Scottish town of Lockerbie has attended a rally in Tripoli in support of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya's state TV said Megrahi was convicted in the 1988 downing of the Pan America plane that killed 270 people, most of them Americans, over Scotland. He was released from a Scottish prison in 2009 after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Al Megrahi returned to a hero's welcome in Libya later that year.

A reminder of Europe's fickle heart in matters of Gaddafi...

Richard Nahem, author of popular travel blog, Eye Prefer Paris, on good blog writing

 

 Richard Nahem's highly successful Paris blog, Eye Prefer Paris, is embarking on its sixth year. Looking back, Richard talks with Paris Writers News about finding a voice, building a readership, and integrating blogging with his other activity, Paris tours. Looking forward, he shares his insights into changes in the travel writing profession, and the importance of good blog content.

Paris Literary Events JULY 2011 !

This month, news from Rosa Rankin-Gee, Elaine Sciolino, The Rhizome Society, Ellyn Maybe, David Hare, Lorin Stein, Sheila Kohler, Deborah Landau, Le Carmen, Nathan Englander, Rachel Zucker, Mattheuw Rohrer, Richard Nahem, Todd Zuniga, Sebastien Marx, Barry Dickens, Brian Elson, David Barnes, Leanne Shapton, Elena Odessa Ray, Simonne Hurse, Alan Riding, and Nisha Somwang

 News:

Rosa Rankin-Gee won the Paris Literary Prize!  Adam Bilesand Agustin Maes were the two runners-up. Congratulations to writers--and organizers! The celebration in Paris on 16 June 2011 was absolutely perfect. Rosa has also launched a very special book club at Le Carmen, which is a lot of fun. (Interview with Rosa coming soon!)

Richard Nahem's blog Eye Prefer Paris celebrates its FIFTH ANNIVERSARY! Bravo Richard! See our interview with Richard here!

 

Many thanks to our intern Nisha Somwang for all her help with Paris Writers News ! (see the Author Directory's new look)

Paris Short Story Prize winners --if you haven't sent your photos and bios yet, know that we are eager to receive them! 

 

Selected Events in JULY 

TUESDAY JULY 5TH at 7pm  Elaine Sciolino will read from her book, La Seduction: How the French Play the Game of Life.  Elaine Sciolino is the author of two previous books; The Outlaw State: Saddam Hussein’s Quest for Power and the Gulf Crisis (1991), and Persian Mirrors: The Elusive Face of Iran (2000, 2005). AT Village Voice www.villagevoicebookshop.com

WEDNESDAY 6TH JULY 7:00PM  The Rhizome Society is a new English-speaking debating club in the upstairs library at Shakespeare & Co starting this July. The society meetings will take place every Wednesday night of this month from 7-9pm (excepting 13/7). The evening will consist of eight speakers, each speaking for a maximum of eight minutes for or against a particular topic. Questions for speakers from the floor during speeches will be permitted and encouraged. The topic of the inaugural meeting is Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori (It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country)and will take place at 7pm on Wednesday 6 July. Due to limited space, it is absolutely necessary to sign up either to speak or simply attend. To do so, or to find out what the following weeks’ topics will be, or to sign up for the Rhizome Society newsletter, please send an email to Lydia [email protected].

 THURSDAY 7TH JULY 5:00PM   Ellyn Maybe, lyrical poet and hippy lovechild of Gertrude Stein and Allen Ginsberg AT Shakespeare and Co

10th July at 7pm: English Theater with WordsUp: The Blue Room by David Hare, dir. by Colin David Reese; with Elena Odessa Ray and Ivan Magrin-Chagnolleau (Attn: Nudity) AT : Le Petit Théâtre du Bonheur, 6 Rue Drevet, 75018 Paris, Reservations: [email protected]

 MONDAY 11TH JULY 7:30PM  In collaboration with NYU, Lorin Stein will discuss legendary literary journal, The Paris Review. At Shakespeare and Co

 TUESDAY 12 July 2011 - 6:30- 8:30 pm PAN Writer Series with Sheila Kohler. Sheila Kohler is the author of ten books and the winner of numerous literary prizes including O'Henry awards, Antioch Review Prize, and New York Times Editor's Pick. Her third novel, the highly acclaimed "Cracks", was made into a film starring Eva Green. Sheila currently teaches writing at Princeton and Bennington. If you are in town in July, you won't want to miss this terrific evening. Sheila will talk about her new book, "Love Child". RSVP to Laurel Zuckerman at [email protected]

