AAWE News Team

The AAWE News team solicits written content, photos, and artwork from members to appear in AAWE’s quarterly print member magazine, AAWE News. The publication is mailed to members and also available in a PDF version on the AAWE Member website.

AAWE News is our members’ clubhouse in their mailbox!

AAWE News seeks to gather and reflect the dynamism of AAWE. Each issue involves the contribution of over 50 members, including the AAWE News staff, writers, photographers, and artists.

The Mission of AAWE News is to:

• Help members to know their Association, as well as to know their fellow members
• Explore the heart of bicultural life
• Stimulate involvement in our community
• Keep members up-to-date by covering events and initiatives
• Serve as a platform for creative expression for our members

In the words of our Editor, Jane Mobille: “AAWE News is a platform to share our talent…and insights, and projects, and experiences, and ideas. And it is on paper! Yes. With a shelf life, a distinct smell, and glossy pages to touch and turn. AAWE News is a feast for the eyes that doesn’t involve incessant blue back light, but rather the soft light of a dove grey Paris sky. And may I add that you can read it safely in the bathtub, and access it deep in a metro tunnel?!”

American Holiday Celebrations

July 4th Barbecue – members and families get together for a traditional 4th of July celebration!

Halloween Party – We recreate a traditional Halloween carnival with games, tricks, and treats for all ages! Take a tour through the Haunted House. Everyone is encouraged to dress up in their spookiest outfit for the Costume Parade!

Thanksgiving Dinner – neighborhood-wide event where different members gather together throughout the Île-de-France region and get to know each other. Our booklet with recipes, Native American history, and activities includes games for the hosts and guests.

Valentine’s Dance Party – Let’s spread the love and have a fun afternoon of dancing, arts and crafts, and goodies! All of our valentines are encouraged to come decked out in their best red, pink, and white attire for a fun celebration of love.

Easter Egg Hunt – Easter fun with the annual Easter Egg Hunt and other activities and games at the home of a member in the suburbs.

AAWE hosts various bazaars and retro sales throughout the year. www.aaweparis.org/bazaar

BBX
(BB = Baby Boomers and X = Gen X)

The BBX Sisterhood sub-group has existed for the last four years. Started by the current president, the objective was to create a playground for approx 45-65 year old members with similar interests. The name is a contraction of Baby-boomers and Gen-Xers. These days, members of all ages are welcome to join this sub-group of over 160 members and its lively WhatsApp chat group. We discuss everything, ask advice, console, comfort and cheer up, spread the love, share information – you name it, it’s been on the chat. It is a safe space of incredibly empathetic women who also meet up in person for drinks once a month.

The BBX Sisterhood occasionally organizes meet-ups to have drinks together in Paris. All members are invited to attend.

Bookniks Book Club

Book lovers, meet & enjoy great discussions about books of every genre chosen by the members.

The AAWE Bookniks have been meeting since 2002. Books for discussion are nominated by members and then chosen by vote twice a year. The person who nominates the book leads the discussion.

On several occasions, we have been privileged to welcome authors of our chosen books and notably, the renowned translators (Russian-English) of Russian classics – Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.

Our monthly meetings are on Tuesdays from 4:30pm to 6:15pm at the Maison de la Vie Associative in the 16th arrondissement, or online via Zoom. We are delighted to welcome new AAWE members!

Weekly Bridge Groups

1. Beginning bridge, free lessons on Saturdays from 11:00 to noon. Everyone welcome.
2. Join us for some informal bridge on Mondays at 2:15pm. We play hands and have a quick analysis afterwards. All welcome

We are a very friendly crew and all are allowed to make as many mistakes as they like! Meet at the home of a member, 75007 Paris.

Cultural Outings 

Recent destinations have included the Prelle silk showrooms, Cire Trudon, guided visits of the Banque de France, Boisson milliners, the flower makers at Maison Legeron, Le Grand Musée du Parfum, and a walking tour focusing on American writers on the Left Bank in the 1920s and ‘30s. AAWE members also visited the Theatre des Champs Elysees, were part of a vegetarian cooking class, a guided visit of the Serres d’Auteuil (along with lunch in a nearby restaurant) and a visit to the Lacloche Exhibit at the Ecole des Arts Joailliers.

“For the Love of Yarn” – Knitting/Crochet Group

This group is a friendly setting for those who would like to practice crochet or knitting with other more experienced people. There are no lessons per se, just chatting and congenial advice.

Members meet once a year in a member’s backyard to exchange plants. They also meet up virtually via Zoom to talk about gardening, share pictures or videos of their gardens or balconies, and just have fun. Photos are shared such as members favorite flower or bush or gardening tool. Members share all types of info about favorite plants, their current plant successes and/or disasters, new patios, biggest plant in their apartments or balcony and more! A very informal group which requires simply one person to set dates for meeting virtually or in-person.

