Jane Austen Society of North America, Southwest Region
Welcome
Whether you have just discovered Jane Austen or are a lifelong aficionado, you are welcome at the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) and our local region of the society, JASNA Southwest.
Our region is one of the oldest and largest in the national society. We host four regional meetings annually, featuring a wide range of speakers and presentations, and offer numerous local reading and game groups. Learn more about the benefits of joining JASNA and JASNA Southwest on our membership page.
We hope you enjoy exploring our site and we hope to see you soon!
Left: Lyme Park stood in for Pemberley in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice
Download Upcoming Events Postcard
Interested in our lineup of events for 2019-2020? Download our upcoming events postcard and save the dates!
read more
Definitive Guide to Austen Adaptations
Interested in the latest announced remakes of Emma, Pride and Prejudice and Clueless? Want to learn more about the lost versions of Pride and Prejudice? Did you know there's a new feminist/LGBT take on Emma? Or that Benedict Cumberbatch and David Tennant star in a...
read more
JASNA Annual Essay Contest Now Open
JASNA's annual student essay contest is now open for submissions. The contest fosters study and appreciation of Jane Austen's work, with several hundred students competing for scholarship awards each year. The contest is open worldwide to students in three divisions:...
read more
New Speakers Added to Sony Event
Additional speakers have joined our lineup for our Winter 2018 meeting at Sony Pictures Studios. Ashley Clements, star of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, will do a Q&A session on "The Modern Elizabeth Bennet," while fashion historian Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell will...
read more
Help JASNA Southwest Support Chawton House
Chawton House was the home of Austen's brother Edward Knight, who offered nearby Chawton Cottage to his mother and sister' during what would become Austen's home during her final, most productive years of life. Now an important nonprofit center for the study of early...
read more
Pride and Prejudice Named 4th Best Loved Book
Pride and Prejudice placed fourth out of 100 books in the running for best-loved novel in PBS' The Great American Read. After a nationwide voting, the results were announced on Oct. 23, with To Kill a Mockingbird coming out on top, followed by the Outlander series,...
read more2018 AGM Highlights
Video from the 2018 JASNA Annual General Meeting in Kansas City
Regional Meetings
Save the Date for the following upcoming events! Sign up for our mailing list for more information.
Saturday, February 23, 2019, Brand Library, Glendale
Jane Austen, Working Woman
Featured speaker: Liz Philosophos Cooper, in her first official speaking engagement as JASNA president
Saturday, June 1, 2019, Huntington Library, San Marino
Relationships in Austen
Featured speakers: Ted Scheinman, author of Camp Austen: My Life as an Accidental Jane Austen Superfan, and his mother, noted Austen scholar Deborah Knuth Klenck
UCLA Professor Charles Lynn Batten
Saturday, September 14, 2019, Chapman University, Orange
Jane Austen Meets Mary Shelley
Featured speakers: John Kessel will discuss Pride and Prometheus, his mashup of Pride and Prejudice and Frankenstein
UCLA Professor Anne Mellor will give a talk on Mothering Monsters: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Saturday, December 7, 2019, USC Town & Gown
What’s Next in Jane Austen?
Featured speakers: Devoney Looser and Janine Barchas
Saturday, May 2, 2020, Mission Inn, Riverside
Miss Austen Goes to Washington
Our event will explore Regency-era politics as well as Austen’s influence today.
Reading and Game Groups
For the upcoming schedule for each of our reading and game groups, visit the reading and game groups page.
Immerse yourself in an Austen novel, participate in a reading or game group or catch up on the latest JASNA Southwest news.
Explore the benefits of becoming a JASNA and JASNA Southwest member, or join or renew your membership now!
Join other Jane Austen fans from around Southern California by attending one of our regional meetings.
Greet visitors at our Festival of Books booth, organize a new reading group or assist with events and more as a valued volunteer.
Support JASNA’s Southwest region with a tax-deductible donation in any amount. Your gift truly makes a meaningful difference in all we do!
Discover a treasure trove of resources, including our comprehensive guide to film adaptations as well as books Austen herself admired.
Email jasnasw or visit our contact page to direct your query on a specific topic or to a board member. We look forward to hearing from you.
Join Our Mailing List
Sign up today to receive our monthly e-newsletter, event invitations and occasional news, such as free Austen-related film screenings. We never (ever) share your information with anyone. Period.
