Vive La France Culture Classes
Presenter’s Biography:
Anne Babson
A former resident of Paris, spent the first six years of her professional life speaking, reading and writing French. She studied French Literature and Writing at Sarah Lawrence College, where she obtained her BA. She spent an academic year at the University of Paris (VII Jussieu) followed by two years working for an international professional school on the Rive Droite. She returned to the United States and obtained a Masters’ degree from The City College of New York, where she studied under Marilyn Hacker, a world-famous poet who teaches both in New York and Paris. Anne’s award-winning poetry has been published on five continents, Anne joined the L’Union Française in 2018, where she currently teaches language and has a book club. She also teaches at Southeastern Louiiana University while she is pursuing doctoral studies in medieval French and English literature.
Jean Xavier Berger
Jean has resided in Louisiana for 18 years. He first served as cultural and linguistic attaché at the Consulat Général de France in New Orleans. Jean X then taught language and culture classes at Louisiana State University and at Loyola University. For over 10 years, he volunteered as the artistic director of Francophilia Foundation. At this time Dr. Brager has relocated to his hometown of Marseille in the heart of the Provence region. There, he has resumed teaching both English, film, and drama in the French public school system. In addition, Jean X is teaching two online courses, one on French and Francophone Cinema for Loyola University, New Orleans, and the other on the History of French Fashion for Loyola University, New Orleans, and the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Having recently celebrated the three-year anniversary of his American citizenship, Jean X is more passionate than ever to create opportunities to showcase the intertwined destinies of France and the US. He has not yet finished his novel or his script and continues to blame Provence’s blue skies, tasty ratatouille, and the Mediterranean light.
Véronique Day
A French native, Veronique completed a degree in Fine Arts at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts in Paris. She then earned a PhD in art history at Northwestern University in Chicago, specializing in medieval and modern art. Before moving to New Orleans Veronique taught in various colleges and universities in the US. In New Orleans since 2007, she has been teaching French and language and literature in several high schools in the city, and she is now teaching Fine Arts at East Jefferson HIgh School. In addition to teaching Veronique creates artworks in ceramics and her work can be seen at the gallery Hands in Clay on Magazine. Finally, for several years, Veronique and her awesome husband Michael Batterman have been leading culture tours to France, and this year, they will be bringing a small group to Pays Basque.
Brittany Kennedy
is a senior Professor of Practice in the Spanish and Portuguese department at Tulane. A native New Orleanian and a French citizen, she spends summers in the Basque Country with her family and enjoys good food, good wine and good company.
Margene Minor
As a retired educator and financial lending analyst, Margene Minor is determined to continue to educate herself (and others when allowed), by completing and having satisfied Examiners and thus being awarded the WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust), Level 2 Award in Wine and Spirits with Merit near Distinction under the authority of the Trustees, by Ian Harris International Wine and Spirit Center 39-45 Bermondsey Street, London. Margene has completed level 3 WSET in wine studies this past spring.
If you would like more information, please email Karen Walk at kawalk@me.com
Wine Curator’s Biography:
Marc Witham
Marc is a long-time student of history and cuisine. He worked as a chef in Chicago. Marc also is an 18-year veteran of wine education and a Certified Bordeaux Educator. He currentlyworking as a market research consultant.