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Join us at the library for a writer’s workshop based on the theme of what it is like to live in Angers. Free and open to the public. 10 participants maxi. Masks and pass sanitaire required. Please sign up by sending an email to info@ellia.org

Join us at the library for this free and interesting talk!

The library is honored to offer a talk by Kyle Walker, a historian from the Texas Historical Commission, who will share with us the story of the French Legation :

The French Legation State Historic Site in Austin began in 1841 as a private home for France’s representative to the Republic of Texas, Alphonse Dubois, after the French monarch officially recognized the Republic of Texas as a sovereign nation. Dubois was promoted to “chargé d’affaires,” a diplomat who headed an embassy in the absence of the ambassador, and established an official legation in Texas. Construction began in September 1840 and was finished in the spring of 1841, but by the time of its completion, Dubois had left Austin after the incident known as the « Pig War. » The house went through a series of owners, including the Catholic Church, before it was purchased by Dr. Joseph Robertson in 1848. The Robertson family was the last and longest private owners of the property, which remained with their descendants until it was sold to the State of Texas in 1949. The state then placed the site under the custodianship of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas who operated the site as a house museum from 1956-2017.  In 2017 the Texas Legislature transferred custodianship of the site to the Texas Historical Commission who undertook an extensive restoration of the historic home in 2019. The historic structure and landscape provide a cultural destination where people from the surrounding neighborhoods continue to gather on common ground. 

and the fascinating shipwreck of La Belle:  

The 17th century French shipwreck La Belle is one of the most significant stories in early Texas history. René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, set sail for the Mississippi River in 1684 to claim new territory for France but the ship instead sailed into Matagorda Bay, only to sink in 1686 where it was found 300 years later. The ship underwent an extraordinary excavation and preservation process beginning in 1995. Although La Salle’s expedition ended in failure, his foray into Texas had lasting impacts for centuries to follow.  His entry into the Gulf of Mexico sparked renewal of Spanish interest in the region.  The failed French colony gave France a claim to Texas and resulted in increased Spanish settlement of the territory resulting in the founding of Spanish missions like the Alamo and the city of San Antonio.  After a lengthy preservation process, La Belle is now on display in the Texas State History Museum for visitors to learn about the ship that changed Texas history.  

Start out your day with a big Texan Brunch: hash browns (delicious potatoes cooked in butter!), scrambled eggs, bacon, beans, toast and big-sized mugs of coffee and tea! Come dressed for the occasion…jeans, cowboy boots and your 10-gallon hat. Brunch is free and open to the public. No reservations necessary but space is limited…so first come, first serve!

The library is sorry to inform you that this activity has been cancelled until further notice.

Welcome to « Write Here, Write Now! », a new activity!

Writing and sharing: join this series of workshops for people who love to write in English and don’t mind sharing what they’ve written (although this sharing is not mandatory). Springboard exercises by themes, genres, characters, time, space, imagination, real facts, even extending to other art forms will help you get your creative juices flowing…all in the company of lovers of literature. Mathieu Huvelin, a library volunteer, will delicately guide you through different ways to stimulate your writing, keep you inspired and help you get to know the writer within yourself.

« You can make anything by writing » (C.S. Lewis). Following Lewis’s invitation, let’s explore boundlessness: the world at large as well as your own secret gardens through words…while discovering the unknown realms of the writing of others.

Workshops will be run Wednesday evenings from 6 to 8 pm at the library from mid-September to mid-June on a bi-monthly basis, except during school holidays. They are free for library members (maximum of 10 participants). For more information and/or to sign up, please contact the group leader.

The library is thrilled to be part of the citywide festivities called « Austin Days » to celebrate the twinning of our city, Angers, with Austin, Texas. Don’t miss out on the fun! Click here for the full program of events happening in and around Angers. 

Check out the library’s great events on our website for October 1st…

Are you a new mom or dad and looking to meet other English-speaking parents in the area? The BYOB (Bring Your Own Baby) group is a way for families with young children to connect and chat about anything and everything related to the journey into parenthood. This group is for English-speaking parents with a baby (or babies!) under 3 years old so be sure to bring them along! Bilingual and multilingual families are welcome, too. The group will meet one Saturday a month from 4:15-5:15pm in the Kids Corner of the library.

This activity is free for library members. For more information or to sign up, please contact the group leader.

The library is sorry to inform you that this activity has been cancelled until further notice.

Welcome to « Write Here, Write Now! », a new activity!

Writing and sharing: join this series of workshops for people who love to write in English and don’t mind sharing what they’ve written (although this sharing is not mandatory). Springboard exercises by themes, genres, characters, time, space, imagination, real facts, even extending to other art forms will help you get your creative juices flowing…all in the company of lovers of literature. Mathieu Huvelin, a library volunteer, will delicately guide you through different ways to stimulate your writing, keep you inspired and help you get to know the writer within yourself.

« You can make anything by writing » (C.S. Lewis). Following Lewis’s invitation, let’s explore boundlessness: the world at large as well as your own secret gardens through words…while discovering the unknown realms of the writing of others.

Workshops will be run Wednesday evenings from 6 to 8 pm at the library from mid-September to mid-June on a bi-monthly basis, except during school holidays. They are free for library members (maximum of 10 participants). For more information and/or to sign up, please contact the group leader.

Meet Nicole Guyon at the library on Thursday 24 June any time between 4:00 and 6:00 pm. She’ll be delighted to share about her art with you! Her exhibition, « Diversity of Nature » will be from June 24 to July 10, 2021. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Nicole Guyon has been painting for 25 years. She often exhibits her artwork and participates in many painting contests. She has won several prizes in Maine-et-Loire and beyond. She is very enthusiastic to have been awarded two prizes by the French Pastellists Society in Paris. During the International Pastels Exhibition in Limoges, she was selected among the best pastellist students. She was also chosen among more than one thousand European candidates to participate in the final European Pastel Congress Competition in Paris.  She has worked with master pastellists such as Alberto, Richard Heitz and Peter Thomas.

Nicole loves to play with colors and shapes to create her paintings. She draws her inspiration from nature, beauty and various “ambiances”. She enjoys working with pastel for its purity and intense colors and, with watercolor, for its lightness. Even if her figurative style seems to be in contradiction with contemporary abstract painting, this artistic style reflects who she is. She strongly feels that she owes it to herself and to the public to be faithful to her authenticity.

The sensations that paintings create fascinate Nicole. She is amazed by the light that illuminates people’s heart as well as by the hope and love they bring to their soul. Painting is also a wonderful way of escaping. It is a therapy essential to her everyday life. She agrees with the saying “if art doesn’t cure, art is a therapy that contributes to a better life”.