Forum

Hello friends and fellow Austen fans all.   It has been too long since we met in companionship, fun and for chat with tea.  Unfortunately it appears it will be a long while until we can again have a in person meeting.  We cancelled all in person meetings for 2020.  Consulting with other regions and most have done the same.  Some with very few members were able to distance meet, but we all agree we want so much to welcome our regions back to monthly meetings full of camaraderie and interesting ideas.  Until there is a vaccine and enough time has passed to ensure many have been vaccinated, we are not planning on face to face meetings.  Instead we have several Zoom meetings planned; the next one is Sep 12. You should have received the invite so please consider joining in.  If you need help with Zoom please contact either Elly or Kathy Rogers.  Zoom is very simple to use and the last two meetings we have had using it have been fun. Best of all, no dressing up needed, no driving anywhere, you make your own fav beverage and you can mute yourself if you don’t want to talk.  There are other opportunities to join meetings held by other regions. Those invites are posted on our Facebook page . Some look quite intriguing.   I hope each of you are in a safe place and keeping well.  I think about so many of you and send prayers along for your continued good health. Please let me know if you need something or just want to chat a bit. I spend a lot of time on my laptop!! Blessings of the day to you.     Janice Millford RC JASNA MN. 

26 October 1933 - 16 August 2020 Noted Austen scholar Deirdre Le Faye passed away on Sunday, 16 August 2020, at half past three in the afternoon. She died peacefully at Norewood Lodge Care Home, Portishead, after a long battle with motor neurone disease. She was in her 87th year. Roger Laughton (Deirdre’s cousin and godson) writes she specifically wanted her friends to know how much she valued and appreciated their kindnesses and support which she received from them at all points of her life. Read the tribute from Chawton House here Read the tribute from Jane Austen's House Museum here Read her obituary published in The Telegraph here I'm told tributes will also be published in the next issue of Jane Austen's Regency World Magazine Deirdre's participation in JASNA's 2003 AGM in Chawton and Winchester, England helped make it a truely memorable event. The 2003 ASteering Committee members remember Deirdre with gratitude and kindness.

Natalie Jenner, author of The Jane Austen Society followed by a Q&A session JASNA Southwest cordially invites you and your region members for a free presentation by Natalie Jenner, author of The Jane Austen Society followed by a Q&A session SaturdayJuly 25, 2020 FREE Zoom Meeting 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Register Here: https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07eh7516gma2f6d1c9&oseq=&c=&ch= Send questions in advance to jasnasw@jasnasw.com When you register, you'll receive instructions in advance on how to use and download Zoom for those new to the format. This meeting will be recorded. Natalie Jenner is the author of the new novel (released in May 2020) The Jane Austen Society , a fictional telling of the start of the society in the 1940s in the village of Chawton, where Austen lived.At our virtual meeting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 25, she will discuss the book and answer questions about the process of writing it.Born in England and raised in Canada, Jenner recently founded the independent bookstore Archetype Books in Oakville, Ontario, where she lives with her family and two rescue dogs. The Jane Austen Society is her first published novel and is available now from St. Martin's Press with translation rights sold in 10 countries.Jenner obtained her B.A. from the University of Toronto's St. Michael's College, where she was the 1990 Gold Medalist in English Literature, and her LLB from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Law. She was Called to the Bar of Ontario in 1995. In addition to a brief career as a corporate lawyer, Jenner has worked as a recruiter, career coach and consultant to leading law firms in Canada for more than 20 years. If you would like to make a donation by mail instead of online, please make the check out to Jane Austen Society of NA and send to: Jane Austen Society of NA Attn: Treasurer Priscilla Diamond1129 Maricopa Highway, PMB B-135 Ojai CA 93023