Archives: Events

Flash Covid-19: this workshop has been maintained for a maximum of 12 participants.

Come to this writing workshop conducted in French by Marcelline Roux.

En amont de la  lecture bilingue du même matin, Marcelline va proposer à une douzaine de lecteurs d’expérimenter cette forme « d’écriture-lecture » avec l’univers woolfien. Cette mise en pratique serait une entrée concrète dans l’univers de Virginia Woolf et enrichirait la discussion d’après lecture. Expérimenter une démarche littéraire est une façon participative et conviviale de partager des questionnements. Cet atelier n’est pas uniquement réservé aux lecteurs expérimentés, mais à tous les curieux!

This event is free and open to the public and is organised with the support of the MIEL. Sign-ups can be made by sending an email.

Photo: Michel Durigneux

Flash Covid-19: Knit and Natter has been maintained for a maximum of 12 participants.

Come along and bring your knitting,

Have a natter while you’re sitting,

Or learn to knit with wool provided,

Needles loaned and stitches guided.

Knitted garments are très chic,

So be in vogue and start this week.

Knit and Natter is a free activity, open to all library members. No need to reserve, just come and enjoy! If anyone has some extra yarn please bring it in.

Flash Covid-19: this event has been maintained for a maximum of 40 participants.

Reading “One Hundred Days with Virginia” by Marcelline Roux 

Although not a specialist on the writings of Virginia Woolf, Marcelline Roux (an author by her own right) undertook an ambious project of spending 100 days reading, digesting and recycling in her own reponse the journals of Virginia Woolf. This talk is a presentation in French about the project followed by readings in English from the diaries of Virginia Woolf and Marcelline’s own inspired entries in French. “Living on a day-to-day basis with an author: what does that bring forward? Placing the portraits on the shelf of my library, keeping the French edition of the journals on my writing desk at all times allowed me to imagine how Virginia spent her days and consequently how to better mine.”

This event is free and open to the public and is organised with the support of the MIEL. No resevations required.

Flash Covid-19: Coffee House has been maintained for a maximum of 40 participants.

Join the library community for a special moment to talk about anything and everything (in English of course!) over a cup of coffee or tea. Coffee House is free and open to all library members. Just drop by, no need to reserve!

Flash Covid-19: please note that this activity has been cancelled until further notice.

If you love needlecraft, this activity is for you! Each participant will make a textile creation of their choice while exchanging different techniques in English. All styles are welcome: embroidery, patchwork, quilting, weaving, collage, tapestry, etc.

For those who wish, it is possible to work on a group project. Each person will make their own textile artwork inspired by the Neil Gaiman quote, “A book is a dream that you hold in your hand.” The pieces will be shown at the library as an art exhibition in 2020.

Bring your own materials and join us at the library on the following 2020 dates: March 12th and April 9th. Open to library members. Please sign up at the front desk, when possible.

This activity has been maintained with a maximum for a maximum of 5 participants.

For music lovers who are not necessarily musicians, the library presents a series of sessions aimed at illustrating English Classical Music in its most beautiful forms. Each session will focus on a composer, with a short presentation of their work as well as listening to select pieces and videos. The point is to share comments and criticism as a group.

Free and open to all library members, for more information or to sign up please contact the group coordinator here.

Do you love French food and restaurants? Would you like to speak English more, but in a relaxed environment? Join the Luncheon Club! Enjoy a meal and great conversation in English once a month at a local restaurant. This activity is open to library members. For more information or to sign up, please contact the group coordinator here.

Take a talented trio: Jacques Josse (a French poet, writer and publisher from Rennes and previously the Director of the Maision de la Poésie de Rennes), a musician and a painter, put them in the same room in front of an audience and see what happens! That’s the idea behind a happening, put the raw ingredients together and let inspiration strike, creating a unique, one-time-only performance that is not to be missed!

This event is part of the Printemps des Poètes (the French national celebration of poetry) which has been organized with the collaboration of the MIEL (Maison internationale des écritures et des littératures) and the support of the Ville d’Angers. There will also be poetry recitals by MIEL members.

This event will be in French and English, it is free and open to the public, no reservations necessary but seating is limited.

The Saturday Reading Group is for anyone who loves to read, socialize in English, and meet new people.

The March read for the group is Black Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime by Ron Stallworth. In 1978 the community of Colorado Springs, Colorado experienced a growth of Ku Klux Klan (KKK) membership. One man dared to challenge their effort and thwart attempts to take over the city, Police Detective Ron Stallworth. He launched an undercover investigation into the Klan, gained membership into the organization, briefly served as Duke’s bodyguard, and was eventually asked to be the leader of the Colorado Springs chapter. The irony of this investigation was that Stallworth is… A Black man. In the process he battled internal departmental politics to successfully pull off this “sting.” Black Klansman explains how he overcame these obstacles and accomplished this almost unbelievable unique achievement.

Meetings are once a month on Saturday afternoons starting at 3 pm. Open to all library members. To sign up please contact the group coordinator at bookgroup@ellia.org.

Treat yourself to an afternoon of a collective reading of one of Shakespeare’s plays. This activity consists of watching a BBC production on DVD and then reading relative scenes. This is a great activity for lovers of language and fans of the great wit. Free and open to all library members, for more information or to sign-up please contact the group coordinator here.