Adults
Books & Literature
French Culture
French History
The Plateau: An online conversation with author Maggie Paxson
Thursday 17th April 2025 — 6:00pm to 8:00pm
ABOUT THE EVENT: THIS EVENT WILL BE IN ENGLISH AND ONLINE
Join us for an exciting event with Maggie Paxson, a writer, anthropologist, and performer, as she presents her critically acclaimed book The Plateau (Riverhead, 2019), which was also published in French as On ne voit bien qu’avec le coeur (Payot-Rivages, 2022).
Maggie Paxson delves into the history of a remote plateau in southern France, blending her personal journey with the region’s rich past and significance during World War II and the French Resistance. Through vivid storytelling and reflection, Paxson explores how the land holds the weight of memory, survival, and loss, while also offering a space for connection and growth as she uncovers the enduring relationship between people and place through an anthropological lens. This remarkable work received the 2020 American Library in Paris Book Award for its "moral urgency," its ability to connect France's past with its present, and its genre-defying structure. The Plateau was named a Best Book of 2019 by BookPage and an Editors' Pick by Amazon, with Oprah Magazine calling it "radiant" and The Washington Post praising it as "a loving combination of personal memoir, historical investigation, and philosophical meditation." Paxson will take us on a journey through her work, inspirations, and background during her presentation, with opportunities for questions to follow. Her book will be available for purchase through our partners at Bonjour Books.
A Zoom link will be sent to you via email one week before the event, then a reminder 24 hours before the event and finally one hour before the event.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Fluent in Russian and French, Maggie has worked in rural communities across northern Russia, the Caucasus, and upland France. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Montreal and performs as a singer with the Imperial Palms Orchestra, one of the East Coast’s leading big bands. She now joins us as a resident of Washington, DC. This event will be in English and will take place online.