Festival America

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 07 September 2018 > What's On

Festival America, the bi-annual event that celebrates the literature of North America, is back for its 9th edition in Vincennes from 20 to 23 September. It offers a weekend where booklovers will be hard-pushed to choose between all the delights on offer. This year, the focus is on Canada, both Anglophone and Francophone. The U.S.A. … Continue reading “Festival America”

Welcome to Deauville!

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 31 August 2018 > What's On

A whole range of visions of America and from America will be screened from 31 August to 9 September at the 44th Deauville American Film Festival. Fiction (both films in competition and premieres) and documentaries combine to give fascinating insights into U.S. life and culture as it is, or as filmmakers imagine it. The jury … Continue reading “Welcome to Deauville!”

Spike Lee is Back

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 30 August 2018 > What's On

Spike Lee’s latest film, BlacKkKlansman, is based on the true story of an African-American police officer who managed to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s. Incredible as it sounds, Ron Stallworth masterminded an infiltration operation by posing as a white racist on the phone. The film, which won the Grand Prize at the … Continue reading “Spike Lee is Back”

Teaching with BlacKkKlansman

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 30 August 2018 > Shine Bright Lycée Webpicks

Spike Lee’s new film BlacKkKlansman is based on the true story of Ron Stallworth, a Colorado Springs policeman who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan. This downloadable audio interview with Stallworth is excellent for listening comprehension. The 13-minute interview is a downloadable podcast from the BBC World Service. It’s very clear and extracts are understandable from … Continue reading “Teaching with BlacKkKlansman”

You’ve Got Ice-Cream Mail

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 26 July 2018 > In the News

As we bask in the summer heat, our thoughts turn to ice-cream. To eat… or to stick on a postcard! This summer the U.S. Postal Service has launched its first ever “scratch and sniff” stamps to add an olfactory treat to your correspondence. “Scratch and sniff” stickers are popular, so why not transfer the technology … Continue reading “You’ve Got Ice-Cream Mail”

Protesting for Change

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 04 July 2018 > Ready to Use

Get ahead for the new school year! This A2+-level article can be used in parallel with the warm-up activities implemented at the beginning of the school year, as it deals with the Pledge of Allegiance in every school in the U.S.A, as a daily patriotic ritual, as well as recent protests against the national anthem at … Continue reading “Protesting for Change”

Novelist Philip Roth Dies

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 23 May 2018 > In the News

Philip Roth, one of the most admired American novelists, has died at the age of 85. In more than 30 novels, Roth fascinated and scandalised his home country. Roth won accolades for his work from the outset, winning the National Book Award for his first book, the collection of short stories Goodbye Columbus (1959). The … Continue reading “Novelist Philip Roth Dies”

The Western Re-invented

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 20 April 2018 > What's On

Two films present a modern take on the Western, through the eyes of a British and a Chinese director, and centring on the relationships between horses, a 15-year-old boy and a Native American cowboy.  Lean on Pete tells the story of a 15-year-old boy searching for a home and a race horse destined for the … Continue reading “The Western Re-invented”