Paris Press welcomes Joan Baez to the Pioneer Valley! We are so grateful to Joan for allowing us to publish an excerpt from her memoir, Daybreak, in Sisters: An Anthology.
In honor of the occasion, we are listening to Joan and her beloved sister, Mimi, on YouTube. Join us!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
An extraordinary evening in honor of Jeanne M. Leiby (1966-2011)
Paris Press is still floating from the SISTERS Celebration in honor of The Southern Review editor and fiction writer Jeanne M. Leiby (1966-2011), at the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, Massachusetts. It was truly a night to remember.
Novelist Hallie Ephron, Boston Globe columnist Joan Wickersham, writer and Grub Street program manager Sonya Larson, Anne Leiby, and director Jan Freeman offered extraordinary readings from Sisters: An Anthology.
The evening began with Anne, Jeannie's sister, who welcomed the packed house, filled with people from all over the Boston area, as well as family and friends. Anne spoke about her younger sister and about the anthology, then read a beautiful poem titled "Thank You," which she had sent to Jeanne last April for National Poetry Month.
Hallie was next, and talked about the relationship between her three sisters. She read a very funny excerpt from Delia Ephron's Hanging Up, featured in the anthology. Sonya—whose life and work was influenced by Jeanne's influence and editorial support—remembered the effect Jeanne had on her as a fiction writer. She read Audre Lorde's "Family Resemblance," "Sweet Dreams" by Joyce Armor, and an excerpt from Joan Baez's Daybreak about Baez's sister, Mimi Farina.
Jan read excerpts from Jeanne's heartbreaking short story, "Docks," which was published in its entirety in Sisters. And Joan closed the evening with readings of poems by Marie-Luise Kaschnitz ("Sister—Sister"), Martha Rhodes ("Without Gloves"), and Grace Paley ("I Needed to Talk to my Sister"). And Anne hosted a beautiful dessert reception in the museum's lobby for everyone following the program.
Sunday, October 15, was a truly wonderful evening, filled with stories, memories, new friends, and sisters. Rita Chin, a member of Paris Press's Advisory Board; Emily Wojcik, co-editor of Sisters; Margery Adams, Board Member for the Press; and volunteers from BookEnds helped the evening flow smoothly. The program was filmed, and we will post it soon. Thank you to everyone who was present. It was a night we will cherish.
Novelist Hallie Ephron, Boston Globe columnist Joan Wickersham, writer and Grub Street program manager Sonya Larson, Anne Leiby, and director Jan Freeman offered extraordinary readings from Sisters: An Anthology.
The evening began with Anne, Jeannie's sister, who welcomed the packed house, filled with people from all over the Boston area, as well as family and friends. Anne spoke about her younger sister and about the anthology, then read a beautiful poem titled "Thank You," which she had sent to Jeanne last April for National Poetry Month.
Hallie was next, and talked about the relationship between her three sisters. She read a very funny excerpt from Delia Ephron's Hanging Up, featured in the anthology. Sonya—whose life and work was influenced by Jeanne's influence and editorial support—remembered the effect Jeanne had on her as a fiction writer. She read Audre Lorde's "Family Resemblance," "Sweet Dreams" by Joyce Armor, and an excerpt from Joan Baez's Daybreak about Baez's sister, Mimi Farina.
Jan read excerpts from Jeanne's heartbreaking short story, "Docks," which was published in its entirety in Sisters. And Joan closed the evening with readings of poems by Marie-Luise Kaschnitz ("Sister—Sister"), Martha Rhodes ("Without Gloves"), and Grace Paley ("I Needed to Talk to my Sister"). And Anne hosted a beautiful dessert reception in the museum's lobby for everyone following the program.
Sunday, October 15, was a truly wonderful evening, filled with stories, memories, new friends, and sisters. Rita Chin, a member of Paris Press's Advisory Board; Emily Wojcik, co-editor of Sisters; Margery Adams, Board Member for the Press; and volunteers from BookEnds helped the evening flow smoothly. The program was filmed, and we will post it soon. Thank you to everyone who was present. It was a night we will cherish.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
In the news: Listen to an interview. Come to a reading this evening Saturday October 15th 7PM
Listen to Hallie and Delia Ephron, and Jan Freeman, interviewed by
Jessica Alpert on NPR's Boston WBUR -FM 90.9
http://radioboston.wbur.org/2011/10/12/sisters
The topic, sisters! A prelude to ...
