Literary Paris - January 2015

Literary Paris Calendar JANUARY 2015

PART I: Reading and events

PART II: Writing and other workshops in Paris

PART III: Calls for work, new book and publication releases, submission requests

PART I: EVENTS

Wednesday 7 January @ 19h30; The American Library in Paris presents an Evening with an Author: Didier Fassin, Enforcing Order: An Ethnography of Urban Policing; In his book Enforcing Order: An Ethnography of Urban Policing, Professor Fassin examines how law enforcement in France and elsewhere interacts with populations facing descrimination. Analyzing the 2005 riots in the Paris suburbs, he explores the daily aspects of policing, public security, and injustice. A French expert working in the U.S., Fassin has perspectives on these issues and the respective polices in both nations.

10 rue du Général Camou

Thursday 8 January @ 8:00 pm; PLU Open Mic featuring Victor

Every Thursday in English: if you would like to read, dance, sing or otherwise express yourself, sign up is open and free to all starting at 8pm-ish. We go until we drop – which means all night long! In any language. Or no language at all. No limits. Extreme poetry. Explosive prose. Nudity encouraged.

Currently finishing a PhD in art history that led him to live between Paris and Berlin, Victor is also a clandestine pop culture amateur, constantly digging for musical diamonds in the recorded heritage of the 20th century. As a self-taught guitar player and former member of several jazz bands, he performs regularly in Paris’ English poetry scenes, covering his favorite songwriters and early Calypsos from the 1930s. For Paris Lit Up, Victor will be on stage to try out a couple of original songs.

Culture Rapide, 103 rue Julien Lacroix, Paris, Ile-de-france 75020 France http://parislitup.com/event/plu-open-mic-featuring-victor/

Thursday 8 January @ 17h15-19h15; “Conceptualisms” Seminar #12 with American writer THALIA FIELD; THALIA FIELD’s work lives at the crossroads of prose, essay, poetry, even theater. She has published three books with New Directions (Point and Line, 2000; Incarnate: Story Material, 2004; Bird Lovers, Backyard, 2010) as well as a novel with Coffee House Press, Ululu (Clown Shrapnel), in 2007 and an essay-collaboration with Abigail Lang (A Prank of Georges, Essay Press, 2010). Experimental Animals: A Reality Fiction is forthcoming from Solid Objects Press. Bird Lovers, Backyard was recently translated into French as Amateurs d'oiseaux, côté jardin, by Vincent Broqua, Olivier Brossard and Abigail Lang (Presses du Réel, 2013). Thalia Field’s writings have appeared in numerous journals, like Conjunctions, where she guest-edited issue #28 on experimental music-theater scores, Tin House, Seneca Review, and Angelaki (Journal of the Theoretical Humanities). She currently teaches in the Literary Arts department at Brown University.

Paris 8, Bibliothèque universitaire, Salle de la recherché

Sunday 11 January; 19h30; Moving Parts Script Reading; presents a reading of a play by Tony Stowers…TWO  GENDARMES; In a rural French village, a veteran gendarme takes a younger gendarme under his wing to guide him in how to get the best out of his job. But then a lifesize crucifix is chopped down and, as the hunt for the culprit unfolds, the younger gendarme is drawn deeper into temptation and corruption. Will he take the bait?

Carr’s Pub and Restaurant; 1 rue du Mont Thabor, 75001 Paris; Metro : Tuileries

Monday 12 January; 20h30; Spoken Word Open Mic

Theme: Guest poet: Philip Meersman

Au Chat Noir, 76 rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud 75011. Métro Parmentier/Couronnes. Sign up 8pm to 9.30pm in the bar. Poetics start from 8.30pm underground.

