Course Description

This course is designed for "post-bonjour" beginners, either for first-time learners with a smattering of French or those who want to refresh their French at a basic level.

Throughout the course students will acquire the essential French skills (writing, speaking, pronunciation) needed to function in everyday-life situations.

Each class will take place in a lively and friendly atmosphere that encourages students' enjoyment and active participation. Along with  linguistic exercises, references to French culture and gastronomy will also be presented.

The course meets twice a week for 90 minutes  (1.5 hours in person downstairs at the Impact Cafe on Mondays and 1.5 hours on Zoom on Thursdays) and is conducted in French. When necessary, supplementary explanations may be given in English.
The class does not meet during the second week of French school holidays: 2-6 March 2026.
Contact Languages@wice-paris.org with any questions

About the instructor

Nathalie Allain is a native French speaker with a master’s degree in FLE (French as a foreign language) who is also fluent in English, German, and Japanese. To future students, she says: “In addition to textbooks, I like to make French come alive by using the language to discover the culture and history of Paris in one field trip each month.”

 

Course Description

This lively French course will improve your ability to deal with an array of everyday life situations in French. This level is for students who understand simple, straightforward information and can express themselves in familiar contexts and take part in an everyday conversation on simple, predictable topics.

Using interactive methods to ensure learner engagement and lasting progress, the course will help you develop your vocabulary, oral and written expression, comprehension, and pronunciation.

Geared for learners with an intermediate knowledge of French,  the course meets twice a week for 90 minutes  (1.5 hours in person downstairs at the Impact Cafe on Mondays and 1.5 hours on Zoom on Tuesdays) and is conducted in French. 
The class does not meet during the second week of French school holidays: 2-6 March 2026.
Contact Languages@wice-paris.org with any questions.

About the Instructor

Nathalie Allain is a native French speaker with a master’s degree in FLE (French as a foreign language) who is also fluent in English, German, and Japanese. To future students, she says: “In addition to textbooks, I like to make French come alive by using the language to discover the culture and history of Paris in one field trip each month.”

Course Description

This French Guided Discussion Group is open to people who have a strong intermediate or advanced level of French. Group leaders provide participants with engaging weekly readings on a wide range of topics prior to each dynamic and fast-paced seminar. If you enjoy reading, speaking, presenting, and engaging in varied, topic-centered discussions, this group is for you. In addition to learning through focused conversation with other participants, you will also have the opportunity to get personalized constructive feedback. The French Guided Discussion group speaks only in French for 90 minutes which gives participants an excellent space to practice.

Please note: the Discussion moves to Wednesday evening this trimester so that Paris0based members can attend the WICE apéro on Thursdauys. Classes do not meet during the two weeks of vacances scolaires: 21 February - 9 March.
A Zoom link will be provided the day before the course begins. Be sure to check your email for it
Contact Languages@wice-paris.org with any questions

About the Instructors

Brice Dardel and Brigitte Le Quéré, both native French speakers with extensive experience leading discussions, alternate weekly sessions.

Course Description

This English Guided Discussion Group is open to people who have a strong intermediate or advanced level of English. Our group leaders suggest interesting topics and readings prior to each group discussion. If you enjoy reading, speaking, presenting, and engaging in diverse topic-centered discussions, this group is for you. In addition to learning and developing through guided conversation with other participants, you will also have the opportunity to get personalized constructive feedback. The group speaks only in English for one
hour.

The class will not meet on 6 March (vacances scolaires).

Note: A Zoom link will be provided the day before the
course begins. Be sure to check your email for it.

Contact languages@wice-paris.org with any questions.

Ce groupe de discussion guidée anglaise est ouvert aux personnes qui parlent anglais presque couramment (niveaux intermédiaire-avancé ou avancé). Nos animateurs proposent des sujets intéressants et des textes avant chaque groupe. Si vous appréciez la lecture, la communication, la présentation et la participation à des discussions
diverses, ce groupe est pour vous. En plus d’apprendre et se développer à travers des discussions guidées avec d'autres participants, vous aurez également la possibilité d'obtenir des
commentaires constructifs. Ce groupe de discussion guidée est un endroit idéal pour rencontrer d’autres passionnés de la langue anglais. Le groupe ne parle qu’anglais pendant une heure.

