Villa Albertine

10/20/2026

Congratulations to Sylvie Kandé, who has been been named the 2026 French Press laureate 🌟

The author of three poetry collections published by Editions Gallimard, including La quête infinie de l’autre rive (winner of the Lucienne Gracia-Vincent Prize) and Gestuaire (winner of the Louise Labé Prize), Sylvie Kandé explores themes of memory, history, displacement, and otherness across literary genres.

As part of this distinction, she will participate in the Jules Verne Creative Writing Residency in the Midwest, organized with the support of Villa Albertine Chicago (Consulate General of France in Chicago) and five partner institutions: The Ohio State University, Washington University in St. Louis, Indiana University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and The University of Kansas.

The 2026 jury was composed of Eric Bourland (Villa Albertine Chicago), Lionel Cuillé (Washington University in St. Louis), 📚 Benjamin Hoffmann (Ohio State University), Van Kelly (University of Kansas), Dan Maroun and Aurore Mroz (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), and Oana Panaite (Indiana University).

During her residency, Kandé will develop a meta-novel exploring representations of slavery and abolitionism in the US, bringing Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin into dialogue with Josiah Henson’s autobiographical account, taking her through the landscapes and archives of the Midwest.

The jury also awarded a special mention to Laurence Plazenet, who joins the residency. A professor of 17th-century French literature at Université Clermont Auvergne, Plazenet is the author of several novels, including L’amour seul (translated into 17 languages), La Blessure et la soif, and Disproportion de l’homme. She will continue working on Styx ou la séparation du monde, a novel set between Paris and the US exploring memory, loss, and the bond between siblings.

Congratulations once again to Sylvie Kandé and Laurence Plazenet.

10/20/2026

Join us on October 27 as award-winning French author Alain Damasio launches the English translation of his sci-fi masterwork in New York 📖

Next Tuesday, at Villa Albertine, Damasio will discuss “Horde of the Counterwind," dubbed France’s defining 21st-century sci-fi masterpiece, with Emily Hockaday, editor of Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine.

Voted the best book of the century by readers of SensCritique, the story follows twenty-three adventurers battling endlessly against Seven Winds across a desolate land to discover their mysterious origin, an epic journey of survival, rhythm, and resistance commonly compared to "Dune."

Learn more and register: https://www.albertine.com/events/an-evening-with-alain-damasio-and-emily-hockaday/

Photo Credit:
Alain Damasio – Cyrille Choupas

10/15/2026

Empowering the next generation of transatlantic leaders 🇫🇷🇺🇸�

The Lafayette Fellowship, launched last year by Villa Albertine, the Embassy of France in the United States, FranceScience, and the Albertine Foundation, funds up to 30 American students every year for one year of master’s study in France.

Featuring access to world-class academic institutions, and a robust leadership development program, the program enables future changemakers to make a global impact.�

Applications are open now to join the class of 2027–2028. Apply by December 1, 2026: https://lnkd.in/gDtyM83z

🎥 AGENCE 1827

10/13/2026

[NEW YORK] Explore the landscape of bilingual education in NYC! 🎒

Join us at Villa Albertine’s headquarters for the 12th edition of the Bilingual Education Fair! Featuring representatives from 20+ exhibitors, including public and private bilingual schools, after-school programs, and scholarship providers, the fair offers a complete view of local opportunities. Attendees can join four unique panels led by experts, ask questions, and explore bilingual French-English education all in one place.

Organized by French Morning since 2014 in partnership with Villa Albertine, the fair will serve as a forum to compare programs, ask questions, and connect face-to-face with educators.

The fair will take place Saturday, November 7, from 10 AM to 3 PM.

Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/salon-de-leducation-bilingue-a-new-york-bilingual-education-fair-in-nyc-tickets-2002062498828?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

10/09/2026

Up next in our Albertine Conversations series: "City Living: Reimagining Urban Ecology in a Changing World"

Join us at Columbia Maison Française on October 15 at 6:00 pm for “City Living: Reimagining Urban Ecology in a Changing World,” a conversation featuring Éric Daniel-Lacombe, Aminata Niakaté, Kate Orff, and Thaddeus Pawlowski, moderated by John Surico.

