As part of the Mental Health Information Weeks, join us for a literary conversation with the author of the 2024 book “La Voix des Saules” and Yann Diener, columnist, essayist, and psychoanalyst.
“Asked to lead writing workshops in a psychiatric setting, Nathalie Skowronek, who has never taught one before, wonders what she could possibly offer people with mental health conditions. Yet, without quite understanding why, she agrees…” Over the course of the sessions, the author opens up and answers questions from patients attending the Saules workshops. Readers are presented with a kind of reverse mirror effect, as these writing workshops—far removed from the usual occupational activities—prove as valuable to the patients as they do to the author herself. Can art heal? During this event and through the conversation between Nathalie Skowronek and Yann Diener, discover an uplifting text. A text about the power of writing and reading’s ability to put suffering into words, express the complexity of the mind and human pain, and articulate anxieties and the surrounding chaos. Nathalie Skowronek is a Belgian writer born in 1973. She worked in publishing and fashion before publishing a family trilogy with éditions Arléa (“Karen et moi,” “Max, en apparence,” and “Un monde sur mesure”). In 2020, she received the European Union Prize for Literature for “La carte des regrets” (éd. Grasset, 2020). In 2024, Grasset also published “La voix des Saules” (éd. Grasset, 2024), while “Chienne de guerre” was published by Cotcotcot (éd. Cotcotcot, 2024). She also led the writing workshop at the Antonin Artaud club, a day center for adults experiencing psychological difficulties. Since September 2023, she has taught novel writing at the Sorbonne. Yann Diener is a psychoanalyst in Paris, a member of the École lacanienne de psychanalyse, a columnist for Charlie Hebdo, and the leader of a seminar entitled “La mâchoire de Freud.” His research inspired his two latest books, “L’inconscient inculqué à mon ordinateur” (éd. Premier Parallèle, 2025) and “La mâchoire de Freud” (éd. Gallimard, coll. L’Arpenteur, 2024). He works at Sainte-Anne Hospital, where he founded the “Inconscient et machines” laboratory. Find all the free registration-required events at the bibliothèque Benoîte Groult.
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Source: paris.fr — photo: © JF Paga-Grasset