Led by Gary Lee Kraut, editor of The Paris Vignette, our workshops attract budding and experienced writers from around the world who wish to share and improve their writing. Though we often work through the art form of the vignette, some workshop participants use the vignette as the launching pad for other forms of fiction and non fiction: short stories, novels, memoir.
Particularly interested in short-form writing with a strong sense of place, Gary created the Paris Vignettes Writing Workshop in 2014 with the goal of helping Paris-based writers develop fiction and nonfiction that didn’t rely on clichés for effect—a pitfall for many newcomers to Paris. It turned out that most of the workshop participants already knew better. In fact, most were long-term residents of Paris who also enjoyed writing about wherever they hailed.
The Paris Vignettes Workshop quickly evolved into a venue for practicing and developing the craft of writing vignettes of all kinds, without necessarily taking place in or having a relationship with Paris.
Whether gathering in Paris or via Zoom, the workshop has over the years welcomed writers hailing from Ireland, England, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Israel, as well as native French who enjoy writing in English. We have held public readings to present some of the best work to emerge from the workshop.
There are currently two Paris Vignette Writing Workshop opportunities:
1. A Monday afternoon workshop in Paris, 2:00-4:00PM. Writers needn’t live in Paris since the workshop is always held via Zoom. Nevertheless, we occasionally meet in person, but even then we maintain the Zoom connection for those unable to attend. This workshop is held year-round with occasional breaks, more or less following an academic schedule. Participants pay 20€ per attended session. There is no obligation to attend every week, however a certain regularity is expected. If you’re a regular attendee, we ask that you give at least 24-hour notice if you are unable to attend. Irregular attendees are expected to let us know several days in advance if they plan to attend. Maximum 7 participants.
2. Spring, fall and winter workshops, with 6 workshops for each season. These are held solely on Zoom as these workshops are especially intended for writers in North America though open to all. We meet two weeks on, one week off, so six workshops over eight weeks. The upcoming spring 2024 session will begin on April 8 and will be held 4:00-6:00PM East Coast Time (10PM-Midnight Paris time). The focus will be memoir vignettes as participants write about “moments that matter.” The fee is 160€ for the full course. Maximum 6 participants.
Additionally, we hold annual or bi-annual public readings to present some of the best work to emerge from the workshops of the past 12 or 6 months, along with the work of guest writers.
Participation in 5 workshops in a given year confer membership to the Paris Vignette Writers Collective for the year following the fifth participation and thus the right to submit vignettes for publication on this site. Participation and membership do not, however, guarantee publication.
If interested in joining one these workshops or in arranging one-on-one workshop sessions with Gary (via Zoom or in person), send information about yourself and your writing (or your writing projects or aspirations) to him at editor@theparisvignette.com.