Susana Iwase Hanson
Founder
Susana grew up in Asia and California and holds a Bachelor's degree from U.C. Berkeley and a Masters degree in International Marketing from Bradford University in the UK. She moved to Provence in 2002 and learned French; she also speaks Japanese.
She is active in the village of Cotignac, where she is mother to two girls and two cats, and wife to a ski-loving Frenchman who now works for Mirabeau Wine. She runs a property management business and serves as an elected official in Cotignac in charge of Communications and foreign resident relations under Mayor Jean Pierre Véran.
Susana founded the Provence Living Facebook page on September 1st, 2012.
The story of Provence Living began with a simple wish to share what daily life looks like in Cotignac and the surrounding villages of the Provence Verte. Rather than a guidebook, it grew into a collection of impressions: the quiet of an early morning walk, the scent of lavender on a warm breeze, a long lunch on a shaded terrace, and the pleasure of a market table piled with fresh produce. The writers here return again and again to the same themes, the rhythm of the seasons, the easy hospitality of village life, and the small discoveries that make this corner of southern France feel like home.
The contributors come to this place by very different routes, yet they write from a shared affection for the region. Some arrived from far away and learned its customs slowly, one festival and one conversation at a time. Others grew up close enough to take its beauty for granted until they looked again. Together they offer an honest, personal view of living here, from summer evenings of music and outdoor dining to the quieter months when the villages settle into themselves. What unites their voices is a genuine desire to share what they have found with anyone curious enough to read.
