Join
us for a Safe Adventure at
. . . .
The LATITUDE Cultural Center:
Informal
learning
holidays in the
countryside of southwest France, near Cahors
La Toulzanie
46330
ST MARTIN
LABOUVAL
France
Phone from
the U.S.
: (011)
33 5 65 31 21 03
Phone
from France: 05 65 31 21 03
U.S. office:
E.
Barbara Phillips, Director, 1043 Oxford St. , Berkeley , CA 94707
(510) 525-8436 (Oct. 1- May
15)
e-mail from
everywhere: barbara@latitude.org
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The
14th century Moulin de La Toulzanie,
Latitude's headquarters, 45 km east of Cahors in the Lot Valley
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Latitude
in a
nutshell...
...en un mot
WHAT IS LATITUDE?
Latitude
is
a unique
cultural center located in
one of the most idyllic places in the world:
the never-industrialized, unspoiled Lot Valley in SW France.
Latitude
has a multinational Board of Directors, all of whom live at least
part-time in the Lot Valley. It hosts week-long
workshops and courses in early summer plus
a summer series of free,
public, evening talks & events.
Many
kinds of learning vacations exist--from cruises to fully-planned bus
tours. Latitude aims to provide a safe adventure
with a mix of planned activities and unplanned time for people
to explore the area. In addition, Latitude aims
to (1)
transcend traditional boundaries of politics, scholarship, &
culture,
and to (2) provide a tranquil setting where people
of
various ages, social backgrounds, & nationalities come
together
in conversation & community (often over Slow Food).
A Total
IMMERSION
EXPERIENCE! When courses
are offered in the French language, participants
speak French all the time -- during meals, class, conferences,
meetings
with neighbors, and excursions.
Students and
teachers of French and Francophiles may be particularly
interested in
this enriching experience. (Note:
There is no total immersion experience in summer 2010.)
WHERE IS LATITUDE?
Latitude
sits
at the edge of the river Lot
about 625 km SE
of Paris,
about 80 miles N of
the Toulouse
airport, & 45
km E of Cahors.
Framed by limestone
cliffs
and a fairytale castle, Latitude sits in La Toulzanie,
an ancient hamlet with only a bus stop. Latitude's
headquarters is a 14th century mill (photo at left). Although remote
& tiny
(pop.:
about 25 in summer), La Toulzanie is
mentioned in
guidebooks due to its semi-troglodyte
homes
and glorious scenery. By car, it lies 15 minutes away from the
cave
paintings at Pech-Merle and
the
superbly-restored medieval village of St. Cirq Lapopie.
And, the Lot is a foodie paradise!
For a soupçon of Things to Do in the area, please visit http://www.rural-france.com/ThingsToDo.php. This website is full of tips on
good restaurants as well as points of interest and nearby activities
for adults and kids.
COURSES run
from late
Saturday
afternoon (when participants register) to the
following Saturday morning, after breakfast. There is no
instruction on Saturday. Per course,
there
are 15 hours of instruction, allowing ample time to explore
the countryside or just relax.
Most
teachers at Latitude are
US & European
university professors and/or local and international experts
&
artists. Participants
come from
as far
as Senegal,
Oklahoma,
& the UK
& as
near as two doors away. Latitude's offerings
cover a
wide range of topics -- but do not
include
classes
in language learning.
CONFERENCES, EVENTS, COURSES
There's a series of evening conferences and events which
are free
and open
to the public. In summer 2010 there will be many events, ranging
from
a guitar jam
session to a
movie.
In 2006, and for 2010, in
appreciation
for its cultural
contribution to the Lot, le Conseil
General (the
elected administrative body of the Lot) gave
grants to Latitude to support its conference
series. (Click on the Conferences 2010 page at the
left for the series in summer, 2010.)
Courses
2010
June
19-26--2 workshops
PAINTING THE COLORS OF SOUTHWEST FRANCE
Facilitator:
Rob O'Brien who has conducted 2 watercolor workshops
at Latitude.