Facilitators

The group will be led by several native English speakers of varying interests and backgrounds.

WICE member Valerie Helmbreck-Mascitti (knitting on the left) opens her lovely apartment in the 1st arrondissement every Thursday afternoon to WICE members for an afternoon of needlework: knitting, crocheting, creweling, embroidery, etc..

Any and all WICE needle workers are welcome to attend. Bring your project, and if you're so inclined, something to nosh on (by no means necessary).

Valerie's apartment is conveniently located near the Louvre. For more information, contact Valerie directly at vhelmbreck@gmail.com.                

Course Description

French 4 is designed for upper-intermediate learners who want to move toward advanced proficiency. The course strengthens fluency, accuracy, and confidence while expanding students' ability to express complex ideas with nuance both in formal and informal settings.

Real-Life Situations Practiced:

• Participating in professional or academic meetings
• Presenting and justifying a project or idea
• Managing misunderstandings and clarifying meaning
• Writing formal emails or structured texts
• Debating cultural or social issues with well-supported arguments.

This course will not meet 6 March, the second week of vacances scolaires, 

Contact Languages@wice-paris.org with any questions. 

About the Instructor

Audrey Charmont has a Masters in Marketing and Communications as well as a DAEFLE (French as a Foreign Language). She has many years of teaching experience in France and abroad.

Course Description

French 5 is an advanced conversation-focused class created for learners who already communicate fluently and aim to reach near-native mastery. The emphasis is on rhetorical finesse, persuasive speaking, and highly nuanced comprehension.

Focus of the Conversation Training:

• Persuading, negotiating, and convincing with credible arguments
• Defending a viewpoint under pressure
• Handling complex, fast-paced discussions
• Subtly adjusting tone, register, and rhetorical strategy depending on audience

This course will be held in French once a week on Zoom for 90 minutes. It does not meet on 6 March, the second week of French school vacation. Please contact Languages@wice-paris.org with any questions. 

About the Instructor

Audrey Charmont has a Masters in Marketing and Communications as well as a DAEFLE (French as a Foreign Language). She has many years of teaching experience in France and abroad.

Friday In-Person French - English Conversation Group

Looking for a relaxed and welcoming place to practice and improve your French or English? WICE conversation groups allow you to practice your language skills in an easy, convivial atmosphere with native speakers.

The Friday group meets upstairs at the Le Nelsons, near Les Halles, from 15:00 - 16:30. Participants are divided into small groups of 5 - 6 people, and the conversations are 45 minutes in French and 45 minutes in English. The subjects are of  the group’s choosing. Though an intermediate level of English and French is expected, there is a wide range of abilities.

There is no need to register, just show up and look for the WICE tables upstairs.

Le Nelsons, 16 Rue Coquillière, 75001. Metro lines 1/4/7/11/14, RER A, B, D, and buses 74, 85

Participation is free with WICE membership.

Friday Online French - English Conversation Group

There is no better way to practice your foreign language than by conversing with native speakers, and WICE can help you do just that.

We meet online (Zoom) every Friday evening (Paris time). Participants are divided into small groups of 5-6 members. We converse 45 minutes in French and 45 minutes in English. Conversations are free-form and address topics of interest to the individual group members.

The group is open to WICE members at all language levels. However, to get the most out of the conversations, an intermediate level in both languages is helpful. 

Participation is free for WICE members.

To participate, contact Mike Franks at: mike.franks@wice-paris.org

Tuesday In-Person French - English Conversation Group

Note: On Tuesday, 13 January the conversation group will meet at Le Commerce Café, 80 Rue du Commerce, 75015. This is right around the corner from our normal meeting place, and right next to the Commerce metro stop on line 8.

Looking for a relaxed and welcoming place to practice and improve your French or English? WICE conversation groups allow you to practice your language skills in an easy, convivial atmosphere with native speakers.

