Philadelphia Author Amanda Dennis Talks About Her Life in Paris – NBC10 Philadelphia

Originally from the Philadelphia area, Amanda Dennis hadn’t originally planned to live in Paris, but her life story kept taking her there.

“I never had the idea that I would live in Paris,” Dennis said. “It happened to me.”

Dennis first visited Paris as a student. She later moved to Paris and became an adjunct professor of comparative literature and creative writing at the American University of Paris. Dennis said it was her desire to write that brought her back.

“I thought, ‘Oh, I have some money I can spend on writing a novel,’” she said. “Where do I want to be?”

For Dennis, Paris was the perfect inspiration to write his own story.

“I moved into a 19-square-meter apartment with my then-boyfriend, now the father of my baby,” she said.

Dennis still visits Philadelphia about once a year and admits there are things about his hometown that he misses.

“Aside from my family (I wish there was a quicker way to be with them), I love Philadelphia soft pretzels,” she said. “And that’s the one food I can’t really find in Paris.”

He has also noticed big differences between the city of brotherly love and the city of love.

“It’s funny because the first thing that comes to mind is coffee,” he said. “There are very few cafes in Paris.”

Another difference for Dennis is the overall pace.

“On the East Coast of the United States, the pace is really fast, and time is money,” he says. “Here I can take my time.”

While in Paris, Dennis also looked into French perceptions of Americans.

“Well, they tend to think that we are quite outgoing and very friendly. I have heard that people are afraid to sit with Americans because they can talk non-stop. The other stereotype I have heard is that Americans talk very loudly,” she said. “A stereotype that was very prevalent when I first came here was that Parisians are somehow bad and I never found a way to back that up.”

Although Dennis has grown accustomed to living in Paris, there are still moments that take her breath away.

“When I go for a run, I go up around the Sacré-Cœur and there is a view that stretches out over the whole of Paris and it’s usually when I’m on that bend that I realise and think, ‘Oh, I feel lucky to live here,’” she said.

It’s a story Dennis, who plans to apply for dual citizenship soon, wouldn’t write any other way.

This is the latest installment of the French Connections: Paris and Philadelphia series, airing every week on Wednesdays at 7pm and 11pm in the run-up to the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.