If you signed up to our week-long writing retreat in beautiful Paris (October 17-23) you're in for an extraordinary treat - a special literary salon complete with lunch, wine and refreshing pastis in a classic French apartment right next door to the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of the city.
If you haven't signed up yet, don't worry, there's still time, but hurry. Deliberating limiting participation to ten persons for a more bespoke experience, we've now just a few places left: Paris Writing Retreat.
Among other surprises, including special writing workshops in restaurants that such legendary novelists as James Joyce, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway frequented often, theres' an exclusive guided tour of one of the most intriguing literary streets in Paris that runs parallel to the River Seine and where well-known writers and philosophers such as Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre and others lived.
The exciting literary salon and exclusive walking tour is made possible by Mary Duncan, a leading light within writing circles in the City of Light.
Mary was a close friend of the legendary George Whitman, founder of famous bohemian Parisian bookstore, Shakespeare and Company (see photo above of Mary with writing tutor and journalist, Sean. Hillen outside the bookstore), before she herself opened a similar bookstore in Moscow, a project she described as “a true labor of love.”
A former professor at San Diego State University, Mary has spent many years in Paris and not only launched the highly-respected ‘Paris Writers Group’ but also her own publishing company. Books she has published include ‘Sade’s Publisher,’ about Jean-Jacques Pauvert who released the complete works of the Marquis de Sade; ‘Writers in Paris: Literary Lives in the City of Light’ by David Burke which explores the pathways of Paris frequented by the world’s most notable writers; and ‘Erotic Art of the Masters: The 18th Century’ by Bradley Smith.
Mary has also written her own captivating memoir, teasingly entitled, ‘Henry Miller Is Under My Bed.’ Just as exciting is the fact that another well-researched, soon-to-be-released book by Mary, focuses on the intriguingly rich literary history of the mystery street mentioned above, whose location will be unveiled at our October writing retreat.
So fascinated by this particular street and the writers who lived there, Mary - after waiting years for a suitable property to be become available - obtained an apartment there just several months ago, which stands in the shadow of the famed Notre Dame. And she has agreed to host our special lunch and literary salon there.
You’ll be able to admire the magnificent flying buttresses, Gothic towers and expressive gargoyles of the 12th century cathedral, which was damaged by fire recently. Tens of millions of euro was raised to resurrect the edifice located on the Ile de la Cite, an island in the River Seine, and participants can watch the ongoing renovation activities.
You will also delight in hearing Mary’s delightful stories of her adventures through her long and colorful life including her frequent sojourns at the Playboy Mansion near Beverley Hills with Hugh Hefner, Max Lerner and a host of other visitors including actors Tony Curtis, Jack Nicholson, James Caan and Warren Beatty; intriguing tales involving the FBI and the CIA; as well as marrying her husband in the dead of night in a chapel in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
As the popular movie title indicates, ‘There’s Something About Mary.’