Come with me to Omega Institute this summer!

I'm so pleased to announce that I'll be leading a Bonjour, Happiness! weekend workshop this summer at the famous Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. Please join me from July 20-22, to learn how to live like a Frenchwoman and rediscover your natural joie de vivre! For more information and to register, click on this lilnk:   Omega Institute.     Please tell your friends.   And here's a description of the workshop:

Join Bonjour, Happiness! author, Jamie Cat Callan, to learn the French secrets to “joie de vivre,” the joy of living. Together we create a supportive group that encourages you to discover your truest, most natural self, while we add a dash of something mysterious—something “très française”—to help you map out your journey to happiness. Through fun visualization exercises, group discussions, and journaling, we create a vision of how to clear out and rearrange our life to enjoy the simple pleasures. We also: Discover how a “femme d’un certain âge” knows no bounds in sensuality or style Let go of the idea that we are good or bad and learn to live in the mysterious “middle ground” Learn to enjoy the occasional indulgence—and then move on Find out how to throw a great dinner party Explore how to dress “à la français” Discuss how walking can change the world for the better This workshop is for women only. Bring a notebook and three pictures that make you feel happy. Recommended reading, Callan, Bonjour, Happiness!

Bonjour, Hemingway!

We couldn't visit Key West without a pilgrimage to the Ernest Hemingway's Home!

I am wearing my French fisherman sweater in honor of Papa Hemingway, but also because it happened to be an unusually chilly day for Key West.

Hemingway bought this house in 1931 and lived there for twenty years with his second wife, Pauline, along with their two sons and over 70 cats!  Today they keep 44 cats.  All of them are descendants of the original Hemingway cats and most are double pawed.   This is our tour guide telling us all about how the cats don't have "owners".  They have "staff!"

  And here are just a few of the kitties roaming around the premises:

You're not allowed to pick up Hemingway's cats, but it's okay to pet them!  Meow!

Okay, enough about cats!  Time to show you the interior of Hemingway's Key West Home.  First stop, the bathroom.  Why?  Because I'm crazy about this tile.  Oh, and it's French tile!  Yes, really.  It's made in France.  Oooh, that Hemingway--such good taste!

Oh, and tile in the kitchen too.

I loved the beautiful lighting fixtures too!

Tres elegant, non?

 And very Picasso-influenced too.

Hemingway had four wives.  His first wife was Hadley, recently made famous in the bestselling novel  The Paris Wife by Paula McLain.

He met his second wife, Pauline in Spain.  She was an editor at Vogue Magazine and tres chic.

Don't you just love her scarf and boots?!  When Hemingway was away in Europe, she had this pool built for him:

When he came home she told him the cost ($20,000) and according to legend, Hemingway, took a penny out of his pocket and said, "well, now it's official.  You've taken my last red cent!"

And so, he had to get back to his writing studio...

And hammer out another best seller!  J'adore Hemingway!

Bonjour, Palm Beach!

How lovely to be invited to speak at The Society of the Four Arts in beautiful Palm Beach!

The grounds are so lovely and peaceful and you can find all these "Secret Gardens."  Very French!

Oh, and wonderful sculptures!
I adored this one with the girl riding the fish.

On Friday night, I gave a talk about "Bonjour, Happiness!" and "French Women Don't Sleep Alone."
And afterwards, The Society of the Four Arts hosted a champagne reception/book signing with--oui, oui,
oui, French macarons!!!!   Yum!

Oh, and I taught a little writing workshop the next day.  I had fifteen fabulous students.  As part of their tuition, everyone received a copy of "The Writers Toolbox."
Here are the notes from one gal.  She got the phrase from the kit: "A half eaten box of Fig Newtons" and wrote the most beautiful and poignant short-short story from it.  I love my students!

Now, on to the Keys!  Au revoir, Palm Beach!  Bonjour, Key West!

Au revoir, VCCA! Bonjour, The Real World!

I've had a wonderful time at VCCA!  I got a lot of writing done on the new book, but I also had time for fun with the visual artists.  In fact, one night photographer, Tucker Hollingsworth decided to create a photo shoot, starring the author Joyce Maynard.

 Joyce Maynard, wrote  "At Home in the World", "To Die For" which became a movie starring Nicole Kidman, along with many other books.

