2020 in Review
We survived. Most humans are looking back at the bent signposts, shattered windows, and squashed dreams of 2020 with relief that the infamous year has finally ended. To contrast, here at PLU, we review the year with satisfaction: against all odds, our garden was lush, and blooming with roses. This post is a retrospective on our accomplishments during this challenging time.
The L’Air Arts Residency “The Roaring Twenties” January 2020
Recruited by the indomitable Mila Filatova, PLU was delighted to provide the literary component of an international, multi-disciplinary Artistic Residency. Ed Bell’s walking tour, and workshops by Helen Cusack O'Keeffe, Malik Crumpler, and Matt Jones supplemented a programme of galas, dancing, and strolling through historic Paris. To our everlasting delight, the friendships endure.
Helen, in her element, hosts a writing workshop for l’Air Arts Residency. (No masks! OMG!)
Erasmus Outreach Project, March 2020
Keen to build our local Parisian community, we collaborated with teachers at an inner-city High School as part of an Erasmus grant. Orchestrated by Bruno Francesci Gouiran, and aided by poetry ambassadors Sari Arent and Jon Brown, we brought art and delight to students through writing prompts and poetry practice.
Matt Jones speaks to a class of Lycéens, hoping that some of the inspiration might ‘stick’.
PLU Presents, April-June 2020 (and now!)
Faced with the pandemic and the temporary closure of Culture Rapide, we sought a new stomping ground: cyberspace. PLU Presents was born, a weekly series where international artists recorded pieces that we composed into one video. The series culminated with a retelling of The Aeneid by 12 different artists. In fact, by popular demand, the series has returned; if you’d like to participate, send your video submission, three to four minutes in length, preferably shot in landscape, to either leah@parislitup.com or blake@parislitup.com.
PLU E-Zine, April 26
A special confinement boon inspired by traditional poetry chapbooks: the PLU E-zine features work from contributors all over the world. Tight, tidy, tiny: consume it in a sitting or chew it slowly. What say you - should we make more?
DIVE IN! Charity fundraiser, May 10
In collaboration with Rhys Ashton-Tucker, PLU hosted DIVE IN!, a night of online performances to raise money for the Marine Conservation Society and our wee friends the baby turtles. Salty stories of the sea abounded in an evening of poetry and prose that honoured our fishy friends. Still, the oceans are threatened. Support the Marine Conservation Society.
PLU Wordtrip Europe, June 1-8
Anxious for some normalcy, PLU organized a virtual Wordtrip instead of our annual PLU Tour. In collaboration with Cable Writes, we released a video a day over 8 days featuring artists from all around Europe, ultimately representing 95% of all European countries. The project was thrilling, an international feast in many languages, and we found friends in far corners. Massive thanks to all who participated! Find the videos here!
PLU8 Magazine & e-launch, Oct 31
We published the 8th edition of our annual PLU magazine on October 31. This handsome mag explodes with stories, poems, interviews, artwork, and photography, a curated chaos we are honoured to publish.
We weren’t able to celebrate the PLU8 launch in person, but we did organise a packed evening online: interviews; live readings from the magazine; pre-recorded performances; philosophy discussions; pumpkin carving and gaming into the wee hours. You can find the interviews on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/ParisLitUp/videos/.
You can purchase a digital copy of the magazine, and previous editions, at www.parislitup.com/plustore. Submissions for PLU9 will be open in Spring 2021.
PLU Open Mic Night
The beating heart of PLU: Join us every Thursday online to share and discuss literature, music and more. If you’d like to participate, send us a message via social media or email at info@parislitup.com. Or simply join the event from 9pm CET. The link stays the same, the host changes. www.tiny.cc/PLUopenmic.
A Thursday night, at the beginning of the second confinement.
PLU Writing Workshop (ongoing)
The monthly Writing Workshop persisted throughout 2020, consistently attracting turbo-talents, both among the writers keen for community, and the feature speakers who shared insights on the craft. Held on the first Sunday of the month at 18h Paris time, the workshop has been bolstered by transcendentally gifted Gracie Bialecki, who joins Matt Jones stirring the creative cauldron.
Gracie Bialecki, with Matt Jones, animates the PLU Writing Workshop.
PLU Philosophy Club
We added a weekly event to the PLU lineup: the PLU philosophy club. Led by the mastermind Blake Denham, each Monday via Zoom we contemplate questions of existence using texts from different philosophers such as Soren Kierkegaard, Simone de Beauvoir, and Gabriel Marcel. The club aims to clear away the esoteric facade that often keeps philosophy outside of accessibility and to expose its practical aspects. If you are interested in joining, send an email to Blake at blake@parislitup.com so that he can add you to the mailing list and share materials with you. Check out the Facebook event for more information.
PLU Blog
Glorious, isn’t it? The last year has seen our blog dreams come to life, with artists contributing interviews and reflections. We’ve pointed our spotlight at civil rights activists, an organization that champions forgotten women writers, and an autistic scholar; each insists on their shared humanity. More, we’ve featured dozens of incredible artists and created a living, growing archive of our events. Do you have a profound idea? Access to a community or artist who needs a signal boost? Hankering for collaboration? Email us at info@parislitup.com to make it happen.
Jon Brown’s ‘Metaphysics of Autism’ was our most popular post this year. Thank you and congratulations, Jon! Check out more of Jon’s work here.
Truly it has been an astoundingly productive year for Paris Lit Up, thanks to the tireless work and creativity of many volunteers, and the blood and tears of a few. We’ve built beautiful art and boosted the voices of marginalized people. We’ve helped emerging artists build skills and grow their CVs. And we’ve given thousands of people stuck in lockdown a second home.
Please consider buying a book, donating or at least hitting the can. Your support allows the awesomeness to continue.
The PLU team reunited after the first confinement, getting PLU7 ready to be sent out over biscuits, coffee, and conversation.