Tuesday 13 January @ 19h30 POETS LIVE presents: Create a poem with Malik Crumpler, New York poet, rapper, writer and producer. Malik Crumpler will conduct a collective spoken poem. To participate, bring along a poem (original or not) on any subject, in any style, any language, any accent, not more than 20 lines in length. The point here is to show how the energy of the word flows from person to person like an electric current, or music in a band or chamber orchestration to become something unique. The collective piece will end when everyone has said his or her piece. Of course you may just come along and listen to this spontaneous creation. Bio: Malik Ameer Crumpler is an experimental improvisational poet, rapper, writer, and producer who explores alternative literature, film and music for esoteric enthusiasts. Having grown up in Oakland, California during the height of experimental underground Hip Hop, Malik remains inspired by the fundamental principles of that period: Weird originality. Obsessed with ancient mythology, folktales and all forms of indigenous spiritual expressions, Malik’s works are usually allegorical confessions of mythological and religious characters. He has released a multitude of albums, four books of poems and also curates the quarterly arts review www.thosethatthis.com. He lives in Harlem, New York while currently attending Long Island University working on an MFA in creative writing. At our new venue: Berkeley Books of Paris, 8 rue Casimir Delavigne, 75006 Paris. Métro: Odéon. Next Poets Live reading:  February 10, 2015           http://poets-live.com

Tuesday 13 January @ 19h30; The American Libarary in Paris presents An Evening with an Author: Ta-Nehisi Coates, A Case for Reparations; The June 2014 cover story of The Atlantic, 'The Case for Reparations,' launched a national conversation in America about slavery, justice and reconciliation. Coates, a foremost thinker and writer on the issue of race, returns to Paris in January as a Visiting Fellow of the Library. His first appearance will be devoted to the reparations article, the reactions and repercussion, as well as the unfinished work of the civil rights movement. His recent writing about Bill Cosby and events in Ferguson have influential in the national (and even international) conversation.

He will also speak on 3 February about his novel-in-progress, the story of a black Chicagoan who moves to Paris.

10 rue du Général Camou

Wednesday 14 January; 20h; Spoken Word 2: Open Secret; Hosted by David Sirois; Bistrot 82, 82 rue des Martyrs, Montmartre. Metro Pigalle or Abbesses

Wednesday 14 January @ 19h30; The American Library in Paris presents An Evening with an Author: Ronald Rosbotton, When Paris Went Dark: The City of Light Under German Occupation 1940-1944; On June 14, 1940, German tanks entered a silent and nearly deserted Paris. Eight days later, France accepted a humiliating defeat and foreign occupation. Subsequently, an eerie sense of normalcy settled over the City of Light. Many Parisians keenly adapted themselves to the situation-even allied themselves with their Nazi overlords. At the same time, amidst this darkening gloom of German ruthlessness, shortages, and curfews, a resistance arose. Parisians of all stripes-Jews, immigrants, adolescents, communists, rightists, cultural icons such as Colette, de Beauvoir, Camus and Sartre, as well as police officers, teachers, students, and store owners-rallied around a little known French military officer, Charles de Gaulle.

When Paris Went Dark: The City of Light Under German Occupation, 1940-1944, evokes with stunning precision the detail of daily life in a city under occupation, and the brave people who fought against the darkness. Relying on a range of resources---memoirs, diaries, letters, archives, interviews, personal histories, flyers and posters, fiction, photographs, film and historical studies---Rosbottom has forged a groundbreaking book that will forever influence how we understand those dark years in the City of Light. (Little, Brown and Co.)

10 rue du Général Camou

Thursday 15 January @ 8:00 pm; PLU Open Mic featuring Eugene Ostashevsky

Every Thursday in English: if you would like to read, dance, sing or otherwise express yourself, sign up is open and free to all starting at 8pm-ish. We go until we drop – which means all night long! In any language. Or no language at all. No limits. Extreme poetry. Explosive prose. Nudity encouraged.

