Liz Philosophos Cooper
Jane Austen: Working Woman
“I must keep to my own style & go on in my own Way.”
Jane Austen was a working woman and determined professional writer. This illustrated talk will explore Austen’s involvement in the business of publishing novels during a time of rampant financial instability. The Austen family were active participants in both war and finance and these two sectors intertwined in the story of Jane Austen’s writing and publishing.
Liz Philosophos Cooper is the President of JASNA. Liz is a second-generation JASNA member who fell in love with Austen’s work as a high school student. A member of JASNA since 1992, she has actively participated in local JASNA activities and served as JASNA’s Vice-President for Regions from 2013-2018 and Regional Coordinator of Wisconsin prior to that. A popular speaker, she is a contributing writer to Jane Austen’s Regency World and co-edits Wisconsin Region’s A Year with Jane Austen calendar. Her talk from the Washington DC AGM, “The Apothecary and the Physician: Emma’s Mr. Perry” was published in Persuasions 38.
She holds a BA (Communication Arts) from the University of Wisconsin. She worked in marketing before taking time off to raise four sons. Literature has always been a part of Liz’s life as her Mom was an English major. Liz began a Village book group in 1986 that is still going strong and organized and implemented a Junior Great Books reading program at the local elementary school. She has been an active volunteer in the community, including serving as President of the Village of Shorewood Hills Foundation for many years.
Liz and her husband Scott run a marketing consulting firm and enjoy traveling. True fact: they visited Chawton on their honeymoon in 1978! After having three brothers and four sons, it is a great joy for her to have three new daughters through marriage. Her three granddaughters and two grandsons are known to host tea parties with Jane Austen showing it’s never too early to learn about Jane!
Photo credit: ssullivanphoto.com
Michelle Siu
What’s in a Regency Picnic Basket?
We’ll take a look at some picnic menus and some popular picnic fare and also look at what planning would be done to prepare for the Box Hill picnic in Emma.
Michelle Siu has been a member of JASNA Vancouver region since 2007. Her first novel was Pride & Prejudice, but her favourite is Persuasion. She has served as Regional Coordinator since December 2014. She works in administration. www.jasnavancouver.ca.
Collins Hemingway
The East India Company: Its Origins, History, and Impact
The British East India Company, equal parts entrepreneur and government entity, rose to administer a huge portion of the globe and carry on much of Britain’s international trade. This presentation explains how initially the EIC barely achieved a toehold in Asia; how it survived the Spice Wars; how it came to rule India; and how it dominated China to oversee its opium trade. One section explains Austen’s family connections through the first Governor General of India, Warren Hastings.
Collins Hemingway has lectured on Jane Austen and the Regency era in the U.S., England, and Australia. He presented at the 2018 and 2019 AGMs and spoke by video at the 2020 AGM. He has published in Persuasions and in the journals of the Australian society. He is a regular contributor to Jane Austen’s Regency World. He authored The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen, literary fiction based on Austen’s life. He is working on a collection of essays on Austen’s development as a writer. https://www.collinshemingway.com/
Alison Dacia Brown
The 2022 AGM in Victoria, BC, the City of Gardens!
Alison will briefly chat about the upcoming 2022 AGM (as much as she can share right now!) and will talk about why Jane Austen fans will love a trip to the City of Gardens. She may give away a door prize as well…
Alison Dacia Brown keeps busy in her day job as a communications analyst, and after hours as the regional coordinator for JASNA Victoria and for next year’s (!!!) AGM here in the City of Gardens. She also loves long walks, and the occasional glass of wine. http://www.jasnavictoria.ca/
Marcia Hamley
Education of Young Women and Girls in the Regency
Middle-class girls were trained in the “accomplishments,” while some like Jane Austen were lucky enough to have access to more extensive libraries and reading. Boys and girls were being prepared for very different societal roles. Austen was keenly aware of the lively educational debates of the period, and we’ll look at how she addressed them in her writing.
Marcia Hamley has admired Jane Austen ever since the magnificent 1995 films! She visited Jane Austen’s House in 2015, retired in 2016, and joined JASNA and attended her first AGM in 2017. She loves reading the novels, juvenilia, and unfinished works. Marcia is a Regional Co-Coordinator for JASNA Oregon & SW Washington. https://www.jasna-orswwa.org/
McLean Sloughter
Jane Austen Trivia!
Join us for a bit of fun as we have a trivia contest with questions on Austen’s works, their adaptations, Austen’s own life, and the Regency Era. Participants will be divided into groups for this contest, so this will also be an opportunity to socialize, and meet some new Austen fans from around the Pacific Northwest.
McLean Sloughter is a statistics professor by trade, and a long-time Austen fan. He is a part of the Puget Sound JASNA region, where he serves as chair of the Communications Committee, and has contributed to multiple presentations on Regency foods. In 2017, he helped to organize JaneFest in Seattle. https://www.austenps.com/
Updated 1/14/21
JASNA Eastern Washington/Northern Idaho 