“Covered/Uncovered – The Shawl and the Regency Era”

 

Close-up of the border of a Kashmir shawl fragment
credit: K. Jorgensen,

"Fanny, William must not forget my shawl if he goes to the East Indies; and I shall give him a commission for anything else that is worth having. I wish he may go to the East Indies, that I may have my shawl. I think I will have two shawls, Fanny." Mansfield Park, chapter 31

Event: JASNA CWNY December Meeting

Topic: “Covered/Uncovered – The Shawl and the Regency Era”

                by Kate Jorgensen, JASNA-CWNY member

When:    Saturday, December 9, 2023, 1 pm EST (2nd Saturday)

Where: IN PERSON at Pittsford Barnes and Noble, Community Room

Please join us when Kate Jorgensen, a Central and Western NY region member, will lead us through the world of Regency shawls. Kate writes:

Throughout Jane Austen’s life, shawls were a popular and versatile fashion accessory.  But have you ever considered what the difference is between a Kashmir shawl and one produced in Britain or where the paisley pattern originated?  Have you thought about how shawl production in Britain is linked to the First Industrial Revolution?  What role did Empress Josephine play?  Can you really draw a Kashmir shawl through a small ring?  Please join us as Kate Jorgensen provides an overview that explores these questions.  During our time together we will talk about the shawl and its history, including its path to Britain, the role of the shawl in Regency fashion and how changes in textile production and trade impacted on shawl manufacture from the design process to spinning and weaving to finishing.  We’ll even bust a couple shawl myths in the process! 

Kate spoke to us last year about Regency textiles. She has a lifelong love of fibers and textiles.

Kate's bio:

Kate Jorgensen is a life-long learner, reader, and hand arts enthusiast with an interest in history and how it links to who we are today.  Kate has three bachelor’s degrees (English Education, Chemistry, and Textiles and Clothing) from The Ohio State University, an M.B.A. from Capital University, and an M.L.I.S. from Drexel University.  She also holds certifications in project management, Agile product ownership and change management and is a Six Sigma Green Belt.  Kate’s senior thesis was on microscopic evaluation of fibers from wrappings retrieved from mummy bundles and she began her career working with textiles and other artifacts retrieved from trunks from an 1865 shipwreck. Today Kate works on sustainability initiatives, focusing on changing what we are doing today to preserve the planet for tomorrow.  Find Kate at https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinejorgensen/. 

AND

Save the Date: Jane Austen Birthday Luncheon

Event:            JASNA CWNY Jane Austen Birthday Luncheon

Topic:            “How Happy are Austen’s ‘Happy Endings’?” 

                       A talk by Inger Brodey, Associate Professor of English and 

                       Comparative Literature at the University of North Carolina

When:            Saturday, January 20, 2024, 10:30 am - 2:00 pm EST

Where:           IN PERSON at The Highlands at Pittsford

                       100 Hahnemann Trail, Pittsford, NY 14534

Registration: Pre-registration and pre-payment required. 

                       You can register and pay by clicking HERE

Tea Wreaths and the AGM

A Bow of Tea made Just For Thee

Event: JASNA CWNY November Meeting

Topic: AGM Reports and Holiday Tea Wreath Workshop

When:     Saturday, November 18, 2023, 1 pm EST

Where:   IN PERSON at Pittsford Barnes and Noble, Community Room

We had a wonderful  time creating tea wreaths and discussing the AGM last November. So we are going to offer the opportunity to add to your holiday decorations once again. This year will feature a wider variety of wreath frames and shapes. Please bring your own ribbon and scissors. Unwanted tea bags in paper wrappers are welcome.

As before, we will also hear from our members who attended the most recent AGM in Denver "Pride and Prejudice, A Rocky Romance"

Please join us to create your own drinkable holiday decoration.

Buffalo Area Janeites Sense and Sensibility Part II

 

Elinor, however little concerned in it, joined in their discourse; and Marianne, who had the knack of finding her way in every house to the library, however it might be avoided by the family in general, soon procured herself a book. Sense and Sensibility ch. 42

Event:    JASNA CWNY Buffalo Area Discussion Group

Topic:    A discussion of Sense and Sensibility Vol. 2 led by Susan Harris-Gamard 

When:    Saturday, October 28 from 1pm

Where:  The Clearfield Library, 770 Hopkins Rd, Williamsville, NY 14221

Please join us for a continuation of the discussion of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. This time we will focus on Volume 2. Note the location change from the first meeting.

