"Hallo Newbie, an Interview with Monique El Faizy" + an Excerpt from Autism Article.

TCA #19 "FREE TO READ VERSION".

Monique describes herself as “Starting over in Paris, post-divorce, as a single, middle-aged woman in her prime” to which I’d add “A Trailblazing Campaigner for Justice and a Better World”. I believe in what she wishes to achieve, hence this Interview….

Q1). As I'm a Yorkshire expat in Nederland myself, I'm curious to know if your move to Europe had anything to do with your 'Dutch Side' ?

Certainly. I grew up in the US because my parents immigrated there shortly before I was born, but as we had no close family in the States, we would come to Europe nearly every summer to visit relatives. My mother's family is from the Netherlands, so we spent a lot of time there. My father, who is Egyptian, loves the south of France, and we would often meet his favorite cousin there. So Europe was not only a place where I had spent a lot of time but, having been raised by a European mother, it is a culture that feels both comfortable and familiar to me. Plus, I have Dutch citizenship, which makes living here logistically quite easy.

Q2). What was your initial motivation for choosing Substack as a home for your voice ?

My friend Deborah Copaken has an incredible Substack and had been urging me to start one of my own for several years. Initially, we had talked about my writing about my experiences living and dating in Paris as a single, middle-aged woman, but it has turned into something else entirely.

Q3+4). Your early posts were about the Olympics and Para-Olympics. In retrospect can you tell us something about the best and worst experiences you had during those hectic days ?

I absolutely loved being here during the Olympics. The city was far quieter than usual and the vibe in the streets was wonderfully upbeat. I wish the games had gone on longer. It was a magical moment. I am grateful to have been able to experience it.

Q5). The photography in your posts are excellent portrayals, yet you don't write about the importance of visual imagery. I am sure our readers would be interested in that aspect of journalism....

Funnily, when I first started thinking about journalism I thought I'd like to be a photojournalist. Deb Copaken and I both lived in Paris in the late 80s and early 90s, which is when and where we met, and she was working as a photojournalist. I had planned to go back to the US and become a civil rights lawyer but she made me realize that one could use journalism to agitate for change in the world, and have fun doing so at the same time. But I quickly fell into writing and never looked back. I know images are hugely powerful, but my attention really is on the words. I enjoy photography as a consumer of it and try to get to the Jeu de Paume as often as possible, but I don't spend a lot of time analyzing it.

Q6). After leaving Britain because of Brexit, I read Michael Barnier's book on the crass stupidity / greed of British Politics. I was delighted that he later became the French Prime Minister, then dismayed at his unseating, engineered by Le-Pen - who is now being charged with corruption. Do you have any prediction of how the protagonists might fare in 2025 ?

I have spent the years since 2004 following the religious right in the US--my first book, God and Country: How Evangelicals Have Become America's New Mainstream, published in 2006, was about the power of Evangelicals there--and the past decade following the far-right in Europe, particularly here in France, and notice an enormous number of parallels. I think we will continue to see these far-right parties gain in popularity and strength in Europe. If Marine Le Pen is banned from politics, it may well prove to be a gift to her party; Jordan Bardalla is young, good looking, and charismatic. He is a force to be reckoned with.

Q7). You are to be applauded for your posts here on the suffering and bravery of Giselle, the trials of her attackers, and the Patriarchal attitudes in French Culture. Is there anything you would now like to add ?

Gisèle is but the tip of the iceberg. She has shown us all the importance of standing up to a patriarchal system. But, as any one who reads my Substack will know, I am strongly of the view that men need to take on a much, much bigger role in the fight to bring an end to violence and sexual violence against women and in the dismantling of patriarchial structures.

Q8). That those courtroom proceedings have prompted you to write a book is highly commendable,.... Would it be possible to include the words of other victims, even Giselle herself ?

Gisèle will of course be a presence in the book, though her story is hers to tell, and I very much look forward to the day she does that. I will surely speak to other victims as well.

Q9). Having read the profiles of the readers who have commented on each of your posts, I find interesting people ! Perhaps you can select two or three of them to recommend to Substack readers, and why ?

I am clearly a huge fan of Deborah Copaken's work and her Ladyparts Substack is a constant source of enlightenment for me. It really is essential reading.

Soraya Chemaly was an important source for my last book All the President's Women: Donald Trump and the Making of a Predator. My conversations with her were enormously eye-opening for me. I am a huge fan of hers and of the way her mind works, so was delighted when she started her Substack, Unmanned.

Finally, I have thus far failed to write about the delights of living in Paris, which was my initial plan, but Lindsay Tramuta does a great job of it in her Substack, The New Paris Dispatch. Not only is it fun and informative reading, but it is an object lesson in effective management of a Substack newsletter. The way she approaches it is really smart.

Q10). So, as still a Newbie to the platform, yet with the kind of readership growth that is suggestive of potential future influence..... Please give some pointers to those budding Authors who have read this interview......

I think I'm still very much in the early learning phase, and many of the things I know I should be doing I have not yet made the time to do. But something I've learned both as a writer and by watching writers who are far, far more successful at this than I am, is that authenticity resonates with readers. I think that kind of honest connection is key.

O.K. that's it Monique - Other than to suggest that if you decide to preview excerpts from the book, I and my team will be happy to promote you again.

Thank you so very much !!

A la prochain, Maurice….

And so Dear Reader, if you agree that Monique and her campaigning are worthy of our support, then may I suggest that the most effective way to do that is to Restack this Post, attaching your own intelligent comment.

N.B.

I am seeking other writers who believe that it’s high time to challenge the prevalent Patriarchal attitude that causes so much suffering. Will you work with me ? Please Direct message via Substack, me or email me via mcb25tca@aol.com

Thankyou !

AN EXCERPT FROM “WHY Autism is Not, per se, a writer’s Barrier”

Notable Autistic Creatives :-

Anthony Hopkins, Andy Warhol, Armani Williams, Chris Packham, Courtney Love, Charles M Schulz, Daryl Hannah, David Byrne, Dan Harmon, Dan Akroyd, Emily Dickenson, Greta Thunberg, Henry Cavendish, James Taylor, John Denver, Jerry Seinfield, Susan Boyle, Satoshi Tajiri, Steve Jobs, Tim Burton….., ARE YOU NEXT ? Full Article on this weeks Paid Version of

This Creative Adventure

NeXt on the Free Version, 22 x (min) per annum.

TCA #21, Mar 7th. Excerpts from “Why it’s so hard to get paid” & “Why a Hero Post” + A brief Introduction to our forthcoming Interviewees + “Now Here’s a Thought” + “Tipsheet”

NeXt on the Paid Version, 44 x (min) per annum.

TCA #20, Feb 28. “Why it’s so hard to get paid”

TCA #21, Mar 7. “Why a Hero Post” Interviews are so Valuable”

TCA #22, Mar 14, “Why Interviews are so Valuable”

Finally, a couple of comments “Your command of detail is as astonishing as the scope of your understanding” Douglas McClenaghan.

“Teach us what to do Maurice. We got so many subscribers thanks to you when the contest was in full swing ! Sue Speaks.