A SISTERS Celebration in Winchester, MA
with Hallie Ephron, Joan Wickersham
Sonya Larson, & Jan Freeman
In honor of Jeanne M. Leiby (1965-2011), fiction writer &
the first woman editor of The Southern Review
ou are invited to a reading from SISTERS: AN ANTHOLOGY. Please spread the word to friends (and sisters!) in the Boston area. This will be a rich and memorable celebration -- including a reading of Jeanne Leiby's short story "Docks," prose by Joan Baez, Hallie Ephron reading Delia Ephron, and poems by Jane Hirshfield, Grace Paley, Gwendolyn Brooks, and more! Jeanne's sister, Anne Leiby, lives in Winchester, and will join us for this special evening.
Participants reading from SISTERS: AN ANTHOLOGY (Paris Press):
Boston Globe columnist Joan Wickersham, author Sonya Larson of Grub Street, novelist Hallie Ephron, and poet and Paris Press executive director Jan Freeman.
Reception to follow. Free and open to the public. Plenty of parking.
Saturday, October 15, at 7 p.m.
Griffin Museum of Photography
67 Shore Road, Winchester, MA
781-729-1158
Jessica Alpert on NPR's Boston WBUR -FM 90.9
http://radioboston.wbur.org/2011/10/12/sisters
The topic, sisters! A prelude to ...
A SISTERS Celebration in Winchester, MA
with Hallie Ephron, Joan Wickersham
Sonya Larson, & Jan Freeman
In honor of Jeanne M. Leiby (1965-2011), fiction writer &
the first woman editor of The Southern Review
ou are invited to a reading from SISTERS: AN ANTHOLOGY. Please spread the word to friends (and sisters!) in the Boston area. This will be a rich and memorable celebration -- including a reading of Jeanne Leiby's short story "Docks," prose by Joan Baez, Hallie Ephron reading Delia Ephron, and poems by Jane Hirshfield, Grace Paley, Gwendolyn Brooks, and more! Jeanne's sister, Anne Leiby, lives in Winchester, and will join us for this special evening.
Participants reading from SISTERS: AN ANTHOLOGY (Paris Press):
Boston Globe columnist Joan Wickersham, author Sonya Larson of Grub Street, novelist Hallie Ephron, and poet and Paris Press executive director Jan Freeman.
Reception to follow. Free and open to the public. Plenty of parking.
Saturday, October 15, at 7 p.m.
Griffin Museum of Photography
67 Shore Road, Winchester, MA
781-729-1158
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Writing From the Heart with Nancy Slonim Aronie and Jan Freeman
What do Margaret Atwood, Joan Baez, and Edwidge Danticat have in common? Sisters! And they wrote about their unique relationships with them.
Nancy Slonim Aronie (leader of the Chilmark Writing Workshops and Writing From the Heart) and Jan Freeman (poet and director of Paris Press) invite you to a writing retreat to explore the challenges and rewards of writing about family, particularly sisters.
Saturday, June 11, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., at The Curtis House
14 South Street, Ashfield, MA (home of Gloriosa & Company).
And for a special treat after a full day of writing, hear Toshi Reagon at IMA, ten minutes away in Goshen!
The Workshop:
Morning: Discuss writing about the delicate subject of family (particularly sisters), participate in writing exercises, and receive constructive, positive feedback about expressing emotion, describing experience, and craft.
Lunch: Catered by Gloriosa & Company or walk to Elmer's General Store, Country Pie Pizza, Neighbor's, the Ashfield Lake House, or the Ashfield Farmer's Market.
Afternoon: Nancy and Jan will present samples of writing about sisters, followed by discussion, and additional on-site writing exercises and feedback. All participants will leave with new work and suggestions for future writing and reading.
Workshop: $120. Lunch catered by Gloriosa & Company: $10. To register, and/or for more information, email janfreeman@parispress.org or call: 413-628-0051 or 413-374-1799. Credit card payment may be made by phone or through PayPal. Checks may be sent to Paris Press, P.O. Box 487, Ashfield, MA 01330. Need a place to stay? Click here for a list of area lodging.
