Meet Olivia
A little about the person you’ll be learning with
Hello, I’m Olivia.
I’m a French novelist, French teacher and writing-workshop facilitator based in Oxford.
I created La Petite Librairie française d’Oxford to share books and make room for the conversations and writing they inspire. Alongside the bookshop, I teach through Oxford French Language Studio and lead literary writing workshops in French.
Reading, teaching and writing are closely connected in my life. A passage in a novel can make us notice something we had overlooked, give us words for an experience or make us want to try a sentence of our own.
Learning French with me
My lessons are for adults who already understand some French and would like to use it more freely. We begin with a short literary extract, chosen for your level and interests. You don’t need to buy a book or prepare the passage beforehand.
We read, talk and notice useful expressions together. Then we work on the French you need to say what you want to say: a more precise word, a sentence pattern, pronunciation or a grammar point that becomes clearer in context.
I listen to what you are trying to express and help you develop it. The pace and corrections are adapted to you, with time to try again and make the language your own.
Explore French lessonsWriting with me
As a novelist, I know how much can change when we return to a scene, move a detail or find a different point of view. I am interested in the choices that make a text feel particular to the person writing it.
In my workshops, a published extract and a focused writing invitation give us a place to begin. We might explore what a character leaves unsaid, how a place comes alive through the senses or how rhythm changes a paragraph.
The groups are small, and reading aloud is always optional. My feedback starts with what your text is trying to do, then offers a concrete direction for developing it. You keep the decisions about your writing.
The workshops are held in French for francophone and bilingual adults and confident French learners. You don’t need previous creative-writing experience or an existing project.
Explore writing workshopsAttention to each person, and each voice
My background also includes many years as a clinical psychologist and the creation of Psycho-Plume, where I accompany people writing from fiction, memory and lived experience.
That experience informs the care with which I listen. Here, our work is centred on language and literature: the lessons and bookshop workshops are not therapy, and you choose what you wish to share.
Not sure whether a lesson or a workshop would suit you?
Write to me and tell me a little about what you would like to explore.
A welcome gift from La Petite Librairie
A little more French in your life
Not sure what to read next? Looking for a little writing inspiration? Olivia’s free 16-page literary guide brings together 40 book recommendations, four writing prompts and reading paths for French speakers, Francophiles, learners and families.
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