AAWE Garden Party painting by member Catherine Jullian.

Garden Parties – depending on the availability of a big member garden or another venue such as a park, this May / June event may be more or less informal and is a lovely chance to meet other members and share conversation over a relaxed lunch.

Handicrafters This group does it all – Knitting, découpage, sewing, holiday decorations, jewelry, and table linens and even mask making! Our different talents and ideas are channeled into producing all the items sold — very successfully! — at various AAWE events.

Ladies’ Night Out Apéro

Monthly evening get together at various cafes around Paris to shoot the breeze over drinks and snacks. Open to members, friends and family.

Les Historiennes is a thematic multi-disciplinary series of activities around a period of French history each quarter.

Topics include, Louis XIV, La Belle Epoque, Les Trentes Glorieuses, l’Entre-deux-guerres and the Troisième République.

Each series is peer-guided; architecture/history walks, books to read and discuss in a home or café, and/or a film or play to see on one’s own or together. Some are during the day and some in the evening, with participants simply choosing which they’d like to attend.

When cultural events are announced in Paris–a new museum exhibition, a concert, or, a play from a certain era–the group can make plans to attend, depending on the safety of such an activity. Should in-person visits be inadvisable, the group can host in virtual format.

Learn more about our current series and register at Les Historiennes.

Montparnasse Film Group

The Montparnasse Film Group meets the second Tuesday of each month to watch a film chosen by leaders Dorcy Erlandson and Lois Grjebine. We meet in the early afternoon at one of the numerous Montparnasse cinemas. The films chosen are recently released, “Art et Essai” style, and include all nationalities. The viewing is followed by a group discussion over drinks in a nearby café.

Live Play Reading

AAWE’s Play Reading group holds “in-person” meetings, usually at a member’s home, where participants read out loud a play chosen by the organizer. Readers are accepted on a “first-come, first-served” basis and limited to 10 people. The organizer does the casting and sends out a PDF of the script ahead of the reading.

Professional Networking 

Our Professional Networking group is here to support you through your career challenges. It’s a great way to learn from each other, participate in open, unbiased conversations that help you focus on your priorities, receive insights and accountability not to mention maintain contact within the American community, and beyond.

Enjoy a network of international contacts in France!

AAWE maintains a Members Professional Directory accessible via the Member website.

The AAWE Community-wide Refugee Task Force was founded in 2016 in a spirit of generosity and a desire to enrich the lives of others while also enriching our own lives.

Today, the Task Force provides a forum for cross-organizational connections and information-sharing, allowing resources to be quickly identified to fill the evolving needs of those arriving from distant and often dangerous places to begin new lives in our community.

Participating Associations:
Association of American Women in Europe, Every Child is a Gem, Compassion Without Borders, Association Pierre Claver, American Library in Paris, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Paris, American Church in Paris, American Cathedral, and FAWCO.

We welcome connections from everyone, both individuals and representatives of associations.

Saturday Morning Coffee Meetups

We’ve set the second Saturday of every month for our social coffee habit. Start off your weekend with AAWE friends, tea, juice or a latte. We welcome members and potential members for a chatty, casual drop in. Little ones welcome.
AAWE members of all ages meet in person or on-line and create connections on Saturday mornings.

Seniors Group

Supporting senior members through organized lunches, telephone trees and being available to each other.

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Seniors keep in touch through an email ENews and meet for excursions, lunch, and discussions. We like to stay healthy with a ‘Keep Moving’ gentle workout session, and, of course, offer mutual support in the event of illness.

“See You at 6”
“See You at 6” Meetup is a cocktail evening organized every two months by Membership Mentoring committee. All AAWE members and potential members are cordially invited to this virtual and relaxed meet-up.

Sport and Exercise

Baseball in the Park
Summer activity for families with children to enjoy a favorite American sporting pastime.

La Rochambelle
5km women’s walk/run in aid of the fight against cancer organized near Caen.  Members carpool to Normandy to participate during a weekend in June.

La Parisienne - Run | Walk | Yoga
Event benefiting breast cancer research in the center of Paris.  AAWE runs as a team.

Welcoming Diversity Group

This group is invested in doing the work to better understand people different from themselves in order to be more welcoming, in their personal lives and to improve the diversity of AAWE.

The Welcoming Diversity group meets monthly in the evening, currently on Zoom. Their goal is to educate themselves on subjects relating to diversity and inclusion. Topics they will discuss include police brutality, race in art, the transgender experience, and many others.

Write Away

AAWE’s WriteAway group meets every other Friday morning for two fun-filled and thoughtful hours where we discover different writing styles & write!

Younger Wonders

This sub-group of AAWE facilitates connections and community amongst younger members under 50 (and for those you feel young at heart). We meet up in person and virtually to create friendship and network.