To our circle of French Story Listeners,
September has quietly arrived, and with it, la rentrée, that gentle, collective exhale of settling back into rhythm after summer’s looser days.
There’s something lovely about this time of year: notebooks are new, the light is shifting, and it feels like the perfect moment to come back to a habit you love, or to begin one for the first time.
Find your moment
So here’s an invitation, not a task: somewhere in your day, find five or ten minutes — with your coffee, on a walk, before bed — and press play.
Watch a video. Listen to a story. Settle into an audiobook or podcast.
Let French wash over you the way it’s meant to, without pressure, without forcing anything.
Every resource on our site is leveled, from Baby (total beginner) all the way to Senior (advanced).
Wherever you are in your journey, there’s something waiting that meets you exactly there.
You don’t need to “catch up” to anyone.
You just need to begin, again, gently.
A new way to gather: Le Cercle de Bruno
And now, something we’re genuinely excited about.
Many of you already know Barry — a long-time member of our community — and the story he’s been quietly building for nearly a year with a small group of fellow learners: Bruno et le livre de Magie.
Barry Rico with us in Pau, October 2023
What started as one chapter, read aloud on a Thursday, has grown, week by week, into something wonderful. They’re now on book three.
Barry has written two Bruno books already, both available to read and listen to on our site:
And his newest book, Bruno et la magie de l’amour, is nearly ready for the world!
But before it goes out, Barry would love for our community to read it first and share your thoughts.
What a gift, to be among the very first to sit with this story.
So we’re opening something new: Le Cercle de Bruno — a weekly Zoom gathering where we’ll read, discuss, and even gently edit the book together, one chapter at a time.
Join us:
📅 Friday, September 11th
🕓 4pm UK / 5pm France / 11am EDT / 8am PDT
🔗 Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/launch/jc/84633332898
Meeting ID: 846 3333 2898
Passcode: 259256
We’ll read and talk through the first chapter together, and continue chapter by chapter each week after that.
Camera off is completely welcome.
Truly just show up, listen, follow along, and let the French settle in with a real purpose behind it.
Sessions will be recorded and shared on our site, so if you can’t make it live, the story will still be there waiting for you.
Come as you are. Bring your coffee, your notebook, your curiosity.
That’s really all this is about.
With warmth,
Alice & Ben 💕