French conversation group meets at Local Blend

by Cori Hilsgen

news@thenewsleaders.com

Parlez-vous français? If so, you might be interested in joining a French conversation group that meets twice each month during the school year at The Local Blend in downtown St. Joseph. The group has been meeting since autumn 2015.

Ana Conboy, assistant professor of French at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, said the group usually meets at 4:30 p.m. every other Friday from September to May, unless there are campus breaks.

The name of the group is Coin français which means “French Corner.” It usually averages about five or six people each session. The group typically spends between one and two hours conversing in French about a variety of topics.

Conboy started teaching at the colleges in the autumn of 2015 right after graduating with her doctorate degree from Boston College. Because of the CSB/SJU rural Minnesota setting, she thought it might be hard to find other Francophones (people who speak French) in the area.

She had since learned there is a weekly conversation group that meets on Saturdays at the Espresso Royale on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis, but she is not able to regularly attend.

“I very much enjoy speaking French in the classroom, but my main motivation was to share my love of the French language and culture with a more ‘mature’ population, who shares that same love,” Conboy said. “I started asking around my department and other colleagues who they knew who spoke French and may be interested in such a conversation group.”

She said she started with a short list of about 10 people, and the mailing list continues to grow. There are now about 35 people who are included on the list.

The group includes faculty and staff from CSB/SJU and St. John’s Prep School, current and retired French teachers from the St. Cloud and Albany area, as well as some people who are not related to education directly such as a stay-at-home mom from St. Joseph, an attorney from St. Cloud and more.

Conboy said the name Coin français came from a French table that she organized at Boston College when she served as the director of the Maison Français (French House) during her graduate studies. She said it’s also very appropriate in the context of The Local Blend because the group is literally in a corner speaking French and it is very cozy.

The group doesn’t have any set topics and will talk about anything that comes up. They often discuss how things are going for everyone, future plans and more. Past discussions have included the arts, politics, education, French films and more.

“It’s really open to whatever (topic) comes up and whoever is there,” Conboy said.

Several French conversationalists commented about their experience with the group.

“It’s a good place to practice French,” said Martina Talic of St. Joseph. “Not many opportunities for that exist here.”

Talic said she has been speaking French since college but not actively. She said she loves the group, interactions and is always surprised by new people.

“I’ve been going to Coin français for about a year,” said Sarah Yost of Sartell, a physics professor at CSB/SJU. “I go to practice my French with adults instead of just my child. I come from a Canadian family and started learning French in preschool to keep up a connection to our Franco-Manitoban ties.”

“I joined le Coin français roughly a year ago due to the prompt of a French-speaking friend and an invitation from Ana,” said Paulette Anderson of St. Cloud. “I began learning French at age 12 in Fargo and later pursued a bachelor’s degree in French at Moorhead State University. After doing my student-teaching abroad, I was convinced travel and exposure to real speakers of French would become an integral piece of my teaching and so it has been. Le Coin brings us all together to share ideas, discuss events and enliven us. This group has good energy while letting us share our Francophile side.”

“I’ve been speaking French ever since high school, more than 30 years ago,” said Monica Cofell, a French/Spanish instructor at Albany High School. “I love keeping up my skills, and the best way to do this is to speak it on a regular basis on many different topics. The Coin français provides a great opportunity for this and also to spend time with some wonderful people who all share my love of the language. Over the years, I have had the privilege of living and traveling in France, and I’ve made some good friends there. Being part of a conversation group helps me maintain my fluency so I can fit right in when I go back — which I will be doing this June.”

Conboy grew up in Portugal and earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, with a French minor, from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine; a master’s degree in French language and civilization from New York University in Paris; and a doctorate from Boston College.

Conboy said the group welcomes anyone who would like to join the French conversation. There is no charge to join; attendees just need to be able to speak some French.

A larger number of attendees have graced the conversation group. Visiting French conversationalists have included professor Virgil Benoit from University of North Dakota, Grand Forks; Marie Béïque, author and nutritionist from Québec, Canada; and Richard Joubert, actor and former radio host, also from Québec.

Other attendees have included the following: Conboy, Talic, Yost, Anderson, Cofell, Maureen McCarter, Bill Langen, Jean Lavigne, Sébastien Leconte, Joletta Falknor and Mike Schnider.

Areas the French- speaking group were from included Sartell; St. Joseph; St. Cloud; Red Lake Falls; Québec City, Canada; and Lille, France.

At the meeting, Conboy said she discussed various topics such as the University of North Dakota French program compared to the CSB/SJU program, Québec culture and language, the upcoming French presidential elections, upcoming French cultural events in the community and more at the meeting.

“If you speak a little French and would like to meet other Francophones in the area, please join us,” Conboy said.