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 the largest and one of the oldest in the national society. We host four regional meetings annually that feature a wide range of speakers and presentations, offer numerous local reading and game groups, sponsor a Young Filmmakers Contest and maintain a comprehensive guide to Austen Adaptations.
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 miniseries.
Celebrating 40 Years!
JASNA (October 5, 1979) and JASNA Southwest (December 14, 1979)
Upcoming Events
Save the Date for the following upcoming events! Sign up for our mailing list for more information.
UCLA Faculty Center
Law in the Regency Era
Featured speakers:
James Nagle, lawyer and frequent JASNA Annual General Meeting speaker, “Inheritance in Jane Austen’s Time”
Walter Nelson, historical consultant, “Crime and Punishment in the Regency Era”
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.
Featured speakers:
Congressman Mark Takano (D-Riverside), former English teacher who launched a Jane Austen reading group on Capitol Hill
Austen scholar Sheryl Craig, author of Jane Austen and the State of the Nation
Saturday, September 12, 2020
Location TBD
Austen Family Theatricals
A staged reading will follow the presentation.
Featured speaker:
Melinda Finberg, a dramaturg and theatre history scholar at the USC School of Dramatic Arts
Saturday, December 5, 2020
The Grand, Long Beach
Fashion Afoot: Costumes, Shoes and Dancing in the Regency Era
Following the presentations and lunch, we’ll engage in a dance lesson.
Featured speakers:
Deborah Nadoolman Landis, renowned film costumer and director of the Copley Center for Costume Design at UCLA
Kimberley Alexander, author of Treasures Afoot: Shoe Stories from the Georgian Era
Annie Laskey, English Country Dance expert
Follow Us
Reading, Film and Game Groups
For the upcoming schedule for each of our reading, film and game groups, visit the groups page.
Recap: What’s Next in Jane Austen?
On December 7, JASNA Southwest celebrated its 40th anniversary at the University of Southern California — a fitting location since USC was where the region held its inaugural meeting almost exactly four decades before. The 2019 festivities at the festive Town &...
2020 Event Schedule
Download the new JASNA Southwest event schedule for 2020, and plan to join us for four exciting events during the new year: February 29 at UCLA, May 2 at the Mission Inn in Riverside, Sept. 12 (location TBD) and December 5 at The Grand in Long Beach.
Board Election and Proposed Bylaws Changes
At our meeting on December 7, 2019, at USC Town & Gown, we will be voting on new board members as well proposed bylaws changes. Following is the slate of new board members: President and Regional Coordinator: Susie Wampler Meeting Registrar/Assistant Treasurer:...
Recap of ‘Jane Austen Meets Mary Shelley’
Nearly 140 JASNA Southwest members and guests gathered at Chapman University for “Jane Austen Meets Mary Shelley” on September 14. Numerous students from both Chapman University and Azusa Pacific University joined JASNA members for this event, which featured speakers...
Sanditon U.S. Air Date Announced
The eagerly anticipated, eight-part series Sanditon, based on the unfinished novel Jane Austen was working on shortly before her death in 1817, will premiere on PBS MASTERPIECE on January 12, 2020. The series stars Rose Williams as Charlotte Heywood, Theo James...
Huntington Event Recap
More than 180 members and guests attended "It's All Relative: Relationships in Austen" on June 1 at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, making this one of the largest turnouts ever for a JASNA Southwest regional meeting! The opening...
Preview of Jane Austen Garden Trail
JASNA Southwest is proud to sponsor one of only 20 named spots along the new Jane Austen Garden Trail at Chawton House in England. The image above is a preview of our plaque on the walk. JASNA Southwest members helped us raise funds for this project to support Chawton...
Pride and Prejudice and Pelisses
Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell's informative talk at the JASNA Southwest December meeting at Sony Pictures Studio covered how fashion is used in Austen adaptations to convey the passage of time, express a character's transformation and signal differences in class, age and...
Q&A With Ashley Clements
At our December 2018 meeting at Sony Pictures Studio, JASNA Southwest Regional Coordinator Susie Wampler moderated a conversation with Ashley Clements, star of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, on how she first became an Austen fan, the process of translating the book to a...
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.