Nancy Slonim Aronie offers the renowned Chilmark Writing Workshops and Writing From the Heart workshops at Kripalu, Omega Institute, the Open Center, and other national and international venues. This is her first workshop in the Pioneer Valley. Nancy is the author of Writing From the Heart and the CD The Way We Were. She is a commentator for NPR's All Things Considered.
Jan Freeman is co-editor of Sisters: An Anthology and author of the award-winning Hyena and Simon Says. She is Director of Paris Press. Jan has conducted workshops for adults, teens, and children. Her poems have appeared in The Southern Review, APR, The Oxford Companion to Women Writers in the U.S., The Massachusetts Review, and The Women's Review of Books.
Testimonials for NANCY SLONIM ARONIE'S WRITING FROM THE HEART
"Check out the audience at one of Nancy Slonim Aronie's performances: bodies lean toward her, heads nod, faces smile in recognition, eyes brim with tears. Plain spoken, wise and eloquent, Aronie speaks for us all about subjects close to the bone."
-- Wally Lamb, author of She's Come Undone
"Nancy is warm, wise, hip and hilarious. I laughed and learned all night." -- Paula Lyons, Ladies Home Journal
"Nancy is so nurturing and encouraging... I learned more in four mornings than in all the other writing workshops I have taken."
-- Gail Esposito, advertising copywriter
Praise for JAN FREEMAN
"Simon Says is just gorgeous. I needed this book! It's wonderful. I will talk about it. I will give copies to people. Jan Freeman has written an extraordinary piece of work." -- Dorothy Allison, author of Bastard Out of Carolina
Praise for SISTERS: AN ANTHOLOGY
"Writers including Margaret Atwood and Alice Walker explore sisterhood in this intelligent collection... The book makes clear that sisters don't outgrow their bond...Once a sister, always one."
-- People Magazine
"I love this Anthology. I gave it to each of my sisters (even the one I hardly talk to). The book made me want to try to write about all of us. So many memories. I want to start collecting them." -- Susan Kolton, elementary school teacher
Nancy Slonim Aronie (leader of the Chilmark Writing Workshops and Writing From the Heart) and Jan Freeman (poet and director of Paris Press) invite you to a writing retreat to explore the challenges and rewards of writing about family, particularly sisters.
Saturday, June 11, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., at The Curtis House
14 South Street, Ashfield, MA (home of Gloriosa & Company).
And for a special treat after a full day of writing, hear Toshi Reagon at IMA, ten minutes away in Goshen!
The Workshop:
Morning: Discuss writing about the delicate subject of family (particularly sisters), participate in writing exercises, and receive constructive, positive feedback about expressing emotion, describing experience, and craft.
Lunch: Catered by Gloriosa & Company or walk to Elmer's General Store, Country Pie Pizza, Neighbor's, the Ashfield Lake House, or the Ashfield Farmer's Market.
Afternoon: Nancy and Jan will present samples of writing about sisters, followed by discussion, and additional on-site writing exercises and feedback. All participants will leave with new work and suggestions for future writing and reading.
Workshop: $120. Lunch catered by Gloriosa & Company: $10. To register, and/or for more information, email janfreeman@parispress.org or call: 413-628-0051 or 413-374-1799. Credit card payment may be made by phone or through PayPal. Checks may be sent to Paris Press, P.O. Box 487, Ashfield, MA 01330. Need a place to stay? Click here for a list of area lodging.
 |
Jan Freeman is co-editor of Sisters: An Anthology and author of the award-winning Hyena and Simon Says. She is Director of Paris Press. Jan has conducted workshops for adults, teens, and children. Her poems have appeared in The Southern Review, APR, The Oxford Companion to Women Writers in the U.S., The Massachusetts Review, and The Women's Review of Books. Testimonials for NANCY SLONIM ARONIE'S WRITING FROM THE HEART
"Check out the audience at one of Nancy Slonim Aronie's performances: bodies lean toward her, heads nod, faces smile in recognition, eyes brim with tears. Plain spoken, wise and eloquent, Aronie speaks for us all about subjects close to the bone."