Autumn in the Adirondacks
credit: the author

Her pleasure in the walk must arise from the exercise and the day, from the view of the last smiles of the year upon the tawny leaves, and withered hedges, and from repeating to herself some few of the thousand poetical descriptions extant of autumn... Persuasion chapter 10

Event: JASNA CWNY October Meeting

Topic: "Autumn in Austen" Discussion 

                led by Marie Sprayberry, JASNA-CWNY member

When: Saturday, October 21, 2023, 1 pm EDT

Where:   IN PERSON at Pittsford Barnes and Noble, Community Room

Autumn is in the air. There is color in the trees, a coolness in the air, and a feeling of change coming upon us. For some it is the best time of the year. This month Marie Sprayberry will lead us in a discussion about "Autumn in Austen" 

Marie writes:

"It's been a while since we just sat around and talked about the books in Pittsford--and in considering possible topics, I was struck by the importance of autumn in many of Jane Austen's works. Think about the number of beginnings, endings, and other pivotal scenes that are set in autumn. Please pick your favorites and bring them along, to read aloud if you will (or I'll do the reading, if you like!). And let's also consider possible reasons why autumn plays such an important role."

Marie is a life member of JASNA and has spoken at our regional meetings previously. Two year ago she spoke to us about "Martha Lloyd and Cooking at Chawton Cottage". Last year she presented a talk entitled "Cassandra at 250: An Appreciation"

My favorite quote is presented above beneath the picture. Pick your favorite and please join us to discuss Autumn in Austen.

Meet JASNA's President

 JASNA - CWNY

Jane Austen Society of North America - Central & Western NY Region

After the meeting, join us for an informal meet & greet with tea and cookies at 3:30 pm.

__________________________________________________________

Meet JASNA's President

at our September Meeting!

Saturday, September 16

1:00 pm EDT

Pittsford Barnes & Noble Community Room

Jane Austen’s Reputation: Highlights of Her First Century in American Periodicals.

A talk by Mary Mintz, JASNA President

Here's a short description of the talk from the speaker:

Jane Austen’s repeated appearance in the periodical literature throughout the nineteenth century indicates a strong interest in her biography and her novels.  The latter were interpreted through a nineteenth lens that was very different from own perspective, but nevertheless, we recognize the Jane Austen they describe—in mostly glowing terms.  Their appreciation and interest kept her before the reading audience.

And here is a short bio of the speaker:

Mary Mintz holds two master’s degrees, one in library science and one in English literature with a specialization in nineteenth century British literature.  She is the Associate Director for Outreach at the American University Library in Washington, D.C., as well as the Humanities and Honors Librarian   As a faculty member at the university, she works closely with history and literature students to support their original research.  She has served JASNA nationally as the chair of the Nominating Committee, an at-large-member of the Board of Directors, and vice-president/president-elect.  On December 16, 2023, she became the president of JASNA.  She says, however, that her most rewarding role in JASNA so far has been serving as Coordinator of DC Region.    

After the talk please join us at a reception to meet Mary Mintz

Meet & Greet address & location

The Hahnemann Club at the Highlands At Pittsford 

301 Stoutenburgh Lane, Pittsford, NY 14534

Directions:

From Barnes and Noble, turn right onto NY-31 E/Monroe Ave.

Continue to follow NY-31 E. for 2.4 miles.

Turn left onto Hahnemann Trail (First light after going through Pittsford Village.)

Take the first left. 

Turn left at the stop sign.

Take the first right onto Stoutenburgh Lane.

The Hahnemann club will be on your right.

Parking is available in front of the club, and along Stoutenburgh Lane on the right.

