Thirty writers and guests gathered in the Paris Writers Atelier, at 8 rue de la Bûcherie, greeting one another as we sipped wine, tasted fruit skewers and salmon hors d’oeuvres. Large portraits of Simone de Beauvoir, the French philosopher and author of The Second Sex (1949), along with Henry Miller, the American author of Tropic of Cancer (1934), peered down from the soft grey walls. 

       After a round of applause, Xiaolu Guo introduced her award winning documentary film, The Concrete Revolution. 

      In her film, Xiaolu follows the lives of the peasants, workers and families who are impacted by the construction of the massive facilities that are being built to accommodate the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Her film is our prelude to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The evening was a perfect example of a literary atelier. Atelier is a French word, which often describes a space for working artists, fashion or jewelry designers. Paint, easels, sewing machines, fabrics, kilns and worktables fill the room for one or more artists where they create, display or sell their work.

The Paris Writers Atelier expands that definition. We are a meeting space for the Paris Writers Group and other writers. Our main tools are our computers, pens, tablets, cameras and phones. We meet to exchange ideas, discuss publishing issues, promote or sell our work, lead or participate in workshops and retreats, and learn from distinguished speakers. Some spend time writing in the Atelier or use our Henry Miller archives for research projects.

Valuable networking, enhanced by imbibing in French wine, champagne, food and desserts, begins and concludes most events. All provided by our talented members and guests. 

Janet Hulstrand, the author of Demystifying the French, who lives outside of Paris, said, “For me, the Paris Writers Atelier is an intellectual lifeline.” 

Follow our website and the Mary Duncan Youtube Channel for future Atelier events.

Mary Duncan Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMq-NiDA7w1QAJbxGHfBgrg

Katherine J. Chen received an award from the Paris Writers Atelier for a Work in Progress. Her new book Birthright (working title) which is under contract with Random House, explores through a revolutionary lens the brutal and strange world of Arthurian literature. Legendary characters are rendered startlingly human, as we follow the lives of Morgan le Fay and her half-brother, King Arthur. While set in a time and world extremely distant from our own, this work will engage timely themes, such as nation-building and genocide, the ties that bind us, and the limits—should they exist—of love. The novel’s writing derives inspiration from works, including Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy and The Giant, O’Brien by Hilary Mantel.   

Katherine is the author of Joan: A Novel of Joan of Arc (Random House US / Hodder & Stoughton UK), which won the 2023 American Library in Paris Book Award and has been translated into nine languages, and Mary B (Random House US). 

She also received the Director’s Grant from the De Groot Foundation. Her essays and reviews have appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Electric Literature, Literary Hub, and other publications, with forthcoming work in the Times Literary Supplement and elsewhere. 

She is a graduate of Princeton University and Boston University’s MFA program and is pursuing her doctoral degree in English at Brown University.