The Paris Chapter: 20-26 May
Our special 'A Sense of Place' brunch salon, Harvard philosophy, pétanque, poetry readings, fashion conversations, artist open studios, author chats and more.
Why Paris? Why did you choose to live here, what do you most like about it, how long have you been here, how long will you stay?
These questions are no doubt familiar to you. I receive them (and their variations) on a regular basis: from new French friends, from fellow expats, from curious customer service workers that I encounter in the course of my day.
I wish there were more opportunities to follow that thread a few layers deeper, down toward the unctuous marrow. Is home a place, or a state of being? Who and what do you belong to, once you’ve left your native land? When you leave a piece of yourself in each place that strikes you, when you feel held by a city but too foreign to its people?
If you know this hunger, this homesickness, I see you. We are the ones who leave*, the ones cursed to yearn for more, the ones blessed to be so curious, planting anchors while courting the horizon, constantly adjusting the volume on the whisper of other places, other people we might be…
So let’s go there.
(founder of The Flâneurs Project) and I have partnered to create A Sense of Place, a salon offering a space to muse on all this and more.Come sit with us: Sunday, 26 May, 10am - 12pm
Tickets are 34€ and include a three-course brunch and hot beverages. We have just four spots remaining!
Hope to see you there.
* From the beautiful Past Lives: “You had to leave because you're you. And the reason I liked you is because you're you. And who you are is someone who leaves."
In this edition:
BE - a question or quote to help you live deeper
DO - three Paris event recommendations for the week ahead
Additionally, for premium subscribersEXPAND - the full line-up of events (29 this week)
Each week, I read scores of Paris event listings to find the most interesting ones for you to enjoy.
BE
“Nothing was irrevocable; everything was within reach. Just around every corner lay something curious and interesting, something I had never before seen or done or known about… I could make promises to myself and to other people and there would be all the time in the world to keep them. I could stay up all night and make mistakes, and none of it would count.
You see I was in a curious position in New York: it never occurred to me that I was living a real life there. In my imagination I was always there for just another few months, just until Christmas or Easter or the first warm day in May.”
- Joan Didion, Goodbye to All That, the seminal essay on loving (and leaving) your city of choice
6€ gets you access to Paris’s most interesting events, advance notice of sure-to-sell-out ones, and a dedicated email service for all your Paris questions.
DO
My goal is to help you have the richest, deepest possible experience of Paris and all its intellectual and artistic treasures.
New here (welcome! 👋) or seeking a reminder of what to expect?
29 events this week
The agenda includes:
Tues 21
PHILOSOPHY TALK: An Encounter with Michael Sandel, 5-7pm
The world-renowned Professor of Political Philosophy at Harvard University will discuss his book The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good?
(EN) Free, Sciences Po (7e)Fri 24
ART FESTIVAL: Paris Gallery Weekend, through Sun
Neighbourhood art walks through modern and contemporary galleries, with artist talks and gatherings.
(FR/EN), Free, Various locations across Paris
Sun 26
BRUNCH SALON: A Sense of Place, 10am-12pm
Great food, deep conversation, new friends. Come join us for a deep dive into place and identity, and the various tangled aspects of expat existence.
(EN) €34, Ter. Paris (11e)
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