Join Scott Dominic Carpenter in a conversation moderated by Marcia DeSanctis as he takes us through “expériences à Paris!” Carpenter pulls back the curtain on everyday life in Paris with his book, French Like Moi: A Midwesterner in Paris.

When Scott Carpenter moves from Minnesota to Paris, little does he suspect the dramas that will unfold: scheming neighbors, police denunciations, surly demonstrators, cooking disasters, medical mishaps—not to mention all those lectures about cheese! Nothing in the City of Light can be taken for granted, where even trips to the grocery store lead to adventure.

In the company of a cast of recurring characters, he leads us through the labyrinth of the Parisian every day, one hilarious faux pas after another. Everything is grist for his mill: neighbors who plot to murder one another, hiccups in transportation, bizarre store policies, operatic dramas in the condo association, healthcare à la française, underground tunnels, and even terrorism.

Through it all, Carpenter keeps his eye on the central mystery of what makes the French French (and Midwesterners Midwestern).

Minnesota-born and Midwest-bred, Scott is the author of Theory of Remainders: A Novel (named to Kirkus Reviews’ “Best Books of 2013”) and of This Jealous Earth: Stories. Winner of a Mark Twain House Royal Nonesuch Prize for humor (2018), recipient of a Minnesota State Arts Board grant, and a semi-finalist for the Many Voices Project Prize, he has published work in a wide variety of venues, including The Rumpus, Silk Road, Catapult, South Dakota Review, and various anthologies.

When not tearing his hair out over life in France, Carpenter teaches French literature and creative writing at Carleton College (MN). His website is sdcarpenter.com.

Marcia is a former television news producer who worked for Barbara Walters and Peter Jennings at ABC News, and at CBS News 60 Minutes and NBC News. She is the New York Times bestselling author of 100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go and contributes to Vogue, Town & Country, Departures, Travel & Leisure, and many other publications. She is the recipient of five Lowell Thomas Awards for excellence in travel journalism. She lived and worked for several years in Paris and travels as much as possible to France.

Told in a series of stylish, original essays, 100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go offers insight and advice for both the serious Francophile and the woman dreaming of a trip to Paris. Award-winning author Marcia DeSanctis draws on years of traveling and living in France to reveal the vineyards, cooking classes, architectural treasures, and contemplative hikes from Biarritz to Normandy, Marseille to the French Alps. Along the way, she tells the stories of fascinating women who have changed the destiny of France.

These 100 essays capture art, culture, food, history, and style with jaunts through Paris, and along the country’s three coastlines and many rivers. They include attractions such as the Chateau de Versailles and the 12 essential things to see at the Musee d’Orsay, but lesser-known places as well. Wander around the Art Nouveau city of Nancy, ride a white horse in the Camargue, try thalassotherapy in St. Malo, or visit the Champagne house of Veuve Clicquot, built into an empire by a 27-year-old widow. From sexy to literary, from spiritual to simply gorgeous, “100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go” is for the smart and curious traveler who wants to see France, her way.

French Like Moi: Scott Dominic Carpenter in Conversation with Marcia DeSanctis