I didn’t know it was because of that…See more

In 2023, in French classical and jazz music programs, only 6.4% of works were composed by women . To combat this glaring lack of parity, Les Inoubliables created  the Festival of   (Not) Forgotten Women . The third edition  takes place from May 29 to June 1,  between Paris and Courbevoie, “culminating in the world premiere of a work by [their] composer-in-residence, Céline Fankhauser, at the Cinémathèque française.”  More than 40 female composers  will be featured, and if you are available today, I would be delighted to participate in a free roundtable discussion alongside journalist Aliette de Laleu and mezzo-soprano Marielou Jacquard on the theme “Breaking the Codes: The Rise of Women in the Music Industry,” at 7 p.m. at La Cité Audacieuse (75006).  Find all the practical information and the program  here , and maybe see you tonight?

Simone’s post of the week

Once the separation occurs, there is a very significant social decline, and a much steeper one for mothers…

Journalist  Selim Derkaoui  deconstructs the clichés about single mothers, often from working-class backgrounds, who find themselves managing the education of their children alone while being stigmatized, monitored, and sometimes even criminalized by institutions.

Her investigation,  Don’t Let Your Son Stray – How the State Criminalizes Single Mothers , is available from Les Liens qui Libèrent publishing house.

Word of the week

BALLS

Petanque shoes, of course. The ones haunting your garage because you haven’t touched them since a post-drinks defeat in 2016 (and especially a nasty toe injury, even though we told you not to play in flip-flops). So even if you don’t plan on playing again,  we suggest you don’t let them rust away at home . But without throwing them away, like 70% of sporting goods today, according to Ademe.

Because, you should know: these balls are  fully recyclable . They can be sorted and melted down to create new raw materials.  The eco-organization Ecologic  invites you to drop them off at one of the  3,000 collection points available in France . And the good news is: you can wear flip-flops.