Hot Paris Pink Concentric Circles

The weather cleared up just in time for Thirza Vallois’s walk through Literary Paris, with me holding up the rear to nineteen attentive ears to Thirza’s amazing knowledge of Paris past.

Before mounting the stairs to the first floor of the famous Café de Flore (where Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre called “home”), we had discovered the lives of those who wandered the streets now called rue de l’Ancienne Comédie, Cour de Commerce Saint-André, Passage Dauphine, rue Mazarine, rue de Jacques Callot, rue de Seine, rue des Beaux Arts and rue de Furstenberg.

Rue de Furstenberg is a hidden jewel, punctuated by a small raised circle of four trees and one elaborate lamppost. The Musée Delacroix is tucked into one corner. I recall once coming upon the street by sheer happenstance during a Sunday walk in the spring only to find that the circle had been ensconced by a hot-pink molded plastic arrangement of tables and chairs — an artist’s installation, and a playful one at that!

The circle is a symbol that constantly reminds me of life here in France. In a “polychronic” society such as this one, where time is multi-track circular, many things are allowed to happen simultaneously, with no particular end in sight. For instance, the traffic circle is believed to be more efficient than the four-way stop and exist all over France. The most famous of these is of course the Arc de Triomphe in which eight lanes (unmarked) veer off to twelve streets.

I was reminded once again at yesterday’s Parler Paris Après Midi — of the concentric circles that make up the American community in Paris. The community seems cellular, like peering into a biologist’s microscope at hundreds of round cells of different sizes moving, intersecting and overlapping, then moving to intersect and overlap another.

As people came up the stairs and showed their smiling faces, we started to recognize one another from other acquaintanceships or friendships made in other places at other times, many intersecting and overlapping. The “synchronicity” of the relationships was overwhelming and we all felt the energy of its presence.

If you couldn’t make yesterday’s gathering, don’t despair — click here to read all about it and see the smiling faces of Francophiles in synchronistic harmony…or plan on coming next month (June 8th — second Tuesday, 3 p.m to 5 p.m.).

A la prochaine…

Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris
E-mail: [email protected]

P.S. I’ll be writing you next week from the La Grande Pomme (New York City) where I will be vacationing and celebrating my daughter’s graduation from college. Please forgive me if my response to email is a little thwarted.

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Further resources:
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* Need to understand how to make it work for you, then take us up on a one-on-one.

* An International Living Paris Pied-à-Terre Can Be Yours

* We’re meeting in Paris this June for three power-packed days to learn how to make your dream come true!

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If you wish your community announcement to be listed in the Parler Paris Previews, please provide the text in ENGLISH just as you’d like it to appear and send it to [email protected] We reserve the right to edit as necessary. Thank you, Adrian

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Strictly Entertainment
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MOVING PARTS PLAYS IN ENGLISH

Carr’s Pub & Restaurant
1 rue du Mont Thabor, 75001 Paris
Métro: Tuileries
Sundays 7:30 p.m.

16th May John Ireland “The Magic Hour”
30th May Ken Mackenzie “Is there Free Will in Hell?”
13th June Tom O’Brien “Who Killed Dmitri?”
27th June Mary Bruton Sandifer “Hunting Season”
12th September Barratt Walton “Buddha’s Aunt”

For more information, contact Stephanie Campion at: 06 14 67 18 58

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The International Players present in English

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
By William Shakespeare

Directed by Graham Bushnell who has also directed “Twelfth Night” for the Jardin de Shakespeare in Paris. The original music is composed by John Dawkins, musical director and conductor of the Melo’men choir and the Symphony Rainbow Orchestra.

The production will be part of the festivities to celebrate the 1300 years of the town of Le Pecq and also the centenary of the Entente Cordiale.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream occupies a special place in the works of Shakespeare: its contrasting worlds of dream and reality, its mixture of high and low comedy and its lyric beauty give it a timeless appeal. This production never loses sight of Shakespeare’s original intention: to tell a good story and to entertain.

