JASNA Eastern Pennsylvania Region

Program of Events

The Region holds four meetings per year: one per quarter, alternating Saturdays and Sundays. Our regular meeting dates are the last Saturday in March, the first Sunday in May, the last Saturday in September, and either the first or second Sunday of December. Due to scheduling difficulties, conflicting holidays, weather emergencies or other circumstances, the date may fluctuate by a week or two. We announce all meeting dates and programs at the beginning of the calendar year; detailed information about the 2010 program will be available by January 31, 2010.

The 2009 meeting dates are: Saturday, March 21; Saturday, May 2; Saturday, September 26; and Sunday, December 6 or 13.

The Proposed 2010 meeting dates are: Saturday, March 27, 2010; Saturday, May 1, 2010; Saturday, September 25, 2010; Sunday, December 5 or 12, 2010.

2009 Events

Spring Program

Event: Dr. Michael Gamer, Associate Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania and Life Member of JASNA, will be speaking to us about "Rereading Jane Austen's Letters," with a focus on the letters included within Jane Austen's novels. Dr. Gamer received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, and specializes in the area of Romantic writing, with a particular interest in its relation to popular fiction and drama. Dr. Gamer is the author of multiple books, including Romanticism and the Gothic: Genre, Reception, and Canon Formation. He has edited such works as The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole and Lyrical Ballads by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth.

Location: georges', 503 W. Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, PA 19087, 610.964.2588

Date: Saturday, March 21, 2009

Time: Noon to 3:00 p.m.

Directions: The restaurant is located on Lancaster Avenue, also called Route 30. Turn into the Spread Eagle Village parking lot, where georges' is located. Route 30 is easily accessed from City Line Avenue or the Blue Route. Please visit the restaurant's website for more detailed directions.

Menu: In addition to an opening course of creamy mushroom soup and a dessert of warm apple tart served with ice cream, you have your choice of Atlantic salmon served with grilled asparagus and a salad of baby arugula dressed with balsamic vinagrette OR roasted free range chicken breast served with garlic pommes puree and a rosemary jus.

N.B.: Reservations are required to attend this event. The reservation form will be provided in the February issue of "Bits & Scraps," the regional newsletter. If you do not subscribe, please send a check for the appropriate amount to "JASNA Eastern PA Region" to the Regional Coordinator by March 12, 2009 after the e-mail for reservations has been sent. (See contact page for the address). Cost for JASNA members in good standing is $35. Cost for their particular guests $45.

Summer Program

Event: Marsha Huff, President of the Jane Austen Society of North America, will be visiting us from Wisconsin. Ms. Huff will be speaking to us on "Viewing Austen through Vermeer's Camera Obscura", in a presentation which compares Jane Austen's novels with the art of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675), who captured domestic interior scenes of ordinary life with fine precision. Vermeer brought light to life’s ordinary scenes … and deftly used light to highlight faces in particular. Vermeer’s "Girl with a Pearl Earring," has been likened to the "Mona Lisa."

Location: Joseph Ambler Inn, 1005 Horsham Road, North Wales, PA 19073 215.362.7000

Date: Sunday, May 2, 2009

Time: 11:30 AM to 3:00 p.m.; Luncheon to be served promptly at noon.

Directions: If traveling from a distance, use the PA turnpike and exit at Fort Washington, Exit 339. Take Route 309 north, immediately upon exiting from the turnpike. (Note that this exit is under construction and signs are difficult to see.) Travel approximately seven miles to Upper State Road in North Wales. Turn right onto Upper State Road. Approximately a mile later, turn right onto Horsham Road (toward Chalfont) at the traffic light. The inn is on the left. Please visit the restaurant's web site if you require more detailed directions.

Menu: Luncheon will consist of Caesar Salad followed by your choice of entree. You may select the Breast of Chicken Stuffed with Tomato, Basil & Mozzarella in a Balsamic Reduction OR the Herb-Roasted Salmon with Citrus Beurre Blanc. Dessert will be Vanilla Ice Cream with Seasonal Berries. Coffee and tea service will be provided. The cost per member is $44, and the cost for nonmember guests is $54 per person.

Reservations are required to attend this luncheon event. The luncheon reservation form will be provided in the April issue of "Bits & Scraps," the regional newsletter. If you do not subscribe, please send a check for the appropriate amount to "JASNA Eastern PA Region" to the Regional Coordinator by April 22, 2009 (see contact page for the mailing address) after the email request for reservations has been sent. This event is not limited to JASNA members in good standing and their guests.

Autumn Program

Event: We will tour a special exhibit at the Pennsylvania Hospital, which is being set up in anticipation of the Annual General Meeting hosted by our region from October 9-11, 2009. The exhibit will include a painting by Benjamin West that is known to have been viewed by Jane Austen at an exhibition in London during her lifetime.

Location: 800 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 215.829.3000

Date: Saturday, September 26, 2009

Time: 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. The tour will be of short duration. Luncheon is on your own following the tour. There is a wonderful choice of restaurants in this area.

Directions: Please visit the hospital's website for detailed directions.

Reservations are required to attend this event. The reservation form will be provided in the August issue of "Bits & Scraps," the regional newsletter. If you do not subscribe, please send a check for the appropriate amount to "JASNA Eastern PA Region" to the Regional Coordinator by September 15, 2009 (see contact page for the mailing address). This event is limited to JASNA members in good standing and their guests (Members: $15; Guests: $15).

Winter Program

Event: We gather to celebrate the 234th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth by making merry with fellow Janeites, good company and good cooks. What devilish and challenging game awaits us this year? Please join us to delight in each other's company as we cavort merrily and behave in ways "most profligate and shocking."

Location: Ellerslie at Crosslands, Kennett Square, PA 19348

Date: Sunday, December 6, 2009

Time: 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM

Directions: Follow Route 1, north or south depending upon one's starting point, to Route 52 north. Turn onto Route 52 north, then follow Route 52 north, until turning onto Route 926 east. OR follow Route 3, east or west depending on one's starting point, then turn onto Rout 926 west. Turn into Crosslands parking lot from Route 926.