The Tuesday group meets at the Maison Communale, 69 rue Violet , 75015 Paris from 15:00 - 16:30. Participants are divided into small groups of 5 - 6 people, and the conversations are 45 minutes in French and 45 minutes in English. The subjects are of  the group’s choosing. Though an intermediate level of English and French is expected, there is a wide range of abilities.

There is no need to register, but if it is your first time to participate in person in Tuesday's group, please contact Christian Paolasso at c.paolas@laposte.net (primary), or Ellen Bryson at ellen.bryson@wice-paris.org  (secondary) and let one of them know you are planning to come.

Maison Communale, 69 rue Violet , 75015 Paris. Metro line 8 stop Commerce, and buses #42, #70, #88.

Participation is free with WICE membership.

Tuesday Online French - English Conversation Group

There is no better way to practice your foreign language than by conversing with native speakers, and WICE can help you do just that.

We meet online (Zoom) every Tuesday. Participants are divided into small groups of 5-6 members. We converse 45 minutes in French and 45 minutes in English. Conversations are free-form and address topics of interest to the individual group members.

The group is open to WICE members at all language levels. However, to get the most out of the conversations, an intermediate level in both languages is helpful. 

Participation is free for WICE members.

To participate, contact Mike Franks at: mike.franks@wice-paris.org

COURSE DESCRIPTION: For this advanced French course, you will watch a film at home (available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Canal Plus, Orange, YouTube and other platforms) before a lively and engaging discussion in class. Each month a new film provides a basis for an immersive lesson with authentic spoken language and cultural reference points. If you love movies, there’s no more enjoyable way to increase vocabulary, improve conversational skills, and deepen your understanding of French cinema and culture. 

Each discussion will focus on analyzing the film from different angles:

• Creation; production; and reception, both critical and commercial
• Screenplay, direction, and artistic collaborations such as script, cinematography, acting, and music
• Specific features in the director's filmography and its place in the French cinema of his/her era.

Trimestre d'hiver: Une trilogie provençale

Le Sud de la France est à la fois une géographie et un cliché de cinéma, représenté par des cinéastes mythiques comme Marcel Pagnol et des films qu’on reconnaît immédiatement à l’accent des personnages, aux lieux filmés : la Canebière, les calanques, la prison des Baumettes etc. Je vous propose un passage en revue composé de 3 films du Sud :

• Marius et Jeannette de Robert Guédiguian (1997)

Les amours de Marius et Jeannette qui vivent dans les quartiers Nord de l'Estaque à Marseille. Marius vit seul dans une cimenterie désaffectée qui domine le quartier, gardien de cette usine en démolition. Jeannette élève seule ses deux enfants avec un maigre salaire de caissière. Leur rencontre ne sera pas simple car, outre les difficultés inhérentes à leur situation sociale, ils sont blessés par la vie.

Cinéaste de ce qu’on appelle caricaturalement « les gens simples », Robert Guédiguian a commencé son œuvre humaniste dans les années 80. Tous ses films (plus de 25 à ce jour) se passent à Marseille, avec une même troupe de comédiens qu’il retrouve et dont il déplie les géométries sentimentales.  

La graine et le mulet de Abdellatif Kechiche (2007)

Sète, le port. Monsieur Beiji se traîne sur le chantier naval du port dans un emploi devenu pénible au fil des années. Père de famille divorcé, il traverse une période délicate de sa vie où tout semble contribuer à une impression d'échec qui lui pèse depuis quelque temps, et dont il ne songe qu'à sortir en créant sa propre affaire : un restaurant. Seulement, rien n'est moins sûr. Ce qui ne l'empêche pas d'en rêver, d'en parler, en famille notamment. Une famille qui va peu à peu se souder autour d'un projet. Grâce à leur sens de la débrouille, et aux efforts déployés, leur rêve va bientôt voir le jour... Ou, presque...

Cinéaste très controversé ayant révélé les actrices Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos et Hafsia Herzi, A. Kechiche est un metteur en scène flamboyant qui raconte l’intimité des liens et épuise par son regard et son montage les scènes. Un des plus grands cinéastes actuels, auteur de huit longs-métrages, lauréat de six Césars, du Lion d’argent, du Grand Prix du jury (La Graine et le mulet), d’une Palme d’or (La Vie d’Adèle).