 (see Paris Writers News interview with Sheila Kohler here)

WEDNESDAY 13TH JULY 7:30PM  In collaboration with NYU: Join us for a discussion led by Deborah Landau on Literary Publishing between Michael Wiegers (Copper Canyon Press), Joanna Yas (Open City) and Jennifer Barth (HarperCollins). At Shakespeare and Co

 

 SUNDAY 17TH JULY 7:00PM  Literary Death Match at Le Carmen (a very cool bar), organized with Shakespeare & Co. Judging trio that boasts all-world scribe Nathan Englander (author of For the Relief of Unbearable Urgesand The Ministry of Special Cases), spectacular comedian Sebastian Marx (host of Pranzo's Very Happy Hour), and a lady-to-be-named that'll rock your chaussettes.  Readers include Rachel Zucker (author of Museum of Accidents & Home/Birth: a poemic — co-written with Arielle Greenberg ), poetic mastermind Matthew Rohrer (Destroyer and Preserver), The Paris Literary Prize-winner Rosa Rankin-Gee (author of the novella The Last Kings of Sark), and one to-be-announced! Hosted by LDM creator Todd Zuniga.http://www.literarydeathmatch.com/upcoming-events/july-17-2011.html Le Carmen, 34 rue Duperré, 75009, Paris (map) When: Doors at 7, Show at 8:05 (sharp); afterdrinks after!  Cost: €5 preorder (see the above site); €8 on the door.

 17 July 7pm : English-language theater with WordsUp: Mag and Bag by Barry Dickens, dir. by Quentin Ochem and Robert Brazil ; with Simonne Hurse and Jacqueline Mifsud (Attn: Adult language) AT : Le Petit Théâtre du Bonheur, 6 Rue Drevet, 75018 Paris, Reservations: [email protected]

 WEDNESDAY JULY 20 · 7:30pm - 10:30pm Lecture: Naval History in Britain and Canada with Bryan Elson  AT The Abbey Bookshop 29, rue de la Parcheminerie, (Métro St-Michel)

THURSDAY 21st July 2011 from 19h30  JT Welsch and Claire Trevien read in Salt Modern Voices followed by a Blues Jam. Andrew Motion described JT Welsch's debut pamphlet 'Orchids' as 'clever but emotional, ingenious but affecting'. Luke Kennard said Claire Trevien's 'Low-Tide Lottery' reads 'like a previously untranslated classic rather than a debut'.  AT Culture Rapide in Belleville

Saturday 23rd July - 3-6pm  Elaine Sciolino will sign her book La Séduction: How The French Play the Game of Life. AT WHSMITH

24th July at 7pm: English Theater with WordsUp: Two People : An improvised play about a couple created by Elena Odessa Ray and Simonne Hurse AT : Le Petit Théâtre du Bonheur, 6 Rue Drevet, 75018 Paris, Reservations: [email protected]

 

MONDAY 25TH JULY 6:00PM Celebrate a new anthology of poetry and fiction about Paris, Strangers in Paris, launched by editor David Barnes, with readings by contributors. AT Shakespeare and Co

 TUESDAY 26TH JULY 6:00PM Leanne Shapton will paint wooden book blocks from 4pm. At 6pm there will be a Q&A upstairs in the library. Leanne is an art director, illustrator, artist, and publisher based in New York and has contributed work to The New York Times, Harper’s, The New Yorker, GQ, Jane, Flaunt, and Seventeen, among others. She runs J&L Books with the photographer Jason Fulford. See her art at http://leanneshapton.com/index.html  AT Shakespeare and Co

 

Wednesday 27^th of July, 8:30 pm - 2am at Le Carmen, 34 rue Duperré, 75009, Paris. The Bookclub at Le Carmen. Bring a book, swap and talk, live music and dancing afterwards. A terrific event co-organized by Paris Literary Prize winner Rosa Rankin Gee and Jethro Turner. Paris Writers News sent its reporters to check it out. Highly recommended.  (interview and article coming soon!) AT Le Carmen 34 Rue Duperré 75009  http://taleofthree.com/ 

 WEDNESDAY July 27 7PM-9PM  An Evening in Vichy in Paris; For years France tried to forget or rewrite her experience in World War II. In the AP (Après Robert Paxton) era that is no longer possible.  With the 1973 publication of VICHY FRANCE that discussion was changed irrevocably. Last year the long time New York Times correspondent and former Paris Bureau Chief Alan Riding, in AND THE SHOW WENT ON, delved into cultural life in Paris while the Swastika flew over Paris.  AT Hotel La Perle 14 rue des Canettes  M: Saint-Germain, Mabillon  Cost 20 euros–includes a glass of wine and nibbles. To reserve.

