The Idiot has been advised to put his return to the MedTrek in Egypt on hold due to a diagnosis of “severe spinal canal stenosis” that hampers his ability to enjoyably hike over 30 kilometers a day. But although he’s sidelined until November, he’s got a new project to keep him busy.
In the spring of 1976 The Idiot was part of a small group of American journalists in Paris that launched a tabloid-sized fortnightly magazine called The Paris Metro. In the autumn of 2016, the survivors and friends of that memorable meteoric venture will gather in Paris for a 40th reunion.
The Idiot graced the cover of The Paris Metro in November 1976 when he explored the bottom of the Seine in Paris and came back alive.
The Idiot was publisher of the fortnightly magazine (he also wrote numerous articles and a regular column called On The Money) that took the French capital by storm from 1976-1979. Now he’s the co-editor of a commemorative eBook/book of Paris Metro-related anecdotes, memoirs, poems, reflections, stories, vignettes, illustrations and photographs that will be published to coincide with the 40th Anniversary party from September 23-25.
The book will be written, edited, illustrated and produced by former staff members, freelancers, readers and friends of The Paris Metro. The submissions concern the magazine’s meaning and mystique, the allure and downsides of the city of Paris and/or a reminiscence of personal (mis)adventures between 1976-1980.
Submission are due on April 15, exactly 40 years since the printing of the dummy issue of The Paris Metro.
The dummy issue of The Paris Metro published on April 15, 1976.
The first issue of The Paris Metro published in June 1976.
Were you in Paris during that era? Remember how irreverent The Paris Metro was when it tackled everything from hookers and Queen Elizabeth to French politics and other publications?
The Paris Metro took on the arrogance of Le Monde…
…and described how The International Herald Tribune lost its swagger.
Even Queen Elizabeth managed to get on the cover of The Paris Metro.
If you were in France or read The Paris Metro outside the French capital, we want YOU to contribute to the commemorative Paris Metro 40th Anniversary Reunion Book.
Maybe you’d like to describe how you survived in Paris with the transatlantic blues.
The ciel is the limit and here are the details:
Submission Deadline: April 15, 2016.
Story Length: Between a haiku and 1,000 words. Please include a brief biographical sketch that mentions what you were doing then and what you’re doing now.
Publication: September 15, 2016.
Payment: A copy of the eBook.
Finances: The book will be fun to create, enjoyable to read and memorable to have. If, unlike the magazine four decades ago, it’s profitable, an after-expenses contribution will be made to a Paris journalism-related charity or institution.
Send your submission to Patsi Benter Krakoff (pkrakoff@gmail.com) and Joel Stratte-McClure (joelsm@mac.com) no later than April 15. Writers will have the opportunity to review edited material prior to publication.
PS: Keep up to speed by joining The Paris Metro 40th Reunion group on Facebook.
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