Eugene Ostashevsky is barely eleven when, in 1979, he leaves his home of Leningrad with his family and, as part of that period’s great Jewish exodus, shortly before the Soviet’s invasion of Afghanistan, immigrates to the USA. Ostashevsky made his first major appearance in the 1990s. He studied during this period Comparative Literature at the Stanford University and meanwhile gives literary instruction at the New York University. He is a member of the writers’ collective 9×9 Industries, responsible for his brash readings as well as Vainglorious, an artists’ performance organization. His first volume of poems, “Iterature”, appeared in 2005. In 2006, his much praised by the “Times Literary Supplement” anthology, “OBERIU, An Anthology of Russian Absurdism”, appeared as the first collective volume of such poetry in the English language. Culture Rapide, 103 rue Julien Lacroix, Paris, Ile-de-france 75020 http://parislitup.com/event/plu-open-mic-featuring-eugene-ostashevsky/

Wednesday 21 January; 20h; Spoken Word 2: Open Secret; Hosted by David Sirois; Bistrot 82, 82 rue des Martyrs, Montmartre. Metro Pigalle or Abbesses

Wednesday 21 January; 19h30; The American Library in Paris presents An Evening with an Author: Livia Manera; Livia Manera discusses her friendships and works with major novelists. Her forthcoming book, to be published in Italy by Feltrinelli in April 2015, is "Non scrivere di me". The title story, "You'll never write about me again",appears in the American literary magazine The Believer in this January/February issue, exploring It her friendship with Philip Roth and the problems that arise when one get too close to his or her subject --but also the rewards.

The other writers she discusses are Mavis Gallant, David Foster Wallace, Joseph Mitchell, James Purdy, Richard Ford, Paula Fox and Judith Thurman. The book is about them, and about what they and their books bring to the life of someone like Livia, whose jobs is to read and write about them, and whose destiny sometimes mingles with their lives.

10 rue du Général Camou

Sunday 25 January; 19h30; Moving Parts Script Reading; The Garden (stage play)by Bob Stoner

Carr’s Pub and Restaurant; 1 rue du Mont Thabor, 75001 Paris; Metro : Tuileries

Wednesday 28 January; 20h; Spoken Word 2: Open Secret; Hosted by David Sirois; Bistrot 82, 82 rue des Martyrs, Montmartre. Metro Pigalle or Abbesses

Wednesday 28 January; 19h30; The American Library in Paris presents An Evening with Author: Teri Agins, Hijacking the Runway; In Hijacking the Runway: How Celebrities Are Stealing the Spotlight from Fashion Designers,  Wall Street Journal fashion reporter Teri Agins explores how celebrities have taken over what until the last few decades was the domain of professionals of the craft.

10 rue du Général Camou

Thursday 29 January @ 8:00 pm; PLU Open Mic featuring Peter Daniels

Every Thursday in English: if you would like to read, dance, sing or otherwise express yourself, sign up is open and free to all starting at 8pm-ish. We go until we drop – which means all night long! In any language. Or no language at all. No limits. Extreme poetry. Explosive prose. Nudity encouraged.

Peter Daniels lives in London. He published his first full collection Counting Eggs with Mulfran Press in 2012, following several pamphlets including Mr Luczinski Makes a Move (HappenStance, 2011). He has won first prize in a number of poetry competitions including the Ledbury (2002), Arvon (2008) and TLS (2010). His book of translations from the Russian of Vladislav Khodasevich (1886-1939), published by Angel Classics, was the Poetry Book Society’s recommended translation for Autumn 2013. Culture Rapide, 103 rue Julien Lacroix, Paris, Ile-de-france 75020 France http://parislitup.com/event/plu-open-mic-featuring-peter-daniels/

PART II: WORKSHOPS

Sunday 11 January @ 18h30-20h30; The Other Writers’ Group

An excellent feedback workshop for 6 euros.  Join us afterwards for happy hour at The Gentleman, 1 bis rue Hautefeuille, 75006, behind place St Michel.

Shakespeare & Company, 37 rue de la Bûcherie, 75005

Sunday 18 January @ 18h30-20h30; The Other Writers’ Group

An excellent feedback workshop for 6 euros.  Join us afterwards for happy hour at The Gentleman, 1 bis rue Hautefeuille, 75006, behind place St Michel.

