AAWE News Team

AAWE News team – group of AAWE members who manage and provide content/photos for all articles/news in the quarterly printed AAWE News member publication. The publication is mailed to members and is available in a PDF version on the AAWE Member website.

AAWE News is our members clubhouse in their mailbox!

AAWE News is AAWE’s quarterly print magazine for members. 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
• Involve as many members as possible
• Serve as a platform for creative expression

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?!”

Afternoon Film Group

Afternoon Film Group

A group of film loving AAWE members go regularly to watch a movie together, then have a discussion session post-film. Every month the leaders choose a recent film playing in one of the Montparnasse theaters.. Type of films: “art et essai.’  We attend together an early afternoon showing and afterwards we analyze and discuss the film in a café.
Write-ups about the films are published in our quarterly printed AAWE News publication that is mailed to all AAWE members.

American Holiday Celebrations

Easter Egg Hunt – Easter fun with the annual AAWE Easter egg hunt! In addition, a bake sale, Mini photo 📷  shoot, and face-painting with proceeds going to the AAWE Children’s fund!

Stars & Stripes Party – AAWE members gather together to celebrate America’s Independence Day!

July 4th Picnic – members and families get together for a traditional 4th of July picnic!

Halloween Party – Members bring their kids to get their pumpkin decorated!  Witchy fingers get busy at the Crafty Monster tables, Test your luck against Ghost & Goblin games. And don’t forget to wear your favorite Halloween outfit for the Costume Parade. One fun afternoon, and a great time to create memories for our littlest Franco-Americans!

Thanksgiving Lunch – members get together at Joe Allen, the oldest American restaurant in Paris to enjoy a traditional American Thanksgiving meal.

Holiday Party = Members and their families gather for food, fun, festivities and even a Silly Sweater party all in celebration of the holiday season!

AAWE hosts various bazaars and retro sales throughout the year.

BBX (Baby Boomer Generation)
(BB = Baby Boomers and X = Gen X)
A sub-group within AAWE for members between 45-65 years old from the Baby Boom and Gen X. We meet up via Zoom to converse on issues, chat about our lives and give support and advice and create friendship

Booknik’s 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 des Associations in the 16th arrondissement (pre-Covid) and are now via Zoom. We would be delighted to welcome new AAWE members!

Weekly Bridge Groups

1. Tuesday morning for beginners or people who haven’t played in a long time and want to review.
2. Thursday afternoon for the more advanced group.

In both groups we have a review or lesson first and then play hands. There are approximately 3 tables in each group but as our members travel a lot, we are rarely all there at the same time. We have a Pot Luck Lunch in the Fall and Spring since there is never enough time to finish our conversations during the lessons! We are a very friendly crew and all are allowed to make as many mistakes as they like!

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 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!

AAWE Garden Party painting by member Catherine Jullian.

Garden Parties – members meet in each others gardens and share conversation over lunch.

Handicrafters

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

We each work on a project that the group has deemed suitable for AAWE sales/fundraising.
Check out our Handicrafter’s Online Store!

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.

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”
All AAWE members and potential members are cordially invited to this virtual and relaxed meet-up which takes place monthly.

Sport and Exercise

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

Keep Moving Yoga Group
A member offers this class at a preferential price for AAWE members who wish to remain limber at any age. Offered in person in a Paris park and on Zoom. Wonderful morning class as it stretches you out and prepares you physically and mentally for the day ahead.

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.

Golf Lessons at the Golf de St Nom la Breteche.

Dance and Pilates classes offered as well!

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 discover a 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.