The first installment in our “Great French Icons of the 20th Century” Series Most now see Henri Matisse as one of the people who essentially […]
The French Culture Podcast: Season 1, Episode 2 – The Radically Colorful World of Henri Matisse
French History
The French Culture Podcast: Season 1, Episode 3 – Edith Piaf, Part 1
The second installment in our “Great French Icons of the 20th Century” Series More than a mere diva, Edith Piaf was something of a force […]
The French Culture Podcast: Season 1, Episode 4 – Edith Piaf, Part 2
The third installment in our “Great French Icons of the 20th Century” Series In this episode, Part II of our look at France’s most-beloved diva, […]
The French Culture Podcast: Season 1, Episode 5 – Josephine Baker
The fourth installment in our “Great French Icons of the 20th Century” Series Josephine Baker is best known as the African-American performer and dancer who […]
Voices From Drancy: Interviews With Two Holocaust Survivors Detained in French Camp
EDITOR’S NOTE: This feature was originally published on Medium in 2020, and the interviews with survivors were also conducted that year. I have decided to […]
A Brief History of the French Baguette: Separating Facts From Myths
In 2022, UNESCO recognized the French baguette as a prized item of “intangible cultural heritage“. The global organization lauded the “artisanal know-how and culture of […]
Interview With Kerri Maher, Author of “The Paris Bookseller”
As someone who’s long been interested in writing a historical novel rooted in literary history, I was intrigued to happen upon a recent book centered […]
A Short History of French and Dijon Mustard
From aristocratic extravagance to everyday condiment In 2022, French mustard shortages made the popular condiment scarce on supermarket shelves around the world, owing in part […]
Why is June 18, 1940 an Important Date in French History?
In France, June 18th is recognized every year as a solemn and important date in the nation’s history. But what makes the day such an […]
The Strasbourg Dancing Plague of 1518: Myth or Reality?
Of all the plagues that hit Europe during the Middle Ages, the epidemic known as the “Dancing plague” of Strasbourg is certainly the strangest and […]
The French Revolutionary Calendar: An Odd Relic From the 1790s
One thing we take for granted, especially in the industrial era, is the keeping of time– and a stable, standardized way to measure its passage. […]