A teacher’s pack and the complete script of the play

Thursday 3rd June, Friday 4th June, and Saturday 5th June at 20h30
Sunday 6th June at 15h00

Salle des Fêtes
Quai Voltaire , 78230 LE PECQ
RER line A: Le Vésinet-Le Pecq

Online reservations:
http://www.internationalplayers.info
or phone: 06 76 27 11 07

15 euros (adults) 10 euros (students)
Reductions for groups: [email protected]

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Literarily Speaking
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Ethan Gilsdorf announces the release of his new chapbook “System of Belief” — 24 pages of fresh poems, with a hand-sewn binding, full-color cover art by the artist, and sweat, needle pricks and love stitched and folded into every copy.

You can read sample poems, see pretty pictures, and even

order a copy, on-line, via his website (which uses the secure PayPal service). Credit cards accepted. He kids you not. (Or, if the urge strikes, you can also just send him money. Anytime!)

Plus, he’ll sign your copy of “System of Belief,” or the last chapbook, “Past Events Have Not Yet Occurred,” and ship it to you anywhere. How about that?

Poetry meets e-commerce. Another sign of the apocalypse.

More details at: http://www.ethangilsdorf.com/
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BOOK SIGNINGS AT “FOOD”

Rue Charlot at the facing rue du Forez, 3rd Arrondissement

Thursday, May 13th, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Guy Martin, starred chef of Le Grand Véfour, and Isabelle Rozenbaum, photographer, signing their book “C’est le Sud,” published by Editions du Chêne

Wednesday, May 26th, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Nicole Seeman and Raphaële Vidaling signing three first books of a new collection from TANA Editions.

EXPOSITIONS at “FOOD”

Photos by Daniel Jouanneau for FRENCH VOGUE from the ’80s
Thursday, June 3, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Exhibition of “SEA,” photos by Tan Kadam, June 3 – 29, 2004

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EVENTS AT THE AMERICAN LIBRARY IN PARIS

* CHILD DEVELOPMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Seminar Series on Children and Mental Health
Sponsored by the Woodward Charitable Foundation

Wednesday, May 12, 2004 8:00 PM
Prof. Daniel N. Stern M.D.
“Inside the Mind of Your Baby”

Dr. Stern will describe the newborn’s ability to form internal images (representations) of the people important to her or him, and how these images help the infant learn to interact with other humans. Among these earliest learning experiences are the ability to lump repeated patterns together to create a prototype of an activity (i.e., being fed) and the ability to imitate other humans, creating a window into other people’s feelings that provides the basis for sympathy, identification, knowing others and sharing experiences — all basic human traits.

Prof. Stern is currently Professeur Honoraire in the Faculté de Psychologie, Université de Genève, Adjunct Professor in the Dept. of Psychiatry, Cornell University Medical School–New York Hospital, and Lecturer at the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalysis. He trained at Harvard University, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bellevue Hospital (NY), and the National Institutes of Health (MD), among others. Prof. Stern is the author of six books, most of which have been translated into more than ten languages.

Free and open to the public.

American Library in Paris
10 rue du Général Camou,
75007 Paris
Métro: Ecole Militaire, Alma-Marceau, RER C Pont de l’Alma
Bus: 42,63,69,80,82 and 92
For more information, please call 01 53 59 12 63 or e-mail [email protected]

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USO Paris Presents

AN EVENING WITH THIRZA VALLOIS

Highly-acclaimed author of “Around and About Paris” series and “Romantic Paris”

Thirza Vallois will take you on a virtual romantic trip through Paris present and past. Funny, moving, outrageous love stories involving famous historical figures will also be part of the feast, always accompanied by wonderful slides. You will also get an insight into Paris at its most exquisite and most secret. If you think you have nothing more to learn about this city, by the end of the journey you will be amazed how much more there is to explore about “the civilized world’s eternal and splendid courtesan”, as William Faulkner described her.

Acknowledged worldwide as a Paris expert, Thirza Vallois has not only written several books, she has also contributes regularly to radio and television-BBC, PBS, CNN, Discovery, The Travel Channel, The French 5th Channel- and to such publications as Hemispheres, Condé Nast Traveller, the Financial Times. Her Three Perfect Days in Paris video was aired on all United Airlines international flights. She is also the author of the Paris entry to the 2002 edition of the Encarta Encyclopaedia.

