Author Talk: Judith Umlas—Âmes Sœurs et Inconnues

Join us for a special chat with author Judith Umlas and her translator Valerie Galinsky about Judy’s novel Âmes Sœurs et Inconnues (Soulmates & Strangers) in the Alliance’s cozy library.

Judy will share the extraordinary true story of two young women, her “deux mamans,” whose lifelong transatlantic friendship shaped generations. A book signing will follow the discussion.

Guests will have the chance to speak with the author and mix and mingle with fellow Francophiles and literature lovers over complimentary coffee, tea, and croissants.

Doors at 10:00 a.m. Program at 10:30. Please enter via 810 N Dearborn St. Please reach out by Thursday, July 3 with any dietary restrictions.

Book Pricing

• 1 Book $15
• 2 Books $25

About the Author

Judith W. Umlas

Judith W. Umlas is Senior Executive Director at the International Institute for Learning (IIL), where she has served with distinction for over 33 years. Her professional journey in writing to effect meaningful change began with her groundbreaking article, “How Not to Talk to a Pregnant Businesswoman,” published in Working Woman magazine in 1986.

Judith went on to author The Power of Acknowledgment, published by IIL Publishing, which became the foundation for her pioneering work in corporate training. leadership. Her follow-up book, Grateful Leadership: Using the Power of Acknowledgment to Engage All Your People and Achieve Superior Results (2013), established her as a sought-after keynote speaker at major conferences around the globe.

Her most recent work, Soulmates & Strangers, is a deeply personal memoir honoring both her mother, Sylvia Handler Wagreich, and her mother’s French pen pal, Claudia Raymonde Bouillard Mariotti. Their extraordinary transatlantic friendship sparked Judith’s lifelong passion for the French language and culture, which continues to enrich her life today.

Through her books and trainings, Judith remains devoted to her life’s mission: to inspire others, to make a positive difference in people’s lives through the principles of acknowledgment and grateful leadership, and to connect deeply with people in other parts of the world.

About the Translator

Valerie Galinsky

Valerie Galinsky is the Founder of Be Fluent Now and a Certified Neurolanguage Coach. A native French speaker from Martinique, she brought not only exceptional linguistic skill but also profound emotional sensitivity to the French edition of the book, Âmes Sœurs et Inconnues.

About the Book

Âmes Sœurs et Inconnues

Before​ email or Facetime, when snail mail was the only way to communicate across oceans, the author’s mother and her French pen pal created a family legacy. Their writings to one another, starting when they were teenagers and ending in their 80’s, preserve a precious time in the past, while inspiring generations of the future.

This is the inspiring opening of the book that author Judith Umlas wrote, based on the packet of letters given to her by her mother’s French pen pal—letters that were written by her mother, starting at the age of 15 (written from 1936–1947). In this moving memoir, Umlas describes her reaction to the details of many of the letters and expresses her profound gratitude to her mother’s pen pal, who gave them to her as part of her own and her mother’s legacy.

Few grown women have the good fortune and the honor of getting to know their mothers in the way Judith gets to know hers, as a young girl from the age of 15 and on. She expresses her fascination at this sparkling, undiscovered (to her) person, as she learns of her mother’s deepest feelings, her passions and interests—including boxing and baseball! Never had Judith gotten any inkling of these while her mother was alive, and she relates with awe, poignancy and some regret the emotional impact of all of these discoveries.

Soulmates & Strangers takes the reader on an intimate journey of two soulmates who first connected as teens and remained kindred spirits for the rest of their lives.

Get Here

The Alliance Française de Chicago is one block from the Chicago Red Line stop. Best bus routes are the 22 on Clark and the 66 on Chicago.

Parking Information

$12 for 12 hours at InterPark (100 W Chestnut St). Validation is available at reception.