Paris Is the Next Inspiration for This Young Writer
December 4, 2018
By Patricia Tennison
This is my favorite newsletter of the year, the one where I introduce this year’s scholarship winner, the student who next summer will join us to write in Paris cafes and explore the historic streets of the Marais.
As you can see in the photo, this year it is a young man, Kristopher “Cody” Cox, 36, of Chicago, who wowed the judges with his fantasy sci-fi work. He boldly—and correctly—identifies himself as a writer:
“I am a writer constantly searching for inspiration and I can’t imagine too many experiences that would be more inspiring than being surrounded by writers in one of the most highly regarded cities in the world.
“I have never been abroad but I have always longed to experience other cultures in the hopes that it would enrich my writing (and life) in ways that I can’t even imagine.”
Spoiler alert: I am going to ask you to contribute to the scholarship fund. You all have been so wonderful in the past that we had enough to cover a couple years. Now we need to start again.
To make your tax-deductible donation, please click here: DONATE.
The idea for the scholarship started in Chicago, where I have been teaching for 18 years at National Louis University in its Master’s in Written Communication program. The classes are at night, so my students often arrive after work. (In addition to his studies, Cody has two jobs: data entry by day, bartending by night.)
Some are teachers, social workers, auto mechanics, military men, grandmothers. For many, they were the first in their family to get a college degree.
While teaching my Chicago students, I often wondered what else I could do to help them move forward with their writing lives. At the same time, I created Paris Café Writing—a week to write and take in Paris—after which many participants told me the experience was “life changing.”
Voilà!
Paris Café Writing and National Louis University, Chicago, teamed to sponsor a scholarship for an NLU graduate writing student to attend one of the spring or summer Paris Café Writing seminars.
It’s a full scholarship: the flights, the hotel, the tuition. It’s worth $4,000, and if I can nab a good price on the airfare, the student even has a little spending money in Paris.
I donate the first $1,450. This is the fee for a week of Paris Café Writing. It includes the group morning writing sessions plus breakfasts, a private writing review, seven lunches or dinners, a walking tour, a jazz concert, and a few surprises.
Donations through the university to the Paris Café Writing Scholarship fund are tax deductible. Any contribution will help. Here are some ideas of what your donation could help buy:
$1,200:
round-trip flight, Chicago to Paris
$150:
one night in a hotel and a nice dinner
a first-time U.S. passport and a pair of good walking shoes
$100:
a two-day museum pass, a scarf, and a cafe au lait every day
two taxis, to/from Charles de Gaulle airport
carry-on luggage
$25:
entrance to the Louvre and a simple lunch
a bunch of Metro tickets and a T-shirt from rue Rivoli
a box of good chocolates
a book from Shakespeare and Company
* * *
If you missed it above, you can make your tax-deductible donation here: DONATE.
Thank you very much.
Patricia Tennison, director
* * *
The photos: Kristopher “Cody” Cox waits at National Louis University in Chicago for the surprise announcement and then accepts the 2019 scholarship to Paris Cafe writing.
* * *
To email or to unsubscribe: info@ParisCafeWriting.com
Copyright 2018 Paris Cafe Writing—All Rights Reserved