“We come to Paris as to a stage on which to enact an episode of our love life, but before we know it we are caught under the spell and find out, to our astonishment, that it is Paris herself that has got under our skin, the one love that has no rival and that even time will never erode”

Thursday, May 13th, 2004 at 7:00 p.m.
US Marine House
22 Quai du 4 Septembre, Boulogne
Information and reservations: Vicky or Lydia at 01 40 70 99 68.
Fee: 5 euros
All proceeds of the
event will benefit USO Paris Center Programs and Services.

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Musical Interludes
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JUMPINJEFF BLUES CONCERT AU CAVEAU

A week of Blues Au Caveau des Oubliettes

Come Party with Jumpinjeff’s
Down and Dirty!
Getting funky with greasy Blues and Rhythm & Blues
Friday, May 14th, starting at 11 p.m.
Free entry! Cheap beer!
Au Caveau Des Oubliettes
52 Rue Galande
75005 Paris
Métro St. Michel
01-46-34-23-09

Jumpinjeff Hoffman: vocal and guitar
Marten Ingle: vocal and bass
Philippe Petit: Hammond Organ
Marty Vickers: Drums

Be there!

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HEAR ONE OF THE BEST COLLEGE CHORUSES IN THE USA…

Southwestern Missouri State University Concert Chorale
Under the direction of Guy Webb

Thursday, May 27, 2004, 12:45 p.m.
Eglise de la Trinité
Metro la Trinité
Free Entry
For more information, email Andrea Rose at [email protected]

May 25, 2004,
Eglise Saint-Sulpice
Métro Saint-Sulpice

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Bonnes Soirées and Great Gatherings
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Parler Paris Après-Midi
/parlerparis/apresmidi.html

NEXT MEETING: June 8th, 2004 AND EVERY SECOND TUESDAY OF THE MONTH
3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

This is your opportunity to meet every month, often with local professionals who can answer your Working and Living in France questions. You are invited to come for drinks and share your questions and comments about what it takes to create a life here, own property and enjoy what France has to offer. It is also an opportunity to network with other Parler Paris readers.

Upstairs at La Pierre du Marais
96, rue des Archives at the corner of rue de Bretagne, 75003 Paris Métro Lines 9, 3 et 11, stations Temple, République or Arts et Métiers

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Knowledge is Power — Conferences, Workshops and Seminars
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Paint or Draw Portraits and Self Portraits with American Portrait Artist Kathy Burke in her beautiful Marais atelier…

245 Euros 3-hour private session
490 Euros 3-hour session with 2 to 6 people
Includes all materials.

For more infor

mation, [email protected]

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WRITING YOUR MEMOIRS CREATIVE WRITING SEMINAR
in the South of France
June 13th – 18th, 2004

Join us for a fun-filled week of creative writing in the South of France…

Harriet Welty Rochefort, author of “French Toast”, the successful memoir about her life in France and her reaction to mind-boggling cultural differences, will help you shape your thoughts and buckle down to put them on paper in a writing workshop devoted to getting the best out of yourself and your memories and experiences.

Location: Le Bois des Dames located in the Rhone Valley.
Limited to 10 participants
Cost: 2,295 Euro (with early bird special)

Lodging and meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks and wine) included (double occupancy). Early bird special: A 200 Euro discount will be applied for registration before April 30th, a 50% deposit is required at this time. See registration form for refund info.

For more information and registration please visit /parlerparis/travelwriters/rochefortmemoirs/index.html or contact:

Jane Malleval
Bois des Dames
[email protected]
+33 (0) 4.75.98.56.05

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THE ULTIMATE TRAVEL WRITER’S WORKSHOP

This Summer Join Us in Chicago to Discover the Secrets to Becoming
a Successful Travel Writer!

Learn how you can earn extra income traveling the world as a VIP, meeting new people and enjoying the freedom and independence of a writer’s life…

June 17-20, 2004
InterContinental Hotel
Chicago, Illinois

Sponsored by The American Writers & Artists Institute
Hosted by the International Living Paris Office

http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/workshop/pp/

or contact Agora Travel and Conference Services (On behalf of AWAI)
Phone: (800) 926-6575 and (561) 243-6276 Fax: (561) 278-8765
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.agoratravel.com

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The International Living Paris Office Presents Our Upcoming Conferences to Make Your Dream to Live in France Come True…
/frenchproperty/conference/index.html

If you’ve always dreamed of moving to France, starting a new life in Paris, enjoying a “pied-à-terre” of your own part of the year or investing in property in France, these power-packed conferences are a MUST. Hosted by the International Living Paris Office and Adrian Leeds, Editorial Director and Editor of the Parler Paris daily newsletter, these few days will arm you with all the information you need to make it happen! The line-up for the conferences include seminars, discussions, dinners, cocktails — with well-known Paris, Europe and U.S.-based experts.

