Dear Reader,

Welcome to Day 3 of our Paris Writing Retreat, where we engaged in a craft of writing seminar titled “Flâneurs, Essays, and Provocateurs” taught by Rita Banerjee. Today we explored what it specifically means to be a flâneur. We also looked at the structures of essays and thought about how evocative essays are attempted and constructed. We learned about how being a flâneur and an essayist are intimately combined. We studied how essayists from Montaigne to James Baldwin to Lauren Elkin to Audre Lorde to Yoko Tawada redefined the environment they inhabit and create a space for electric art. For our walking tour portion of the class, Rita challenged us to channel our inner flâneurs and flâneuses by being open to the all of our senses while through the lively Parisian streets.

The second half of the day, Diana Norma Szokolyai taught “Writing the Moment through Food.” We began our session with a moment of mindfulness where we tried an assortment of French delicacies, such as foie gras. Many of us discovered that foods can evoke a range of emotions and memories. For example, one of us was brought back to our grandmother’s house, while others recalled moments with friends. For me, it brought a sense of warmth and comfort, specifically the Biscoff cookie. I was transported to a rainy New England day where I was sitting inside curled up with a cup of tea and a good book. Fall scented candles like Pumpkin Spice were lit in the background as I wrapped a soft blanket around me (can you tell I’m excited for fall?).

After we had our food tasting, we walked down rue Daguerre, where we encountered a variety of food markets. These markets provided an assortment of options from vibrant strawberries and tomatoes to rolls of cheese and meat for a future charcuterie board. The smells of breads and cheeses filled my nostrils as people’s conversations slipped into my ears. My inner flâneur was on high alert as I took everything in with each step I took. Our first stop on this street was a honey store, Famille Mary, where we tried a range of flavors from different regions throughout France. Each batch of honey had a sense of fullness and pureness of taste that already has me thinking about going back for more. I personally bought honey from the Pyrenees, which I look forward to using in my tea on that rainy New England day.

As our journey down rue Daguerre continued, we entered into one of Paris’ oldest cemeteries, Montparnasse Cemetery, housing many of France’s famous artists, philosophers, and writers. European cemeteries are set up so that the tombstone lies above the ground. Many people choose to leave flowers, mementos, and tributes. Just a handful of artists that we saw buried there were: photographer Gisèle Freund, writer Marguerite Duras, and philosophers Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone De Beauvoir, whose shared grave was covered in lipstick marks and mementos. Some of us left pens at Duras’ grave.

As we walked further, Diana Norma showed us where famous writers and artists like Picasso, Rilke, Modigliani, Man Ray, and Louie Aragon lived. We also came across apartments where many writers and artists still live in creative communities. This portion of the walk evoked my inner provocateur as I began to wonder, how could I be an agent of change as much as these artists were? In what way could I push the boundaries of societal norms, specifically in the realm of education? I sense another journal entry coming on as I seek to explore both my inner flâneur and provocateur.

Sincerely,

Corrine Previte, Manager
Cambridge Writers’ Workshop