-- Wally Lamb, author of She's Come Undone
"Nancy is warm, wise, hip and hilarious. I laughed and learned all night." -- Paula Lyons, Ladies Home Journal
"Nancy is so nurturing and encouraging... I learned more in four mornings than in all the other writing workshops I have taken."
-- Gail Esposito, advertising copywriter
Praise for JAN FREEMAN
"Simon Says is just gorgeous. I needed this book! It's wonderful. I will talk about it. I will give copies to people. Jan Freeman has written an extraordinary piece of work." -- Dorothy Allison, author of Bastard Out of Carolina
Praise for SISTERS: AN ANTHOLOGY
"Writers including Margaret Atwood and Alice Walker explore sisterhood in this intelligent collection... The book makes clear that sisters don't outgrow their bond...Once a sister, always one."
-- People Magazine
"I love this Anthology. I gave it to each of my sisters (even the one I hardly talk to). The book made me want to try to write about all of us. So many memories. I want to start collecting them." -- Susan Kolton, elementary school teacher
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Join Paris Press and Nancy Slonim Aronie for SISTERS Writing from the Heart
Join Nancy Slonim Aronie’s Writing From the Heart and Jan Freeman’s Paris Press for an all-day writing retreat, on Saturday, June 11, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., at Ashfield’s Curtis House, 14 South Street (home of Gloriosa & Company).
Following the hugely successful publication of Sisters: An Anthology, many women and teens have asked Paris Press to offer writing workshops about sisters. Nancy Slonim Aronie, of Writing From the Heart, will lead her first Pioneer Valley writing retreat with Jan Freeman, co-editor of Sisters and director of Paris Press. Sisters Writing From the Heart will nurture the beginning writer and inspire experienced writers. Teens and adults are welcome. Register soon!
To register and for more information, visit Paris Press, or contact the Press at: info@parispress.org or 413-628-0051.
Workshop: $120. Optional lunch, catered by Gloriosa & Company: $10. Pay by MasterCard, Visa, or check (Paris Press, P.O. Box 487, Ashfield, MA 01330).
Nancy Slonim Aronie offers writing workshops at Kripalu, Omega Institute, Rowe Conference Center, Wainwright House, The Open Center in NYC, and at other national and international venues. This is her first workshop in the Pioneer Valley! Nancy is the author of Writing From the Heart and the CD The Way We Were. She is a commentator for NPR’s All Things Considered, and recipient of the Eye of the Beholder Artist in Residence Award at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.
Jan Freeman is co-editor of Sisters: An Anthology and author of Hyena and Simon Says (nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award). She recently completed a new collection of poems, Proximity. Her work has appeared in The Southern Review, APR, The Oxford Companion to Women Writers in the U.S., The Massachusetts Review, The Women’s Review of Books, and Prairie Schooner. She is a MacDowell Fellow and director of Ashfield’s Paris Press, a small not-for-profit 501(c)(3) press that publishes literature by women that has been overlooked by the independent and mainstream publishing worlds.
Praise for Nancy Slonim Aronie’s WRITING FROM THE HEART workshops:
"Check out the audience at one of Nancy Slonim Aronie's performances: bodies lean toward her, heads nod, faces smile in recognition, eyes brim with tears. Plain spoken, wise and eloquent, Aronie speaks for us all about subjects close to the bone." —Wally Lamb, author, She's Come Undone
"Nancy is warm, wise, hip and hilarious. I laughed and learned all night. She's a consumer's best buy." —Paula Lyons, Ladies Home Journal, WBZ-TV, Boston
"You will hear your voice in a very new way. Nancy makes everything O.K. She's so safe. You'll laugh, you'll cry. You will meet yourself for the very first time." —Susan Rubin, writer, nutritionist
"Nancy is so nurturing and encouraging... I learned more in four mornings than in all the other writing workshops I have taken." —Gail Esposito, advertising copywriter
Following the hugely successful publication of Sisters: An Anthology, many women and teens have asked Paris Press to offer writing workshops about sisters. Nancy Slonim Aronie, of Writing From the Heart, will lead her first Pioneer Valley writing retreat with Jan Freeman, co-editor of Sisters and director of Paris Press. Sisters Writing From the Heart will nurture the beginning writer and inspire experienced writers. Teens and adults are welcome. Register soon!
