Acknowledgments

The first person I’d like to thank for sparking my interest in writing, even if at the time it was through the words of others, is a teacher. I’m not even sure I’m spelling his name correctly, and I don’t think I ever knew his first name. He was my French teacher at Jean Jaurès middle school in Brou-sur-Chantereine when I was a kid, and he introduced me to Zola. The book was The Ladies’ Paradise. You could say that style of writing really caught my eye. And yet, I haven’t read much Zola. But it definitely stirred something in me.

Mélanie worked at the Reims library. I met her on a tatami, back when I was practicing aikido. One day, she took me to a writing workshop held at the Chemin Vert library. Thanks to her, that year I started writing regularly.

She was the author leading the writing workshop at the Chemin Vert library. The theme that year was “houses on Earth.” I have to say, I found the topic a bit puzzling, but Gisèle had a real knack for motivating people. Thanks to her, there was always that small spark that made sure a piece of writing was born each evening I attended.

Katy ran my second writing workshop. If I stopped with Gisèle, it’s because in the meantime I had moved to Réunion Island. In 2005, I signed up for the university workshop. With Katy, I discovered playfulness and a different kind of creativity. I think what I enjoyed most was the “logo-rally,” a list of words you’re given and from which you have to build a story.

I’m sure she’ll wonder what she’s doing here, but in a way, what she achieved through painting made me reflect on what passions can bring in terms of channeling energy and personal satisfaction. I needed to find my own thing, and my thing has always been writing. But for some reason, I just never got started.

I discovered Luc Perrot through his Facebook page, which a friend had shared. I found stunning photographs there and even more on his website. So when I wanted to create my blog, I thought of him, and he kindly agreed to let me use one of his photos for my banner. On his Facebook page, I liked that he took the time to present his photos in both English and French. I’ll admit it, I copied that idea because I liked it so much. If I now have twice the work, it’s your fault, Luc 😉