Vermont
watercolorist Rob has won many prizes for his paintings. He is a
laid-back teacher who, past participants say, is a terrific teacher!
You
can see his work on his website: www.robertjobrien.com.
Participants will paint every morning (except Wednesday and
Sunday--Wednesday is a free day and Sunday we go to the nearby market
on
Sunday --of course there's no
law against bringing paints along!) at nearby sites. In the past, these
have included the village across the river of Cenévières
(with its Michelin-starred castle) and La Toulzanie (the riverside
hamlet where Latitude
is
located).
Rob will offer gentle instruction.
June
19-26
A
GREAT LEAP BACKWARD !
An
exploration of the psyche in paleolithic caves, and the cave in the
psyche
Facilitator: Adrienne Amundsen. Adrienne is a psychologist in
private practice from the San Francisco Bay Area. She is also a poet
and experienced workshop leader, particularly of rituals. With her
husband, Doug Coffee (an attorney and impassioned
historian), she offered a course in 2005 at ">Latitude which
focused on paleolithic art and history of nearby caves. This course
will emphasize the nature of
creativity. Participants will explore the nature of early humans,
the emergence of art, theories about the creation of cave art, the
practice of shamanism, and neuropsychological aspects of altered
states. She has
taught versions of this course in Australia
and the U.S.
Participants will visit several caves and enjoy what she calls " the
beautiful countryside around La Toulzanie." There will be
opportunities for participants to work in a leisurely manner on their
own creative projects, particularly writing. CEU's for
psychologists and MFT's are available.
June
26 -- July 3 -- 2 workshops
A
TASTE OF TEXTILES
Facilitator:
Maureen ("Mo") Newman studied arts &
crafts (specializing in Textiles) at Endsleigh
College in England and earned a certficate at Hull University. For over a decade,
she was a headteacher in Zmbabwe, a member of various spinning
and weaving groups both in England
and France, an exhibitor throughout Europe,
and an impassioned teacher of textiles (leading many workshops). She
now lives in southwest France with her husband, Mark.
Mo notes the following: "There are many and varied skills in textiles,
all of which date far back in history. This course/workshop offers
"tasters" a few skills which will enable them to explore the
possibilities of art-textiles, while creating finished decorative
pieces.
Each session can be
enjoyed by complete beginners who will learn the basics. Those with
textile experience will work at their own levels; the ideas can
be taken to quite detailed levels of complexity. Working in small
groups, the activities are fun to do and give a great sense of
achievement!
Each session is a discrete element, but the week is designed for
participants to build on the skills and experiences as they
go See the courses page for a brief rundown of the workshop
day-by-day.
A TASTE OF SOUTHWEST FRANCE
Facilitator: E.
Barbara Phillips,
professor emerita of sociology at San Francisco State
University and founder/director of Latitude. An
introduction to the Department of the Lot.& Visits to
local producers, medieval villages, 25,000 year-old cave paintings at
Pech-Merle, a castle. Many discussions (e.g., regional identity, the
role of food in culture).
COSTS The cost of your
week at
Latitude
will
vary according to the accommodation you choose (and what's available
when you
book).There are several stipends available--but only to those who sign
up early--by January 15, 2010! Latitude staff
reserves the right to choose stipendees.
The
cost per person, per course, based on double occupancy, depends
on your
lodging choice: For Superior
rooms, the cost is $2,100 per person. For
Standard rooms, the cost is
$1700 per person (or the euro equivalent).
SINGLE OCCUPANCY: Please
add
$600 for single occupancy of superior double bedrooms.
Add $450 for single occupancy of
standard bedrooms, such as the hangar double.
Gites and B&Bs: Most are ranked as Superior lodging, but some
have rooms rated Standard. Single
supplements apply.
What's
included in the
cost: 15 hours of
instruction, lodging, most meals (7
breakfasts; 5
lunches, 5 dinners, including a special Au Revoir
Dinner), swimming pool, gardens, rowboat, fishing gear, and
waterfall on the premises, plus any on-site reading materials. There is
a wi-fi " hot spot" at your disposal too. (Please note: On
the free day,Wednesday, only breakfast will be served.)
