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Left: Jane Austen’s House Museum in Chawton, Hampshire, England
About JASNA
Founded in 1979, the nonprofit Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) is dedicated to the enjoyment and appreciation of Jane Austen and her writing. With some 80 regional groups across the United States and Canada, JASNA engages more than 5,000 members of all ages and walks of life. Each autumn, one of JASNA’s regional groups hosts a three-day, Austen-themed conference, the Annual General Meeting (AGM), which draws between 500 and 800 members from throughout North America.
About Jane Austen
(December 16, 1775 – July 18, 1817)
Although her life was short (she died at age 41) and she only completed six full-length novels, Jane Austen remains one of the world’s most popular and revered authors. Her works are timeless and enduring thanks to her incisive wit, memorable characters and mastery of the language.
In the resources section of our website, you will find additional information and links to materials on Austen, her works, film and television adaptations, film locations, what to read when you’re not reading Austen, and much more.
Our parent organization, the Jane Austen Society of North America, maintains extensive resources on Austen, including a brief biography, essays about her life, a chronology of her works, images of Austen and a wonderful series of maps of the locations (fictional and real) mentioned in her novels.
About JASNA Southwest
JASNA Southwest, founded the same year as our parent organization, was among the first three regional groups established (along with New York and Chicago) and is now the largest and one of the most active regions in the society.
Our region currently spans Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and Ventura counties, and previously included Arizona and Nevada before members based in those states created their own separate regional groups.
To learn more about our region’s early history, read the Story of JASNA Southwest and the board history.
Run by a volunteer board of directors and staffed entirely by volunteers, JASNA Southwest activities include:
- Holding four annual meetings (February/March, May/June, September/October and December) featuring speakers and presentations on a wide range of topics
- Supporting more than a dozen reading and game groups in locations throughout the region
- Participating in the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
- Providing other educational outreach throughout the region
- Publishing a monthly e-newsletter
- Developing new events and activities
- Offering members the opportunity to attend occasional free film screenings and other special events
- Periodically hosting the JASNA AGM (including the 2017 AGM)