Un prophète de Jacques Audiard (2009)

Condamné à six ans de prison, Malik El Djebena ne sait ni lire ni écrire. A son arrivée en Centrale, seul au monde, il paraît plus jeune, plus fragile que les autres détenus. Il a 19 ans.

D'emblée, il tombe sous la coupe d'un groupe de prisonniers corses qui fait régner sa loi dans la prison. Le jeune homme apprend vite. Au fil des " missions ", il s'endurcit et gagne la confiance des Corses. Mais, très vite, Malik utilise toute son intelligence pour développer discrètement son propre réseau...

Film tourné dans un studio qui reconstitue la prison des Baumettes, Un prophète est un film violent et radical qui dévoile un pan ignoré de la modernité au cinéma : la délinquance et la prison regardée comme une école de la vie. Audiard filme comme personne.

• ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR: A graduate of Sciences Po Paris and ESCP Business School with a master's in political philosophy, Pascale Borenstein co-founded the first professional training course for screenwriters, the Conservatoire Européen d'Ecriture Audiovisuelle (CEEA), which she subsequently directed. From 2004 to 2017, she was Director of International Relations and Continuing Education at France's national film school, La Fémis, where she collaborated with the film departments at NYU, Columbia University, and Calarts. Pascale is the co-author of "Histoire de films français" published by Bordas and a lecturer at l'ICART (École du Management Culturel & Marché de l'Art).

Note: The registration limit for this event has been reached. Please put your name on the waitlist and you will be notified if a seat opens.

Missing Person ("Rue des Boutiques Obscures), by Patrick Modiano, is a quiet, hypnotic mystery about identity, memory, and the scars left by history. The novel follows Guy Roland, a man living in 1960s Paris who suffers from amnesia and hires a private detective—then gradually turns detective himself—to uncover who he once was. His search leads through cafés, old photographs, vanished acquaintances, and the half-erased world of wartime France, where collaboration and persecution left deep traces. Rather than delivering a conventional solution, Modiano constructs a delicate investigation into the uncertainty of self: who we are when the past is lost, and how a life can be shaped by what remains unspoken. Lyrical, restrained, and suffused with melancholy, Missing Person transforms a detective story into a meditation on memory, disappearance, and the fragile act of trying to reclaim a life that may never have been fully one’s own.

Two spaces are reserved for new WICE members. If no new WICE members have registered before 09 January, those two spaces will become available to the general WICE membership.

The book group meets at the organizer's apartment. The directions, door code, telephone number, etc., are sent in the 7-day and 1-day reminder emails, following registration.

Registration for the January meeting opens on Saturday, 20 December 2025.

WICE is partnering with John Raven from Spinefulness to offer an introductory class on relieving back and joint pain and improving posture through natural alignment. Are you suffering from back or joint pain while sitting, standing or moving? This is the class for you.

Spinefulness, also known as Aplomb in France, is a unique practice rooted in the work of pioneering French women. It is based on decades of detailed, rigorous observation of pain-free cultures and young children who still maintain their natural alignment and balance with gravity in everyday life. 

John's eye-opening presentation and individual assessment will show you exactly where the problem lies and what to do. Experience how a few simple shifts in how you sit make you feel better over and over again.This empowering, restorative class is for all ages and body types. You’ll leave feeling better than when you arrived—and with tools you can use anytime, even while sitting at your desk.

Please wear looser-fitting softer pants—jeans do not work well!

Want to learn more before registering? Here is an article from National Public Radio (USA) with more information.

About the instructor: John Raven is a certified Spinefulness instructor who has been studying the art of natural pain-free posture and movement for 16 years and teaching it for 8. As an American expat in France, John serves as a bridge between the pioneering French experts and the leading American teachers of this groundbreaking work.

Join fellow WICE members for morning coffee at Le Sarah Bernhardt, hosted by WICE members Caroline Harvey and Rick Jones.