Buffalo Area Janeites - Sense and Sensibility and Starbucks

 

Sense and Sensibility Title Page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sense_and_Sensibility

"... and one subject only engaged the ladies till coffee came in, ..." Sense and Sensibility Vol. II ch 12 (34)

Event:    JASNA CWNY Buffalo Area Discussion Group

Topic:    A discussion of Sense and Sensibility Vol. 1 led by Susan Harris-Gamard 

When:    Saturday, September 9th from 1-3 pm

Where:  Starbucks on Main Street in Williamsville, Conference Room

JASNA Central and Western NY is delighted to present our first Buffalo area meeting. If you live in the Buffalo area and love Jane Austen's work, please join us for coffee and an engaging opportunity to talk about Sense and Sensibility. As Anne Elliot said in Persuasion, "My idea of good company, Mr. Elliot, is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation..." All you need is an interest in Jane Austen's work, and you will find good company. The coffee is optional.

Susan Harris-Gamard is a writer and avid traveler living in Clarence, NY. A JASNA member since 2008, she has had the privilege to attend many AGMs, including last year’s in Victoria. Her love for Austen began at university in 1996 while taking a course called “Gothic Women’s Fiction” taught by Austen Scholar Deidre Shauna Lynch. After returning to graduate school, Susan decided to focus on Jane Austen and completed a Master’s thesis in 2013 entitled “Marianne’s Narrow Escape: Redeeming Female Ruin, Sensibility, and the English Landscape through the Picturesque.” As your new co-regional coordinator, she looks forward to future sojourns into Austen’s novels through a monthly book discussion group held in Buffalo and many future events yet to come.

Spruce Beer

 

Ian Ferguson

"You know of course that Martha comes to-day, yesterday brought us notice of it, and the spruce beer is brewed in consequence." Jane Austen letter to Cassandra, October 7, 1808 https://pemberley.com/janeinfo/brablets.html

Event:    JASNA CWNY May Meeting

Topic:    Spruce Beer, a talk and tasting by Ian Ferguson 

When:    Saturday, May 20, 2023 at 1 pm EDT 

Where:  IN PERSON at the Stone-Tolan House. 

               Click HERE for information on the Stone-Tolan House

Registration Details:  Cost $10, space is limited

                                     Pre-registration and pre-payment required

                                     Please click HERE to register.

                                     The event includes a tour of the Stone-Tolan House

                                     Attendees must be over 21

Lunch:

There will also be a group lunch at 11:00 am at Olives in Schoen Place before the talk. Pay on your own. You will need to reserve a spot at lunch by emailing Lisa Brown at jasnacwny@gmail.com. For information on Olives please click HERE

 

Jane Austen enjoyed spruce beer. She mentioned it in her letters. We also find spruce beer in Emma.

"...he wanted to make a memorandum in his pocket-book; it was about spruce-beer. Mr. Knightley had been telling him something about brewing spruce-beer, and he wanted to put it down..." Emma chapter 40

Please join us to find out more about spruce beer and enjoy a tasting. Our speaker is an expert on brewing spruce beer:

Speaker bio:

Ian Ferguson began brewing beer with a friend while living in South Korea back in 2011. After moving to Denver, Colorado, Ian found a home brewing shop just down the road from where he lived and continued brewing simple recipes to share with his friends. When he moved to Paulding, Ohio, in 2017, he began to learn of the county and the history of its founder John Paulding. Combining his love for brewing and history, Ian began brewing spruce beer (which John Paulding certainly drank) and sharing the story of John Paulding and his spruce beer with the community. History is most inviting when it is not only told, but experienced.

We certainly agree with Mr. Ferguson that "history is most inviting when it is not only told, but experienced". So please join us to experience the tale and taste of one of Jane Austen's favorite beverages.

“Weave, Knit, Net, Knot – Textiles and the Regency Era

 

Woman Day Dress, Made in India 1796-1804
https://www.artic.edu/artworks/250437/woman-s-day-dress

Event:    JASNA CWNY April Meeting

Topic:    "Weave, Knit, Net, Knot - Textiles in the Regency Era" 

               A talk by Kate Jorgensen, JASNA CWNY member

When:    Saturday, April 15, 2023 at 1 pm EDT 

Where:  IN PERSON at Pittsford Barnes & Noble Community Room

We are all familiar with Regency fashions. We have seen them in the adaptations and worn them ourselves to Regency balls. But what went into making those dresses and tailcoats? At our April meeting Kate Jorgensen of our region will tell us how those beautiful garments were made.