Choose the one that’s right for you!…

Working and Living in France
Paris, France
Home Plazza Bastille
June 18 – 20, 2004
For more information: /frenchproperty/conference/wlif/wlif_home.html

Living and Investing in France
Washington, DC
September 10 – 12, 2004

Working and Living in France
Languedoc-Roussillon, France
Fall 2004

Read what our past participants have to say about our Paris Office Conferences and Tours…/frenchproperty/conference/conferencements.html

Reservations and information:

If you’d like to know more about the conferences or reserve your place, visit /frenchproperty/conference/index.html or email Schuyler Hoffman:

U.S. OFFICE
Schuyler Hoffman, Special Conference Coordinator
Toll Free in the U.S. 1-877-457-2747
Email: [email protected]

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Learning la Langue Française
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SURVIVAL FRENCH WORKSHOP

Need to know just a few basics to get by while you’re here in Paris? This 9-hour intensive workshop is OPEN TO EVERYONE
(You do not need to be participating in the IL workshops or conferences to attend!!!)

Taught by French language expert Marie-ElisabethCrochard, former director of Berlitz Champs Elysées and co-coordinator of Parler Parlor French-English Conversation Group!

/frenchproperty/conference/wlif/wlif_french.html

DAY ONE — JUNE 21, 2004:
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

DAY TWO — JUNE 22, 2004:
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Lunch Break
1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Includes nine hours of classroom instruction. Learn how to survive on your own in Paris, master the basics — greetings, learn how to order your croissant, ask for the check, the price of an item, sizes, colors, numbers, asking for the time and all the key questions: who, what, where, when, how…, the use of the 10 basic verbs and where the Musée d’Orsay is located. Also, become skilled at exchanging pleasantries with the French — learning about the social protocols most often misunderstood by tourists.

Location:
EUROCENTRES
13 Passage Dauphine (entrance at 30 rue Dauphine), 6th Arrondissement
Métro Odéon or Pont Neuf

$195 Workshop/Conference Participants
$245 Non-Travel Workshop/Conference Participants

TO RESERVE CONTACT:

Adrian Leeds 01.40.27.97.59 or [email protected]

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Parler Parlor French-English Conversation Group
http://www.parlerparlor.com

*Special Holiday Closings: May 22

YOUR FIRST TIME IS FREE!

Join us at the Parler Parlor conversation group in Paris France for free-form conversation with native French and English speakers.
Practice speaking 45 minutes in French, 45 minutes in English. Make friends, discuss interesting topics, learn about other cultures, progress in understanding and speaking, naturally and easily, in groups of six to eight, each in its own acoustically sound private room.

PARLOR TIMES — 3 TIMES A WEEK IN TWO LOCATIONS

Tuesdays 6:30 to 8 p.m.

AT COPROM LANGUES
14 rue Lafayette, 4th Floor
9th arrondissement, Paris
Métro Chaussée d’Antin, Opéra,
RER A Auber

Wednesdays 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

AT EUROCENTRES
13 passage Dauphine (entrance between rue Dauphine and rue Mazarine), 6th arrondissement
Métro Odéon, Saint-Michel

MEMBERSHIP AND GENERAL INFORMATION
http://www.parlerparlor.com
Email: [email protected]
Elisabeth Crochar

d, Tel: 01 44 19 76 61
Adrian Leeds, Tel: 01 40 27 97 59

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What’s On in The City of Light
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Fête de la Musique June 21, 2004
http://www.fetedelamusique.culture.fr

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Paris Jazz Festival – Program 2004
http://www.paris.fr/fr/environnement/jardins/animations_jardins/paris_jazz_festival2004/default.asp