Open to all WICE members, but registration is required. This is a public restaurant, and anyone can go, but WICE reserves 10 seats together, and if you don't register you may not be able to sit with us.

Registration for this event opens on Sunday, 21 December.

Also, it is expected that all attendees will purchase at least one beverage or other item appropriate for sitting around a café.

Le Sarah Bernhardt is located at 2 Place du Châtelet. It can be reached by metro lines 1, 4, 7, 11, and 14 (Châtelet, Secteur Seine, Sortie 17),  and buses 38, 67, 69, and 72.

Ladies of WICE . . . by popular demand, join us for a pay-for-your-own women's lunch!

This is a great opportunity for WICE women to meet each other and to hang out for a few hours to discover common interests and such over good food and beverages.

We meet upstairs at Le Nelson, a charming and warm Parisian restaurant located in Châtelet that has a very good relationship with WICE. 

Registration opens on Thursday, 18 December.

Note: The registration limit has been reached for this event. Please put your name on the waitlist and you will be notified if a space opens up.

Gothic architecture was born just outside of Paris in the 12th century and sparked a rapid and widespread revolution in art and architecture across France and Europe. Through structural innovations and masterful artistry in stone, glass, and paint, this new style made tangible a mystical philosophy of divine light as a bridge between heaven and the earthly realm. Paris, with its rich layers of history, contains traces of each phase of the Gothic style as it evolved from its Romanesque roots through to the Renaissance. These walks aim to reveal those layers by visiting six churches in roughly chronological order, each church offering a window into the ways in which Gothic architects, artisans, and patrons experimented with light, structure, and technique to create a reflection of heaven in their medieval world.

Beginning at Église Saint-Germain-des-Prés, we’ll see the preeminent surviving example of Romanesque architecture in Paris, in the nave of the church, and compare that to the Early Gothic choir of the same church. From there, we’ll continue across the river and study a superb example of a church built fully in the Gothic style, Saint Germain l’Auxerrois, the parish church of the French kings.

Matt Potts is a licensed architect in the US, where he practiced for 10 years after studying architecture in New York and Rome. He has lived in France since 2022 where he founded his own interior architecture firm. Matt is passionate about France’s rich built heritage - whether renovating a 16th-century manor house in the Burgundian countryside for his family, designing thoughtful renovations for his clients’ historic properties across France, or studying great works of Gothic architecture. He splits his time between Paris and Burgundy, enjoying the best of city and country life in France with his wife and their two sons (one human, one canine).

Registration opens Thursday, 18 December

In the grand tradition of pub quizzes across the anglophone world, join a team of fellow WICE members for a bilingual evening of trivial merriment. On a bi-monthly basis, WICE has reserved space with Paris Quiz Mistress to participate in a quiz night that consists of four rounds of trivia in English and French on a wide variety of topics, movies and TV, pop culture, geography, fashion, and anything strange and peculiar that comes through the mind of the Quiz Mistress Host.

This is not a WICE-exclusive event. We have reserved spaces for two teams of 5 (the maximum number of participants per team). There are prizes to win for the top teams and the best team name. A WICE volunteer will be at each event to help you identify our group.Please note that the quiz location changes depending on the night of the week, so please pay attention when registering to make sure you are going to the correct pub.

This event is free for members, but registration and the purchase of food or a beverage is required.

Join fellow WICE members for coffee on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday mornings  of the month (and occasionally the 5th Tuesday) at Les Editeurs with hosts Mary Bartlett and Hilary Kaiser. It's a great opportunity to hang out with fellow WICE members, make new friends, and enjoy those special experiences unique to Paris.

Open to all WICE members, but registration is required. This is a public restaurant, and anyone can go, but WICE reserves 10 seats together, and if you don't register you may not be able to sit with us.

Registration opens on Wednesday, 07 January.

Also, it is expected that all attendees will purchase at least one beverage or other item appropriate for sitting around a café (and pay for it before leaving).

Les Editeurs is located at 4 Carrefour de l'Odéon, 75006. It can be reached by metro lines 4 and 10 (Odéon), and busses 58, 87, and 89.