Kate writes:

Bombazine, muslin, gauze, crape, worsted.  Jane Austen’s books and other writings are full of textile terms but what is behind these terms?  What fibers were used, where did they come from and how were the items produced?  What textile production inventions shifted the British textile production landscape during the Regency Era?  Please join us as Kate Jorgensen provides an overview that touches on each of these questions. During our time together we will look at textiles, fibers, the impact of trade and British Imperialism on textile production and access. and the changing textile production landscape during the Regency Era.

Please join us at Barnes and Noble to learn more about the details of Regency fashion.

Kate is a member of our region, apparently she has worked on mummies:

Kate Jorgensen is a life-long learner, reader, and hand arts enthusiast with an interest in history and how it links to who we are today.  Kate has three bachelor’s degrees (English Education, Chemistry and Textiles and Clothing) from The Ohio State University, an M.B.A. from Capital University, and an M.L.I.S. from Drexel University.  She also holds certifications in project management, Agile product ownership and change management and is a Six Sigma Green Belt.  Kate’s senior thesis was on microscopic evaluation of fibers from wrappings retrieved from mummy bundles and she began her career working with textiles and other artifacts retrieved from trunks from an 1865 shipwreck. Today Kate works on sustainability initiatives, focusing on changing what we are doing today to preserve the planet for tomorrow.  Kate can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinejorgensen/. 

March Meeting "The World of Jane Austen Soundtracks"

 

Jane Austen at the Movies
By MGM - source, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org

Event:    JASNA CWNY March Meeting

Topic:    "The World of Jane Austen Soundtracks" 

               A talk by Ruth Mudge

When:    Saturday, March 18, 2023 at 1 pm EDT 

Where:  On-line through Zoom, pre-registration required

Registration: Click HERE to register

Lights, Camera, Action! Movie adaptations of Jane Austen's novels have a long history. They have been at times well loved and at times controversial. In these adaptations, acting, dialog, scenery, costuming and many other things are important in determining the success of the movie. Also of importance is the soundtrack. Please join us as Ruth Mudge discuss "The World of Jane Austen Soundtracks" at our next meeting.

The speaker writes:

"Soundtracks are one of the many vehicles used to portray the emotions, tone, era, comedy and more within films. In listening to and comparing musical themes, particularly from adaptations of Pride and Prejudice, this session will uncover the variety of ways that soundtracks interpret Jane’s stories and explores how music powerfully impacts the telling of these beloved stories."

Speaker bio:

Ruth Mudge is a cello and piano instructor in the western suburbs of the Chicago area. She also freelances regularly with local orchestras and ensembles. Ruth has written and collaborated on several soundtrack analysis projects over the past few years, and more recently began teaching soundtrack classes on Zoom, ranging from Harry Potter to The Sound of Music to a series on Jane Austen adaptations.

Please join us online for this musical look at the world of Jane Austen movies.

Admiral Charles Austen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Austen

 Event:    JASNA CWNY February Meeting

Topic:    "Narratives of a Naval Wife: Fanny Austen in Fact and 

               Jane Austen in Fiction" 

               A talk by Sheila Johnson Kindred

When:    Saturday, February 18, 2023 at 1 pm EDT 

Where:  On-line through Zoom, pre-registration required

               To register click HERE

Please join us on February 18 for a special online meeting where Sheila Johnson Kindred will tell us about the life of Fanny Palmer, Charles Austen's wife. 

Sheila writes:"When Fanny Palmer married Jane Austen’s younger naval brother Charles in 1807, she was thrust into a demanding life within the wartime world of the British navy. This talk will provide a vividly personal account of what Fanny was able to share with Jane about her life as a naval wife, information that was arguably contextual and catalytic for Austen’s creation of the naval wives in Persuasion."

About the speaker:

Sheila Johnson Kindred taught for many years in the Philosophy Department of St Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She has lectured on aspects of Jane Austen’s family and fiction in Canada, United States, Bermuda, Australia and England, and published fifteen articles on Austen related topics. She is the author of the prize winning book, Jane Austen’s Transatlantic Sister: The Life and Letters of Fanny Palmer Austen (2017). (I read this book and found it fascinating).