Shakespeare & Company, 37 rue de la Bûcherie, 75005

Sunday 25 January @ 18h30-20h30; The Other Writers’ Group

An excellent feedback workshop for 6 euros.  Join us afterwards for happy hour at The Gentleman, 1 bis rue Hautefeuille, 75006, behind place St Michel.

Shakespeare & Company, 37 rue de la Bûcherie, 75005

PART III: REVIEWS, RELEASES, SUBMISSIONS

Paris Lit Up Shorts Contest – Deadline February 28^th – 1000€ prize

Paris Lit Up is after your best shorts. Short stories, that is. We’re holding a writing contest, shortlisted by our team of rabid avid readers and judged by the esteemed novelist Shannon Cain. We’re looking for stories on absolutely anything: any style, any genre, and any topic. Anything goes – as long as you wrote it.

You can send as many entries as you like but each story costs 10 euros to submit. Minimum word count is 2000, maximum 8000, and we’re asking if you could send your submissions in doubled-spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman. This is to avoid any bias against entries written in Comic Sans. We’ll be reading blind so, to make our lives easier and the competition fairer, the document you submit should only include a title and a story – no mention of the author on the pages. Just put your name in the submission notes. Also, you should send it in .docx, .doc, .odt or .txt formats, otherwise we might not be able to read them, which would be a waste of ten euros and a good story.

The grand prize is not only a wallet-pleasing 1000 euros, but the winning entry will also be published, along with the 4 runners-up, by Paris Lit Up Press. The deadline for submissions is February 28th, 2015 at 12h Paris time. The 20 story shortlist will be announced on April 31st, 2015. The winner and runner ups will be announced on May 15th, 2015.

Our shortlist judge Shannon Cain has taught fiction writing at the University of Leipzig, the University of Arizona, Gotham Writers’ Workshop, Arizona State University, and most recently as a core faculty member in the MFA program at Bennington College. In 2012 she organized The Santa Rita Writers’ Workshop. Her first book, The Necessity of Certain Behaviors, won the 2011 Drue Heinz Literature Prize, the largest cash award in the U.S. for an unpublished collection of stories. Her work also has been awarded the O. Henry Prize, two Pushcarts, and a fellowship from the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts. In 2014, the French government awarded her a 3-year Skills and Talents visa in the arts. In 2013 and 2014, Shannon’s current and former clients published six books; placed twenty-three stories or poems in literary journals; won four national writing contests, were accepted into two MFA programs, and completed one postgraduate fellowship.

Submit HERE: http://press.parislitup.com/shorts/

Paris Lit Up Roman Writing Retreat – Application deadline 15 February

– Only Paris is worthy of Rome,
only Rome is worthy of Paris.

Paris Lit Up is proud to present our first ever Roman Writing Retreat to be held on June 8th through 14th, 2015. Join us as we escape the city for this 6-day writing holiday in the picturesque Italian countryside. Set at the independently owned and operated La Preta Nera country home, 11 applicants will spend one week honing their writing skills through daily group feedback workshops and 3 master classes including our featured author and writing coach, Shannon Cain.

La Preta Nera is a charming traditional house in the heart of the historic center of Giuliano di Roma, in Ciociaria. The original medieval village was built on top of the crater of an extinct volcano and the guesthouse is named after the basaltic stone from the lava flows throughout the area. Like most of the houses in the village, La Preta Nera was built using black basaltic stones, still visible today. Just 90km south of Rome and 30km from the beach, in an area of rolling hills and valleys, La Preta Nera is the perfect place to spend a writing holiday in a natural environment, in contact with the inhabitants of this small village and surrounded by beautiful countryside and enchanting woods.

For more info: http://parislitup.com/paris-lit-up-roman-writing-retreat/

The bi-monthly publication, Belleville Park Pages, calls for writers!             Submission Mission: The Pages are focused on supporting the growth of writers from around the world. We publish all forms: poetry, short stories, flash fiction, creative non-fiction, essays, etc. Submissions will be considered for both print and online publication. Submit your work to: words@bellevilleparkpages.com      

Stop by http://www.bellevilleparkpages.com for more information and to find a Pages vendor near you!