Together, they will explore how to integrate ecological considerations into urban planning, preserve urban biodiversity, and transform built environments to address the climate crisis and foster resilient cities.

This discussion is part of Albertine Conversations, our series uniting French and American academics, policy experts, scientists, and community advocates across campuses in the USA to explore pressing questions in democracy, ecology, and emerging technologies.

Learn more and register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/city-living-reimagining-urban-ecology-in-a-changing-world-tickets-2000622819709?aff=oddtdtcreator

Albertine Conversations is created by Villa Albertine in partnership with universities and cultural institutions across the US. The program is made possible through the generous support of the Judy and Peter Blum Kovler Foundation and the Andrew Carnegie Foundation.

🎨 Des Signes

09/25/2026

Films on the Green is heading to Portland!

Films on the Green is our annual free outdoor French Film Festival. This year’s season continues across the country with a screening of Persepolis in Portland, Oregon! Swipe to see details for the Portland event.

Learn more: https://villa-albertine.org/va/events/films-on-the-green-2026-returns-with-a-celebration-of-america-250/

Films on the Green is made possible thanks to the generous support of our official sponsors Albertine Foundation , JCDecaux, TV5MONDE USA, and our local partner: Mother Foucault's Bookshop.

09/16/2026

Are your students interested in the Lafayette Fellowship? Join our upcoming webinar on Tuesday, September 22 at 2pm!

As we welcome our first cohort of Lafayette Fellows to France and open applications for the 2027–2028 cycle, Villa Albertine invites campus administrators, faculty, and fellowship advisors to an informational session for the upcoming application cycle.

During this session, Executive Director Florence Botello and the Lafayette Fellowship team will share key updates for the new cycle, walk through eligibility and application guidelines, and answer your questions on how to best support prospective candidates.

🔗 Learn more and register: c9598757-96cb-4405-aa70-0ec250e5b993@2d6ab33a-15c0-4d1e-b036-3b23ceb26830?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/c9598757-96cb-4405-aa70-0ec250e5b993@2d6ab33a-15c0-4d1e-b036-3b23ceb26830?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog

The Lafayette Fellowship provides high-achieving U.S. scholars with full funding for one year of master’s-level study at premier French institutions, complemented by professional mentorship and immersion through the French-American Leadership Program. It is a program of Villa Albertine, the Embassy of France in the United States, Albertine Foundation, and France Science.

Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

09/15/2026

As part of Literary Fall, join us for "Romantasy Across the Atlantic: A Conversation on the Worldwide Romantasy Boom" with Kate Dramis, Quentin Monstier, and Katy Waldman.

Kate Dramis (bestselling author of The Curse of Saints), Quentin Monstier (editor at EDITIONS J'AI LU and Dramis’s French editor), and Katy Waldman (staff writer at The New Yorker) discuss the global rise of romantasy and how the genre travels across languages and publishing markets.

RSVP: https://villa-albertine.org/va/events/literary-fall-returns-to-villa-albertine-this-september/

📸 ©Philippe Matsas - Flammarion

09/15/2026

Films on the Green is heading to Marfa!

Films on the Green is our annual free outdoor French Film Festival. This year’s season continues across the country with four screenings in Marfa, Texas! Swipe to see the Marfa lineup.

Learn more: https://villa-albertine.org/va/events/films-on-the-green-2026-marfa/

Films on the Green is made possible thanks to the generous support of our official sponsors Albertine Foundation, JCDecaux, TV5MONDE USA , and our local partners MAINTENANT Marfa

09/10/2026

Films on the Green is heading to Houston! 🎬

Films on the Green is our annual free outdoor French Film Festival. This year’s season continues across the country with four screenings in Houston. Swipe to see the Houston lineup.

Learn more: https://villa-albertine.org/va/events/films-on-the-green-2026-houston/

Films on the Green is made possible thanks to the generous support of our official sponsors Albertine Foundation, JCDecaux & JCDecaux North America, Inc., TV5MONDE, and our local partners Houston Public Library, POST Houston, Alliance Française de Houston, and Rienzi, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston house museum for European decorative arts.