If you were unable to attend this event, visit the Video page to watch the presentation.
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On Saturday, June 5, attendees enjoyed a lively and offbeat program—the premier episode of Just Plain Jane, a fictional chat show for Jane Austen enthusiasts! While exploring Jane’s own reading choices, we addressed our favorite author by her first name and welcome a little cheekiness. Our home-grown, knowledgeable panelists tackled such questions as: How do we know what Jane read? And what do we know about those books? What did she learn from them, positive and negative? Did these authors influence her own writing style?
Then the group enjoyed our playful bonus program, “Jane’s Greatest Reader,” an original contest to find the top reader among all Austen characters! We time-travelled via the novels to six of Austen’s fictional country villages, where reporters were standing by, ready with the latest developments in a hot competition to crown Jane’s own reading champion.
This original program was written by Life Member Bettye Dew, author of JASNA St. Louis’s December 2020 adaptation of Lady Susan, Facts Are Such Horrid Things.
Please note: To ensure that our afternoon ran smoothly and securely, this event was an online presentation via Zoom.
