JASNA-MN Featured Member (June 2019)

Meet Ruth Maramis. We will be viewing her short film HEARTS WANT on our next meeting She wrote and produced this film inspired by "Persuasion".

JASNA-MN: How did you hear about JASNAMN?

Ruth: I can’t remember exactly. I think I might’ve come across the national JASNA on Twitter or Facebook and decided to see if there is a Minnesota chapter I could join.

JASNA-MN: What is your favorite Jane Austen’s book or movies?

Ruth: My intro to Jane Austen is actually through a movie, the 1995 Sense & Sensibility directed by Ang Lee. I’m forever indebted to my cousin who rented this movie when I visited her at Penn State University, but somehow it didn’t have as much an impact as it did the second time around. When I started reading Austen’s novels, my favorite is actually Persuasion as I have always loved stories about second chances in love, and I so identified with the protagonist Anne Elliot who lost her mother early in life.

JASNA-MN: What was your favorite meeting/event so far? Any idea what fun stuff we should do?

Ruth: I have gone to about 4-5 meetings so far and one of my favorites is when the owner of Bingley’s Teas give a presentation about Tea, Evolution to Etiquette in Jane Austen’s Time. As a tea drinker and an Austen fan, it’s so great to learn about the history of two of my favorite subjects.

I’d love to see more events like this and the one about Austen as a working woman, anything that explores the history around Austen and/or her Regency time. As a film/theatre buff, how about doing a reading of Austen’s works, perhaps with professional actors? Also, the Jungle Theatre is bringing back their popular Austen plays The Wickhams and Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (), it’d be fun to have an event relating to that.

JASNA-MN: How long have you been a member?

Ruth: Since February 2018.

JASNA-MN: Tell me a little bit about yourself: hobbies? hidden talent?

Ruth: I’m a film blogger/critic (an approved film critic with the reviews-aggregator site ) and I’m also the official blogger of Twin Cities Film Fest. I’m also a screenwriter/filmmaker. My short film HEARTS WANT (that I wrote and produced) is partly inspired by Persuasion, which will be shown in the July event. Shot and completed in 2017, HW is a proof of a concept for the feature-length film which is currently in the works.

JASNA-MN: Thank you Ruth for your times! See you at next meeting...

*If you are interested to be our next featured member or would like to nominate someone Please email us at