Sheila blogs on her website Jane Austen’s Naval World at sheilajohnsonkindred.com.

So please join us to learn about someone whose information may have contributed to Jane Austen's work.

Birthday Luncheon

 

Colonel Brandon mets Marianne after her illness
http://mollands.net/etexts/senseandsensibility/snsillus.html

"Marianne's illness, though weakening in its kind, had not been long enough to make her recovery slow; and with youth, natural strength, and her mother's presence in aid, it proceeded so smoothly as to enable her to remove, within four days after the arrival of the latter, into Mrs. Palmer's dressing-room. When there, at her own particular request, for she was impatient to pour forth her thanks to him for fetching her mother, Colonel Brandon was invited to visit her." Sense and Sensibility ch. 46

A Birthday Lunch, Popovers, Colonel Brandon and the Far East

You are invited to lunch with JASNA-Central & Western New York on  Saturday, January 21 2023 at 10:30 am at The Chatterbox Club, 25 Goodman St N, Rochester NY 14607.  Cost of the luncheon is $40.  Yes!  There will be popovers! 

The luncheon speaker is Celia Easton, who will share her AGM talk on Colonel Brandon and Military Service in India.  

This form allows you to pay online through PayPal.  After submitting the form, click the link to authorize PayPal payment.  You will receive a "PAID" receipt.

Registration

To register and pay please click HERE

Please register by January 14 so that we know how many are coming

Guests should have current boosters against COVID and should wear masks at the event, except while eating.

Edith Lank: 1926-2023 Founder of JASNACWNY

Edith Lank 1926-2023

Sad news. Edith will be missed by all.

In Memoriam

Edith Lank

Central and Western New York

Edith Lank died January 1, 2023. She was born Edith Handleman on February 27, 1926, in Chelsea, Mass., and graduated from Penn Yan Academy and Syracuse University (Phi Beta Kappa). In 1948, she wed Norman Lank—a loving partnership that lasted until his death in 2011. Having worked for newspapers since her high school years, she created an advice column on real estate in the 1970s that eventually was distributed to more than 100 newspapers. She wrote her last column in 2019. Edith also taught at St. John Fisher College in Rochester and lectured on real estate nationally, appearing frequently on television and radio. She wrote real estate licensing textbooks for New York and New Jersey. She was also an avid bird watcher and certified scuba diver.

For Janeites both in her own region and across North America, Edith was a guiding light for decades. Several years before attending her first AGM in Baltimore in 1980, she founded the Rochester Jane Austen group that later became JASNA Rochester (and that merged with JASNA Syracuse in 2015 to become JASNA CWNY). She also served on the JASNA North American board; was an enthusiastic mentor to younger Janeites; answered the JASNA toll-free hotline (when there was one) for several years; and enlivened countless Rochester meetings and several AGM breakout sessions with her trademark wit and verve. She was also always willing to share her remarkable collection of Austen-related books and ephemera—including a complete set of first editions, an original signature, and Lord Brabourne’s edition of Austen’s letters including family and other annotations—with JASNA members, as attendees at her Chicago 2008 breakout (see Persuasions 30: 76-87) can attest! Much of her JASNA ephemera collection, offering delightful documentation of early AGMs, is now in the JASNA archives at Goucher College.

Edith had several other articles published in Persuasions and Persuasions On-Line:

• Annotations on the Bellas copy of the Letters: https://jasna.org/persuasions/on-line/vol29no1/lank.html? 

• On Darcy Wentworth: https://jasna.org/persuasions/printed/number11/lank.htm

• Who was Harriet's mother?: https://jasna.org/persuasions/printed/number7/lank.html

• On "lop't and crop't": https://jasna.org/persuasions/printed/number7/lank-2.html

Edith is survived by her sons, Avrum (Dannette) of Milwaukee, WI, and Dov (Constance Smith) of Port Moody, BC, Canada; a daughter, Anna (Michael Mortenson), of Manhattan; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Memorial donations may be made to JASNA, earmarked for the Edith Lank Fund, which was established in 2022 by Edith’s children and announced at the Victoria AGM by her son Dov (David).