June 5 – July 25, 2004, 3:30 p.m.
Entrance to Parc Floral: 3 euros
Parc Floral de Paris – Esplanade du Château de Vincennes – 75012
RER Vincennes / M° Château de Vincennes

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Special Announcements
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The American Club of Paris celebrates Centennial with Symposium
Featuring Distinguished French and American Experts from Academia, the Arts, and Business

Event will take place on May 14 under the patronage of the Hon. Howard Leach, US Ambassador to France, and the Hon. Jean-David Levitte, Ambassador of France to the United States

The Symposium will feature distinguished speakers on the political, historical, cultural, and economic aspects of this subject, and will take place at the Maison du Barreau on the Ile de la Cité. Dr. Bernard Kouchner, former UN administrator for Kosovo and former Minister of Health, will be the keynote speaker at the gala dinner.

Symposium Overview

The Honorable François Bujon de l’Estang, the former French Ambassador to the United States and current Chairman of Citigroup France, will moderate the morning session on Historical Perspectives of French-American Relations. This session will include Harvard University’s Professor of French History Patrice Higonnet; University of Caen and EHESS Professor Annie Cohen-Solal; Princeton University’s Professor Ezra Suleiman on the American View of France; and Mr. Philippe Roger, Director of Studies at EHESS, whose book on the roots of French anti-Americanism has recently been published in English.

The afternoon session, moderated by The Honorable Avis Bohlen, former U.S. Ambassador and Assistant Secretary of State, will evaluate the Current and Future Status of French-American Relations. Mr. Olivier Giscard d’Estaing of INSEAD will discuss the role of the G8 in Franco-American relations; Mr. Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, senior vice president and general counsel for Sanofi-Synthélabo will speak on the effect of European integration on French-American relations; and Mr. Charles Lambroschini, the Deputy Editor of Le Figaro, will address the role of the media in helping to shape the future of Franco-American relations.

Symposium Details
Friday, May 14, 2004
Auditorium, Maison du Barreau
2-4, rue Harlay
75001 Paris
Morning Session: 09:15 – 12:30
Afternoon Session: 14:00 – 17:30

Simultaneous interpretation provided.

Métro: Saint-Michel (4, 10, RER B, C); Châtelet (1, 4, 7, 11, 14); Pont Neuf (7); Cité (4).
Bus: Cité (21, 38, 47, 85, 96); Pont Saint-Michel (24, 27, 67); Pont Neuf-Quai du Louvre (21, 58, 69, 70, 74, 75, 76, 81,85).
Parking: rue Harlay at quai des Orfèvres

Please register your attendance by e-mail to either:

Charles ATHERTON at [email protected], or Amy CAPLAN at [email protected] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

STEVE HILL SPEAKS IN PARIS

From Voting Equipment to Voting Systems: the Breakdown of American Democracy

Tuesday May 18th at 6:45 PM At the home of Connie Borde 240 bis boulevard St-Germain 75007, Paris (Métro Bac)

Steven Hill is senior analyst for the Center for Voting and Democracy (http://www.fairvote.org). His recent book “Fixing Elections: The Failure Of America’s Winner-Take-All Politics” (Routledge Press) has been called by author Michael Lind “the most important book on American democracy that has come out in many years.” Hendrik Hertzberg, senior editor of The New Yorker, has written, “Here’s the eye-opening news from Steven Hill’s Fixing Elections: our ‘winner-take-all’ electoral system is a mug’s game that makes losers of us all. He explains why — convincingly. And he tells us what we can do about it.”

His articles and commentaries have appeared in dozens of national newspapers and magazines including the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Nation, Salon.com, and many others. He has been a guest on many TV & radio programs and has addressed audiences all over the country. His book, Fixing Elections, was selected for NPR’s Cambridge Forum, and Books of our Times (a nationwide TV show run by Massachusetts School of Law and AT&T broadband cable).

Steve lives in California and was campaign manager for a recent ballot proposition that passed instant runoff voting in San Francisco; he was also one of the organizers (with California Common Cause) of a successful San Francisco ballot measure for public financing of elections.

Contribution: 10 euros

RSVP by return email: [email protected]
and send check of 10 Euros (Democrats Abroad France) to:
Jason Levin, 15-17 rue des Mathurins, 75009 Paris