Events

Upcoming Events

Local Jane Austen Activities - November

“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 – that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence on the mind of taste and tenderness – that season which has drawn from every poet worthy of being read some attempt at description, or some lines of feeling.” ~ Persuasion

There will be no formal JASNA Vancouver meeting in November due to scheduling conflicts with our venue. However, there are a couple local events that may be of interest.

There are still tickets for the matinee performance of Austentatious on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 2:30 pm at Vancouver Playhouse and you can buy tickets here.

Austentatious has been performing to sell-out crowds in London’s West End since 2019. It’s a long-form improv comedy, where the all-star Austentatious cast will improvise a hilarious new Jane Austen novel, inspired entirely by a title from the audience. Performed in period costume with live musical accompaniment, it’s a riotous, razor-sharp show where swooning is guaranteed!

Another Jane Austen-related event happening in November is the Ivan Sayers talk on November 22 at 2:00pm, where Ivan Sayers, fashion historian who presented at our Jane Austen day in 2024, is hosting a Fashion of Jane Austen event at Hycroft and you can buy tickets here. It will include an illustrated presentation and displays of original pieces dating from 1775–1817.

Please note: It appears that the in-person event is sold out, however there is an affordable livestream option still available.

Fall 2026 Meeting Dates:

September 26
October 17
December 12

Spring 2027 Meeting Dates:

February 20
April 24
May 15 (Jane Austen Day)
June 26

Past Events

2026:

February 7: Jane Austen’s Final Chapter – Dr. Micahlyn Powers investigated Jane Austen’s cause of death, examining historical theories and presenting the hypothesis that Austen suffered from systemic lupus erythematosus based on surviving letters and documented symptoms. Powers discussed how Austen’s illness may have influenced her final writings, including *Sanditon*, while acknowledging the challenges of diagnosing from fragmentary historical evidence.
March 7: English Country Dancing – We welcomed back Heather Webster from English Country Dance Vancouver to guide us through dances to live music.
May 16: Jane Austen Day – Included presentations by UBC professors Alexander Dick, who spoke about Susan Ferrier, the ‘Scottish Jane Austen,’ and discussed Scottish Romanticism and Austen’s relation to it, as well as some of the important Scottish women novelists of the day; and Miranda Burgess who gave a talk entitled, “Emma in Space,” that explored Emma in spatial and mapping contexts, and Austen’s relation to connections between domestic and local space, and exploration and Britain’s global expansion.
June 13: Books & Berries: Annual Book Sale Fundraiser & Member Book Reviews – The book recommendations this year included: A Romance of Exmoor, by R. D. Blackmore; The Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace; How to Host a Jane Austen Dinner Party: A Complete Guide with Recipes, Games, and Entertaining Ideas by Tatiana Alekseeva
September 26: Whist, Wagers & Wit: Games in Jane Austen’s World – Regional Coordinator and member, Anya Oleynikova, presented games in Austen’s life and works, from whist and vingt-un to Speculation, along with the word games and parlour amusements enjoyed by Jane Austen and her family as well as by her characters. Her talk examined what these games tell us about Austen’s characters, society and social life. After the talk, we tried several of the games for ourselves.
October 17: Fools, Bores & Social Nightmares: Austen’s Most Difficult Company – Featured a panel discussion on a few Jane Austen characters who might fit that description, and whether the panelists accused them, defended them, or argued that they’ve been unfairly judged. We heard many thoughtful insights, including some fascinating professional perspectives that added depth to the conversation.

2025:

February 15: Chalk and Cheese: Siblings as Opposites in the Novels – Member Panel Discussion featuring Barbara Phillips (Elinor & Marianne Dashwood), Phyllis Ferguson Bottomer (Mrs. Norris & Lady Bertram), Ilze Hillier (Elizabeth & Anne Elliot), and Naomi Sutherland (The Bennet Sisters).
March 15: Elizabeth & Elizabeth: Two Regency Women on the Other Side of the World – Member Aileen Hollifield discussed the travails of Elizabeth Macquarie and Elizabeth MacArthur in penal colony Australia during the Regency Period.
May 3: Jane Austen Day – Woven Threads: 250 Years of Making Connections with Austen – Featured a catered lunch, and talks by Fashion Historian Ivan Sayers who discussed “The Tangled Web: Lace from the Time of Jane Austen” while showcasing lace pieces from his collection; and Joan Bryans, Director of Vital Spark’s production, The Watsons, by Laura Wade, who discussed Wade’s approach to an unfinished Jane Austen novel and its challenges.
June 15: Books & Berries: Annual Book Sale Fundraiser & Member Book Reviews – The book recommendations this year were: Jane Austen and the Price of Happiness, by Inger Sigrun Bredkjær Brodey; Jane Austen’s Remarkable Aunt, Philadelphia Hancock: A Girl of Genius and Feeling, by Jan Merriman; The Shortest History of England, by James Hawes; Pride and Prejudice in Space by Alexis Lampley; The Spiritual Lives and Manuscript Cultures of Eighteenth-Century English Women: Writing Religious Communities, by Cynthia Aalders
September 20: Speculation & the Slave Trade in Mansfield Park – PhD student Katy Lund analyzed the card game “Speculation” in Jane Austen’s *Mansfield Park* to reveal connections between the game’s financial mechanics and the slave trade’s profits infiltrating English domestic life. Lund examined how Austen embedded imperial legacies and colonial wealth within the novel’s domestic setting, suggesting the author critiqued society’s deliberate ignorance of slavery’s role in English prosperity.
October 25: The Dark Side of Jane – Member Barbara Phillips explored the “dark side” of Jane Austen’s novels, arguing that Austen used satire and irony to critique Regency society’s class structures, marriage practices, and the precarious position of women. Phillips emphasized the importance of reading Austen’s works directly to appreciate her multifaceted commentary on societal flaws and human nature rather than relying on simplified adaptations.
November 15: Crackin’ Good Fun – Our November meeting was craft-focused. Members created Austen-themed party crackers, complete with Austen quotes, quizzes and trims. Translated passages from Jane Austen’s novels were read by members who speak languages other than English.
December 13: Emma’s (Re)Tellings: Stories about Women, Manly Gossip, and Upping our Game on Talking about the Films – Dr. Tiffany Potter from UBC presented a literary analysis of Jane Austen’s Emma, exploring how film adaptations retell the classic novel and examining Emma Woodhouse as a complex character whose resistance to marriage and relationships with women challenge conventional interpretations. Potter encouraged audiences to look beyond plot fidelity to understand how adaptations reflect contemporary cultural values and ideologies about femininity.

2024:

February 17: Netherfield Ball Master Class – Heather Webster from English Country Dancing Vancouver guided us through an English Country dance lesson with live music.
March 23: Austen on the Rocks – A joint presentation by members Phyllis and Lindsay Bottomer highlighted ways that Austen’s life and novels were connected with her society’s growing fascination with fossils and rocks.
May 4: Jane Austen Day: In Good Company – Dr. Cindy Aalders of Regent College gave a talk entitled “A Polite and Spiritual Friendship: Catherine Talbot and Elizabeth Carter” (two influential 18th-century women intellectuals who were both members of the famous Blue Stocking Society).
June 15: Books & Berries: Annual Book Sale Fundraiser & Member Book Reviews – This year’s book recommendations included: You Are Here, by David Nicholls; Year of Wonder: Clasical Music for Every Day, by Clemency Burton-Hill; Chawton Lake, by Sandy Learner; 111 West Coast Literary Portraits, by Irene Howard; A Dead Man in Deptford, by Anthony Burgess; The Reckoning, by Charles Nicholls
September 21: What is Mansfield Park About? – Member Lona Manning posited that Mansfield Park is primarily concerned with the consequences of faulty childhood education rather than slavery, noting that the novel contains no consequences for the Bertram family’s slave ownership. Manning provided historical context on similar-themed novels of the era and discussed the unlikely connection between the novel’s title and Lord Mansfield, the judge who ruled against slavery on English soil. She invited everyone to visit her blog, “Clutching My Pearls,” for more details.
October 26: The Objects of Our Affection – Librarian and JASNA member Jamie Wood gave a presentation on the history of the book and bookmaking. She talked about how the book is studied as an object today and showed us how she does book repairs and binding.
November 23: Moses & Jane, Two Inches of Regency Ivory – Director-Curator, Sarah Joyce of the New Media Gallery in New Westminster, explored how Jane Austen’s literary world intersected with the world of Moses Haughton, Regency portrait painter.
December 14: Jane’s Birthday Celebration – We celebrated Jane’s 249th birthday with socializing, craft making and eating. There were stations for making cards, bookmarks and gift tags. A potluck lunch followed with baked ham provided by one of our members. A prize draw for fabulous goodies carried on throughout the festivities.