What's
not included: Ttravel
to/from
Latitude; 4 meals (Sunday dinner;
Wednesday
lunch,
& dinner); supplement for single room ; lodging/meals
for accompanying friends not attending the
course (which
can be arranged); travel
& medical
insurance (highly
recommended);
car rental (also highly recommended;
Latitude
is on
a bus
line but it is in "la France profonde,"
which means, in part, remote!) & personal
items.
Stipends: To
encourage a
mix of participants, a
stipends are available to full-time college students & to
lower-income
persons. In memory of LatitudinaleTheo
Steele, a partial scholarship of $400 will be awarded. To be eligible for a
stipend, you must register BEFORE January 15, 2010. Latitude staff reserves the
right to choose stipendees. To
encourage local participation, there is
also a
special rate available for participants living within a 50 km
radius of Latitude and who travel home daily.
Lodging: Participants stay at Latitude,
nearby gîtes (fully-equipped,
rental homes), and/or B&Bs. There are two
levels of
accommodation: Superior and Standard. Typically, Superior rooms
are very tastefully furnished with
private bathrooms. Standard
rooms have
semi-private
or private bathrooms
& are
nicely
furnished.
Rooms are assigned upon deposit. Non-refundable
deposits are $400 and due upon reservation (application). Total
is due on or before April 15. Note: The
mill
bedrooms and the riverside hangar bedroom (with its own clawfoot tub
and balcony and electric w.c.) are considered the most desirable
accommodations. If you wish to stay there, sign up early!
For 2010: Based on double occupancy,
the total cost for the week is as follows: Superior
--
$2100;
Standard --
$1700.
SINGLE OCCUPANCY: Please
add
$600 for single occupancy of mill double bedrooms and hangar riverside
bedroom or. $400 for hangar roadside bedroom.
Currency: Participants
may pay in U.S.
dollars or
in euros. (American participants are encouraged to pay for as much as
they can in the U.S., given the very strong euro at the time of this
writing.)
Contact in France:
Upon receipt of payment, participants will be given a contact
person/phone number in France.
Suggested
Reading
Among the gazillions of
books about France, here are some of our
favorites:
about the Department of the Lot:
poet W.S. Merwin's The
Lost Upland: Stories
of Southwest France (1993)
Michael S.
Sanders, From Here You Can't See Paris
(2002) and Families of the Vine (2005)
The
Dordogne & Perigord, activity and
leisure holiday guides (2001, in English, Hachette UK;
includes fairs & markets)
about
Paris:
Leonard
Pitt's Walks Through Lost
Paris: A Journey Into the Heart of
Historic Paris
(2006, Shoemaker & Hoard). A
then-and-now photographic treasure of pre-Haussman and modern Paris.
general
background: Theodore
Zeldin, The
French (1983); Graham Robb, The
Discovery of France: A Historical Geography (2008)
about
Americans in France Jeffrey Greene, French
Spirits (2002)
about the history of French cuisine
: Barbara Ketcham Wheaton, Savoring
the Past: The
French Kitchen and Table from 1300 to 1789 (1996)
Spang, Rebecca L,. The
Invention of the Restaurant: Paris and Modern Gastronomic Culture
(2000)
Mennell, Stephen, All
Manners of Food:
Eating and Taste in England and France from the Middle Ages to the
Present (1996)
and, in a class by itself if
you're touring.... and it's a paperback for easy packing!
Ina Caro, The
Road from
the Past: Traveling through History in France (1996)
plus a treat-- a poem by Kathryn Ridall (published in The Way of Stones, 2009), who
stayed in the mill:
CENEVIERES
BRIDGE
From my kitchen window,
I could see Cenévières Bridge,
its repeating stone arches,
earth lifting with heavy grace
into the lavender morning
air, and below on the still
river, the reflection, arcs
inverted like scallops in the
green water,
and I, burning with
delight,
shooting like an arrow of fire
through that unbroken
circle.
Everything breathed together—
for just that moment, the four
elements in fleeting balance.
.