Bio

“Good evening, Paris!” Alexandra Grabbe said with a smile in her voice, connecting Monday through Friday nights with radio listeners who tuned in to one of the most popular FM stations in Paris for the latest American music.  Alexandra wrote out her scripts before going on the air.  Writing has always been her favorite form of expression, and it comes naturally to her.  As a child, she would spend hours writing skits that she and her brother would perform for their parents.

Marriage to a Frenchman sidelined any literary aspirations.  Her job as a talk show host led her to apply for a position to manage the station.  “You’re obviously qualified, but you’re a woman, and American.  I can’t hire you,” said the owner.  Undaunted, Alexandra found an outlet for her writing by becoming editor of the newsletter for the American Section at the International Lycée, while successfully navigating her three bilingual children through the French school system.

A freelance writer for 25 years, Alexandra Grabbe was a regular contributor to France Today and self-published a collection of articles on life in France called French Graffiti (1994). Her work has appeared in magazines, including US Airways Attaché and American Profile. When two children were in Ivy League schools in the U.S. and the third had secured a job as chief sound engineer for Babyface, Alexandra finally decided it was time for her to return to the United States. 

Alexandra owned and managed Chez Sven in Wellfleet, MA.  She started this successful business in 2004, which allowed her to write as well. Her green bed-and-breakfast garnered many favorable online reviews. Chez Sven was even featured in the travel section of The Guardian and the Boston Globe.

For a dozen years, she wrote Wellfleet Today, a blog about living green on Cape Cod.

 Alexandra Grabbe holds a Bachelor’s degree from Vassar College.