To register and for more information, visit Paris Press, or contact the Press at: info@parispress.org or 413-628-0051.
Workshop: $120. Optional lunch, catered by Gloriosa & Company: $10. Pay by MasterCard, Visa, or check (Paris Press, P.O. Box 487, Ashfield, MA 01330).
Praise for Nancy Slonim Aronie’s WRITING FROM THE HEART workshops:
"Check out the audience at one of Nancy Slonim Aronie's performances: bodies lean toward her, heads nod, faces smile in recognition, eyes brim with tears. Plain spoken, wise and eloquent, Aronie speaks for us all about subjects close to the bone." —Wally Lamb, author, She's Come Undone
"Nancy is warm, wise, hip and hilarious. I laughed and learned all night. She's a consumer's best buy." —Paula Lyons, Ladies Home Journal, WBZ-TV, Boston
"You will hear your voice in a very new way. Nancy makes everything O.K. She's so safe. You'll laugh, you'll cry. You will meet yourself for the very first time." —Susan Rubin, writer, nutritionist
"Nancy is so nurturing and encouraging... I learned more in four mornings than in all the other writing workshops I have taken." —Gail Esposito, advertising copywriter
Sunday, April 24, 2011
In Memoriam: Jeanne Leiby
Sending our deepest condolences to Jeanne Leiby's family, friends, and the folks at The Southern Review and LSU. Yesterday heard someone singing, "Cupid, pull back your bow, and let your arrow go..." — and I thought of Jeannie writing about her passion for archery on Facebook. I can't absorb her death, so am reading her stories, remembering conversations, and picturing her shooting arrows.
Take the day and spin it hard, so it shoots sparks for my friend who died young, mid-sentence, mid kick-ass, keeping the literary world fresh, poignant, and sustaining. As she was/is. Bow taut, arrow released.
—Jan Freeman
Take the day and spin it hard, so it shoots sparks for my friend who died young, mid-sentence, mid kick-ass, keeping the literary world fresh, poignant, and sustaining. As she was/is. Bow taut, arrow released.
—Jan Freeman
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Recent News About Gender and Publishing
Dear Paris Press Friends,
Thank you for your extraordinary support during our Midnight Match fundraiser. In one day, you helped Paris Press raise $5,700 -- surpassing our goal! And now the Press's Board of Directors is matching your donations. We welcome your continued support of daring and beautiful literature by women writers. Your generosity is overwhelming.
Laura Miller's article in Salon, about the ongoing lack of gender equality in publishing, affirms Paris Press's mission. Our devotion to publishing ground-breaking literature by women that has been overlooked by independent and commercial publishers remains (unfortunately) as essential as it was when the Press was founded, 15 years ago.
I hope you will find the Salon article and the studies mentioned by Laura Miller of interest.
And -- if you are searching for meaningful Valentine's Day gifts -- please visit our website. SISTERS, OPEN ME CAREFULLY, TELL ME ANOTHER MORNING, in fact the full Paris Press list -- and new tee shirts -- are perfect expressions of love to readers of both genders, from teens to seniors.
I look forward to hearing from you.
With immense gratitude,
Jan
Jan Freeman, Director
Paris Press
Thank you for your extraordinary support during our Midnight Match fundraiser. In one day, you helped Paris Press raise $5,700 -- surpassing our goal! And now the Press's Board of Directors is matching your donations. We welcome your continued support of daring and beautiful literature by women writers. Your generosity is overwhelming.
Laura Miller's article in Salon, about the ongoing lack of gender equality in publishing, affirms Paris Press's mission. Our devotion to publishing ground-breaking literature by women that has been overlooked by independent and commercial publishers remains (unfortunately) as essential as it was when the Press was founded, 15 years ago.
I hope you will find the Salon article and the studies mentioned by Laura Miller of interest.
And -- if you are searching for meaningful Valentine's Day gifts -- please visit our website. SISTERS, OPEN ME CAREFULLY, TELL ME ANOTHER MORNING, in fact the full Paris Press list -- and new tee shirts -- are perfect expressions of love to readers of both genders, from teens to seniors.
I look forward to hearing from you.
With immense gratitude,
Jan
Jan Freeman, Director
Paris Press
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