16.44 - A Glass, a Poem & Nobody Rushing You
Tomas k - Senior News Editor 
Today at a Glance: Your FREE weekly newsletter
Bonjour mes ami(e)s !
It’s wonderful to have you back here with me today. Bienvenue !
In this newsletter, you’ll find these wonderful, fresh articles taking you to France beyond the cliché.
And coming later today for PAID subscribers: 16.44.a — It’s not too late to upgrade & to be sure you receive it ←
À bientôt !
Warmly,
Judy
7.11.2026
1. MyFrenchLife™ Magazine new articles
“There are many talented contributors to MyFrenchLife Magazine and I thank all of you for sharing your experiences with us in such an engaging manner.
You take us right across France & deep into many wormholes. We delight in discovering
and learning more about France beyond the cliché”
Merci
Judy
Our list of valued Contributors →
A reminder that ‘The Writers Room’ now resides here →
a) Lalande-de-Pomerol is Not Pomerol’s Ugly Stepchild
by Eveline Chartier
So, it’s Saturday late afternoon, and we zip into the grocery store to get a few things for dinner. I let Eric decide. Of course, red meat.”
Okay, what goes with red meat? ?”
I’m thinking Bordeaux!”
Open the wine fridge. Oh, here is that non-Pomerol-Pomerol that we never opened a few weekends ago due to our family’s delayed flights.”
Yeah, this is perfect.”
Pour the wine into the decanter as I prepare a quick appie. The wine is now in our glasses – we are impressed. The wine barely had a chance to collect its thoughts and is immediately showing notes of leather and dark fruit. Yum!”
“What was the relative price on this one, Eveline?” Hubby asks.”
“Actually, rather reasonable for Bordeaux if I remember. It’s a 2022 so that always helps…” I reply.”
“Why’s that?”
“The older the wine, the longer someone has had to store it. That costs someone money in real estate and logistics. That cost is passed on to you, the consumer.” I respond…”
b) The Little French Poem Book that Changed Everything
by Laura L Barkat
(le petit livre de poèmes français qui a tout changé)...
Why this Little French Poem Book Changes Everything
With any large project, one of the main blocks is a lack of closure along the way. The project is too deep, too wide, and you can’t get a sense of having really accomplished anything in full.
With French, it’s especially frustrating. So, you translated two lines of a 40-line poem. Well, you still don’t know what the poem is doing. And unless those two lines are especially fulfilling, a sense of frustration that comes with incompleteness sets in. When this happens over and over again, because your command of the language doesn’t go far enough, you get tired. Being tired, of course you want rest. Resting, of course it can be hard to reawaken to the larger endeavor.
Here is where the words of Rumi, translated into French from Farsi, lend unexpected sweetness and a sense of completion to your French learning.
Each poem is no more than six lines…”
c) Straddling two cultures
by Rachel Shenk
The light is just starting to fade as we arrive at our favorite apéro* spot in Paris. We greet the waiters who recognize us and guide us to the corner of the enclosed outdoor seating. There’s a certain ritual in this nightly event. It involves a tight choreography: being acknowledged, finding our seats, giving our order, then receiving coasters. Next, come the drinks and the little bowl of snacks along with two small water glasses and a water carafe. From that point on, the waiter leaves us alone. We will never be asked to move on. We will not receive the bill until we ask for it. We can stay here as long as we like.”
At tables all around us, friends talk and connect, and I soak in the French language as dusk falls and night takes over. Soon…:” writes Rachel.
INVITATION & RSVP:
2. The MyFrenchLife™ French BookClub DISCUSSION EVENT: 7 & 8 NOVEMBER 2026
Dont forget! Find your access link.
Check the time to join us wherever you are.
RSVPs close 24 hours before the event. Access links will not be sent after that time. The link is essential for you to join the event. I won’t be able to respond to your emails after that, as I’ll either be sleeping! or running the event. Merci
HERE you’ll find the invitation and RSVP form→ This event is across many time zones - check the time for your location←
Judy
3. Merci mille fois
“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’, the newsletter of MyFrenchLife™ Magazine.”
Judy MacMahon
Merci mille fois d’être ici, mes ami(e)s. Thanks for being here.
Thank you to Eveline Chartier, Laura L Barkat and Rachel Shenk for this week’s pieces. Eveline opened a Bordeaux on a Saturday evening, Laura found a little French poem book that gives the language a sense of completion, and Rachel took us to an apéro where nobody asks you to move on.
Three evenings, three small rituals.
So here is my question for you. What small ritual slows down your evening, if anything?
If you’re joining us for the BookClub this weekend, I’m looking forward to a lively chat. Find your access link and set a reminder.
I wonder where our Contributors will take us next week in FRANCE AS IT HAPPENS?
À bientôt !
Judy
judy@myfrenchlife.org
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