I played lighting director!

Oh, and I'm with the artist, Suzy Sureck.  She was the stylist on our shoot.  More on her in a moment.

I also wanted to show you this from the artistic team of Gibson and Recoder.  

Sandra Gibson and Luis Recoder use film, loops, and lighting to create wild and mesmerizing installations.  After watching their latest film, I am having the wildest dreams!

And speaking of dreams--here's Suzy Sureck in front of her new work:

While at VCCA, she's created all these very dreamy "pillows" that seem to be pushing right out from the other side of the subconsciousness.  I noticed she was reading Milan Kundera.  So maybe that has something to do with it.  

Yes, I did spend an afternoon visiting the visual artists!

Here's Kathi Smith with her gorgeous paintings.  You can see she's very influenced by her life in 

New England.  I love all her colors!

The visual artists live in such a tactile world.  For me, it's all so fascinating!  

I even find their paint-splattered sinks intriguing!

However, I'm a little sad to say, my time is almost over and tomorrow, Sunday, I am leaving for Frederick, Maryland where I will be signing copies of Bonjour, Happiness! at the Barnes and Noble at 1 p.m.  If you're in the area, please stop by and say, Bonjour!

For today, I am saying my au revoirs before I'm get on the road again.

Goodbye cows!

Here's my favorite one.  I named her Bessie.

I think Bessie wants me to take her home with me!

And I would take her with me, but well...if this were a dream, but I'll be returning to 

 The Real World!

Bonjour, Virginia!

I've arrived at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.  I am so thrilled to have almost three weeks to work on the new book.  And what a quiet, secluded and inspiring place to write!  There's about twenty-five or so artists, writers, poets, composers, photographers and filmmakers here, all working away.

VCCA was built on an old farm.  

During a walk the other day, I found these cows.  We had a staring contest.  They won.

I have beautiful studio with a baby grand piano in it.  It's generally a composers studio, but I think we have more writers, than composers, so voila!  I'm certainly not complaining.  In fact, it's all very inspiring, especially since I brought my concertina and promised my teacher to practice while I'm away from home.

Here I am, working hard--that is, when I'm not posing for pictures. ;)

Truth is, VCCA is not all work and no play.  There are a few une petite fetes.  Last night, we attended Bryant Holsenbeck's open studio.  She's an amazing environmental artist who works in plastic--especially plastic cups and lids and straws.  You know, the things we throw into our ocean and countryside.  Here's the invitation she placed on our lunch table.  Tres charmant, non?

And here's the lovely Bryant in her studio.

I just adored her precious woodland creations.  In order to make this doe, Bryant used recycled materials and actually filled him with plastic.  Such a powerful metaphor for what's happening to our wilderness.

And here's one of Bryant's crows.  It seems that crows are one of the few animals that are actually adapting to the changes we're creating in the environment.
What at what cost?

Well, the eyes of the world are watching!

Bonjour, Baltimore!

The first stop on my Southern Tour:  Charm City.  Yes, that would be Baltimore or B-More, as the folks here call it.  I adore the city that gave us Edgar Allen Poe, and the directors, John Waters and Barry Levinson.  What a hipster town!
Oh, and  as I drove in, I was so delighted to see the famous monument of George Washington all lit up.

I must confess, I am also enamoured with Charm City, because my brilliant daughter and her lovely husband live there.  They still had their holiday decorations up on their mantel.  She made the little felt cut-outs herself.  She's such a creative gal.

They accompanied me to the Enoch Pratt Free Library where I gave a talk about
finding your joie de vivre.  To my surprise, they had a big poster advertising the event
in front of the library!  (If you click on the link above, you can hear a podcast of my talk.)

There's a little bit of French throughout Baltimore.  They have a wonderful farmers market and people walk everywhere.  Here's a very stylish femme d'un certain age I found at  Anthropolgie.  Her name is Julie and as it turns out, she's lived in France and often visits my home town on the Cape.  We got to talking and decided we would meet up this spring.  Tres charmant!

After the book event at the library, my daughter, her husband and I went out for a wonderful dinner at The Brewer's Art.  It was my daughter's birthday.
Happy Birthday, Callie!

Next stop, Amherst, Virginia where I have a residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.  More soon.   xo