Did you know that cheese has a season? And with winter upon us, it's time for the rich milk of hay-fed animals to shine in cheeses beloved in France's mountain regions: Think bark-wrapped Vacherin with its woodsy aroma and gooey interior or long-aged tommes meant to savor through cold months when for centuries, there was little else to eat. Discover these and other seasonal marvels over the course of a two-hour workshop with cheese expert Emily Monaco. You'll learn all about the stories behind five winter specialties and enjoy the perfect wines to pair.

Price: €35 which includes cheese 

Registration opens on Thursday, 18 December

About the Instructor:

Born and raised in New York City, Emily Monaco has been living in France since 2007. An Academy of Cheese Associate, international cheese judge, and die-hard cheese lover, she works as a journalist covering cheese (and other tasty specialties) for publications including Atlas Obscura and the BBC. 

Website: Discover Paris with That Cheese Girl

Join us for a relaxed and welcoming morning coffee hosted by Pam Combastet at Le Grand Comptoir d’Anvers — a stylish and vibrant café-brasserie nestled in the heart of Paris’s 9th arrondissement. Situated conveniently just a short stroll or metro ride away for members living in the 9th, 10th and 18th arrondissements, with its warm wood-panelled interior and large windows, Le Grand Comptoir d’Anvers offers an ideal setting for catching up, meeting fellow members, and enjoying beautifully brewed coffee (or tea!) in a welcoming atmosphere.

Stay for as little or as long as you like, and enjoy friendly introductions, new connections, and the joy of relaxed attendance. Pam will be there to welcome you, introduce you to fellow members, and make sure it’s a memorable start to your day. Come unwind, engage, and start your morning in good company. We look forward to seeing you there!

Open to all WICE members, but registration is required. This is a public restaurant, and anyone can go, but WICE reserves 10 seats together, and if you don't register you may not be able to sit with us.

Registration opens on Thursday, 18 December.

Also, it is expected that all attendees will purchase at least one beverage or other item appropriate for sitting around a café.

Note: The registration limit for this event has been reached. Please put your name on the waitlist and you will be notified if a seat opens.

This activity will be a lunch and museum visit in the Marais.

We will meet outside the Metro St. Paul (line #1) at 2:00 PM and go to a restaurant for a light lunch. During that time we will have an intro/ info discussion about the founders and some of the treasures inside the Cognacq-Jay Museum. It includes art by Fragonard, Vigee Le Brun, Rembrandt, Watteau, and various 18^th Century objet d’art. Then we head to the Museum Cognacq-Jay to find and enjoy those items and many more of the treasures displayed.

Members are expected to purchase their own ticket for the museum at a cost of €11, and also to purchase their own lunch.

Registration opens on Thursday, 18 December.

NOTE: The museum has several floors and no elevator.  

About Our Guide

Suzanne Gurney has shared her time between Paris and Manhattan for 20 years.  She has been a member of WICE for a little over one year.

Mastering Scene

Course Description

Being “in scene” is where storytelling comes alive on the page. It’s where readers feel, understand, and enter a story’s world—where we experience deeper emotional truths. Where magic happens.

Structure

This eight-week workshop teaches you the essential elements of compelling scene construction—the foundation of memorable storytelling. You will learn to create authentic characters, weave exposition seamlessly into narrative, and build scenes that draw readers into the story world and keep them engaged page after page.

Each class session will include:

• Study of effective published scenes
• Analysis exercises mapping scene and expository techniques
• Scene writing practice
• Supportive read-alouds of new work
• Collaborative workshopping of participants' pieces
• Q&A on scene craft and technique

Course Outcome

By the workshop's end, you'll have developed a compelling narrative scene and gained the confidence to craft stories that invite readers in and hold their attention.

Prerequisites: Open to writers of all levels working in fiction, memoir, or creative nonfiction. Some previous writing experience helpful but not required.

This class is on ZOOM. We will send you the link.

About the Instructor

Becky Ellis's debut memoir, Little Avalanches (Regalo Press, 2024), won the Rubery Book Award for Best Nonfiction Book of the Year and was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. Her work has appeared in Northwest Review, The Ethel, Best Small Fictions, Psychology Today, and others. 

