La Maison Baldwin Is (Literally) Throwing the Party of the Century for James Baldwin in Paris -September, 2024
James Baldwin was a global citizen. This is Baldwin in his other favorite country, Turkey.
When Tara Phillips moved to Paris in 2018, James Baldwin was not an inspiration, or even a thought. After a successful career leading nonprofits, Phillips was simply looking for a change in scenery, and Paris had captured her heart. Fast forward several years and a series of coincidences, opportunities, and a literal faith walk, Phillips officially became the executive director of La Maison Baldwin in 2023. Originally founded by a white woman who wanted to preserve Baldwin’s home in the south of France, La Maison Baldwin got off to a shaky start. (And for the record, they were unable to rescue Baldwin’s Saint Paul de Vence home from developers who razed the building and placed condos in its place.) Phillips, on the other hand, was determined to make La Maison Baldwin an organization deserving of Baldwin’s name and legacy as a writer, an activist and, perhaps most importantly, as a global citizen.
One of her first opportunities to showcase the “new and improved” La Maison Baldwin, not to mention, an opportunity to pay homage to Baldwin himself, was planning a grand celebration in honor of his 100th Birthday in Paris, one of his favorite cities.
Take Note: The La Maison Baldwin Party of the Century aka The La Maison Baldwin Centennial Festival takes place September 9 - 13, 2024 in Paris.
The Backstory
Before she could start party planning, Phillips had a series of obstacles she had to deal with, including mending fences with James Baldwin’s family. According to Phillips, the Baldwin family was not impressed with the original mission or operations of La Maison Baldwin and that was a problem. “My number one goal was to establish a good relationship with the family,” Phillips said. “And I did that.” In fact, Baldwin’s nephew, Trevor Baldwin will be speaking at the Festival and the Baldwin family is lending their support.
The second obstacle was that Phillips had literally no budget and no staff to create the party of the century, a party that would be befitting the James Baldwin. “Baldwin’s words literally saved lives,” Phillips remarked, so the celebration has to be substantial. So, Phillips gathered a volunteer team and started planning nearly a year ago in October, 2023.
The Vision
Phillip’s vision for the Centennial Festival was to create a Paris-based event that would be accessible to students and professionals alike. “I think in order for his legacy to continue beyond the 100th, young people really need to know and understand Baldwin’s enduring value in the fight for justice,” Phillips said. “The theme for the festival is ‘Baldwin and Black Legacy: Truth, Liberation, Activism,’” Phillips added, emphasizing that their goal is to celebrate Baldwin’s legacy not just as a writer, but as an artist and activist as well. As such, the La Maison Baldwin Centennial Festival is a week-long celebration that includes writing workshops taught by preeminent Black authors, activism workshops for students, panel discussions, film screenings, live theater, art exhibitions, open mic performances, bespoke walking tours around Paris showcasing Baldwin’s favorite haunts, and of course, a gala celebration. Baldwin did appreciate a party! In other words, all of the things Baldwin loved and cared about, will be a part of this celebration.
By offering a range of activities, and a sliding scale for ticket prices, Phillips hopes people from all walks of life will be eager and able to join the celebration. The ticket prices aren’t cheap, but Phillips hopes that if people were willing to fly to Paris for a chance to see Beyonce for a single night, they’ll consider spending some coins to be with Baldwin for a week in the City of Lights.
All the Cool Kids Will Be at this Baldwin ‘Welcome Table’
James Baldwin always gathered great writers and artists around him. The La Maison Baldwin Festival will do the same.
James Baldwin was known for gathering his friends and fellow writers around a table for conversation and a good meal. It was known as the Welcome Table in his home in France. It wasn’t uncommon to visit Baldwin in Saint Paul de Vence and run into a veritable who’s who of Black writers and artists in his house. Maya Angelou, Miles Davis, Nina Simone.
Therefore, it seems only fitting that so many talented Black writers will gather to participate in the La Maison Baldwin Festival. Deesha Philyaw (fiction), Brian Broome (nonfiction), and Kwame Dawes (poetry) will all be on hand to teach the three-day writing workshops. Robert Jones Junior (formerly known as the ‘Son of Baldwin) author of The New York Times bestseller, The Prophets, will be offering the keynote address, and then there are scribes including Jake Lamar, Jessica Care Moore and poet Brad Walrond, who will be participating as panelists and performers. “I imagine that gathering in Paris in the spirit of a truly remarkable imagination can’t be a bad thing for writers of color,” predicted poet Kwame Dawes. Indeed, not a bad thing at all.
How to Register for the La Maison Baldwin Centennial Festival
The Maison Baldwin Centennial Festival takes place over five days in Paris, September 9 - 13, 2024.
Ticket prices are based on a sliding scale, but are inclusive of most events. The writing and activism workshops, the closing gala, and the walking tours have a separate fee. It is possible to attend the writing workshops, or the student workshops and not attend the other events. But be aware, there are limited spots for the writing workshops as they will be very hands on and intimate.
Registration is open until September 4, so hurry and get your tickets before they sell out. Let’s help La Maison Baldwin keep Baldwin’s enduring legacy alive.