 31st July at 7pm: English Theater with WordsUp: Mag and Bag by Barry Dickens, dir. by Quentin Ochem and Robert Brazil ; with Simonne Hurse and Jacqueline Mifsud (Attn: Adult language AT : Le Petit Théâtre du Bonheur, 6 Rue Drevet, 75018 Paris, Reservations: [email protected]

Calls for Submissions

Lesley Lawson is compiling an anthology of stories about men and women who, like her, married for the first time at 40+.  Writers who would like to contribute their story can get in touch with Lesley on [email protected] or tel. 079 5080284. (Geneva Writers Group)

Ashland Creek Press, a new, small, independent publisher of books with a world view, is calling for submissions for travel stories to eco-literature. "Our mission is to publish books, short stories, and articles that foster an appreciation for worlds outside our own, the animal kingdom, and the ways in which we all connect." Midge Raymond and John Yinker welcome submissions from the Geneva Writers Group. The submission process is online only. Check the website, www.ashlandpress.com,

Expat writing group Writers Abroad are seeking fiction and non-fiction submissions for their 2011 anthology Foreign Flavours. Theme is food, drink and cooking around the world.  Entry is free, and while there is no payment, proceeds from the publication will be donated to charity.  Entry deadline 09 September. Full details at www.writers-abroad.com

Poets & Writers are calling for essays about stories of perseverance despite rejection, other challenges, [email protected]

 International Creative Writing Competition for Poems, Short Stories and Flash Fiction:  The Bridport Prize 2011 website is now open for entries!  The Bridport Prize is the richest open writing competition in the English language - with £5000 first prize for a short story (of up to 5000 words); and £5000 first prize for a poem (of up to 42 lines). The new category of Flash Fiction attracts £1,000 to be won for the best short, short story of under 250 words. Deadline June 30. Enter online at: www.bridportprize.org.uk

 Inkwell, Manhattanville College , 14th annual Short Fiction Competition ($1500) and Annual Poetry Competition ($1000), deadline, Oct. 31, 2011; www.inkwelljournal.org 

 The International Literary Review is now considering unsolicited submissions. Look at the latest issue, "A New Zealand Literary Showcase" at www.interlitq.org.

 The Bellevue Literary Review is actively seeking creative nonfiction, visit www.BLReview.org for guidelines.

 Swiss News has a call for favorite stories about Switzerland , www.swissnews.ch.  Send to [email protected].

 If you are looking to get published in Europe , Eurowriter is a good source of information. Run by Alistair Scott, Eurowriter is a searchable database of information on European magazines, literary journals and similar publications. You can sign up to have it delivered to your mailbox. There's also a page with details of writing competitions. www.eurowriter.wordpress.com

 Check Writer's Market,  www.writersmarket.com for information about US markets, and www.writersmarket.co.uk for information about UK markets.

 WEBZINE NEWS from FRANCE REVISITED: To submit to Gary Lee Kraut’s site. France Revisited, see http://www.francerevisited.com or email him for more details or to get on his mail listing at [email protected] (read interview with Gary)

 Getting hot for you? Some tips for keeping cool in Paris !

 

Astonishing number of useless government commissions in France

When former education minister and French philosopher Luc Ferry accused a nameless former minister of pedophilia the swarm attacked.

Not directly (of course) but at an unprotected weak spot: his perk fake job. 

But this revelation designed to discredit him immediately backfired in an "arroseur arrosé" moment (literally the waterer watered) as news magazines line up to tell us, not just about Ferry's cushy no work assignment, but about AN ENTIRE SYSTEM of cushy paid do-nothing "jobs".

Sheila Kohler, author of Love Child, on writing, teaching and not interfering with the director

Sheila Kohler is the author of ten books and the winner of numerous literary prizes including O'Henry awards, Antioch Review Prize, and New York Times Editor's Pick. Her third novel, the highly acclaimed "Cracks", was made into a film starring Eva Green. Her new novel, Love Child, has just been released. Sheila currently teaches writing at Princeton and Bennington. I had the pleasure of meeting Sheila at the Paris Writers Workshop in 2010.