Find out more about her at beckyellis.net.

Each month, we come together to celebrate the friendships and community that make WICE special. Join us for an evening of lively discussions with fellow members, where you can share ideas, reflections, and experiences. Our Board of Directors is eager to hear your insights and visions for the future of WICE. Enjoy a nice selection of beverages and snacks, perfect for sparking conversation and connection. And don’t miss the chance to win our special door prize!

Come and celebrate our community – we look forward to seeing you there! 

Note: Registration required. Registration opens on Friday, 19 December.

The fees are as follows:

• 10€ for regular members
• €5 for new 1-year members attending their first apéro
• €5 for WICE volunteers

If you are having trouble registering, please contact wice@wice-paris.org.

Atonement, by Ian McEwan, is a sweeping, emotionally intricate novel that explores love, guilt, class, and the slippery nature of truth. Set across three eras—an English country estate in 1935, the battlefields and hospitals of World War II, and the late twentieth century—the story begins when thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses fragments of a charged encounter between her sister Cecilia and Robbie Turner, the housekeeper’s brilliant son. Misreading what she sees with a child’s limited understanding and a budding writer’s imagination, Briony makes an accusation that shatters all three lives.

As the novel moves through the brutality of war and into the quiet reckoning of Briony’s adulthood, McEwan probes the long shadows cast by a single, irrevocable mistake. The book becomes both a love story and a meditation on memory, storytelling, and the human need for redemption. Lyrical, unsettling, and formally inventive, Atonement challenges readers to consider whether true forgiveness is possible—and whether art can ever make amends for the harm people do to one another.

The Booker Book group reads and discusses books that have either received, or been on the short list for, the Booker Prize.

Two spaces are reserved for new WICE members. If no new WICE members have registered by one week prior to the meeting, those two spaces will become available to the general WICE membership.

Registration for the January meeting opens on Thursday, 18 December

Join professional fine art photographer Juan Manuel Abellán for an immersive street photography workshop at one of Paris’s most vibrant and eclectic locations—the famous Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen. This unique setting offers endless inspiration, from intriguing characters and bustling alleyways to hidden treasures and vintage curiosities. Learn how to capture the essence of this dynamic market while honing your photography skills.

We will meet in front of La REcyclerie, 83 Bd Ornano, 75018. This is at  Sortie 1 (Porte de Clignancourt Puces de Saint-Ouen) of the metro line 4 stop.

What to Expect:

• Theoretical framework: Begin with a discussion on the art of street photography, including composition, lighting, and capturing candid moments.
• On-the-ground shooting experience: Explore the dynamic Marché aux Puces streets alongside Juan, learning how to approach and photograph the urban environment creatively and respectfully.
• Personalized feedback: Receive tailored tips and advice on your work as you refine your craft.
• Group discussion and reflection: End the day with a review of your photos, sharing insights with fellow participants over a cup of coffee.

The class begins with a brief photography lesson at a cozy café*, followed by a guided exploration of the area with photography assignments. The tutor will be available to answer all your questions throughout the session.

At the end we will have a friendly feedback session, where we will review and analyze your images, providing suggestions for improvement.

*Please note: Personal costs at the café are not covered.

Requirements:

• Suitable for photography and art lovers of all levels.
• Suitable for all kinds of digital cameras and smart phones.

About the Instructor

Juan Manuel Abellán is a professional fine art photographer and photography tutor based in Paris since 2007. He graduated in Advertising and Visual Arts and holds a Master in Art, Philosophy and Aesthetics, specializing in Photography and Contemporary Art. He has worked with the agency Magnum Photo and exhibited his work in several exhibitions, including the Centre Georges Pompidou, Festival Circulation(s) and Made Anywhere (Fondation Fiminco). Passionate about photography, Juan Manuel works as a freelance photographer specializing in portrait, reportage and fine art photography. He also leads photography adventure tours around the world.

www.juanmanuelabellan.com 

https://www.instagram.com/juanmanuelabellan/

Photo Credits

Amy McCarthy