We have previously featured the 2015 title, The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen, written by our own regional member Collins Hemingway, on our website (here in Nov. 2015 and here in Jan. 2016), and we are pleased to further highlight two new audio interviews spotlighting Collins and his work.
 
Audio interview with JASNA Philadelphia, March 2, 2016 (45 minutes) 
​http://austenmarriage.com/jasna_interview/
 
Audio interview with book reviewer Diana Jordan (7 minutes) 
http://austenmarriage.com/diana-jordan-podcast-interview-collins-hemingway/

You can read more about Collins Hemingway and his works on his website, Austen Marriage, here at http://austenmarriage.com/ 

Below are the questions and answers from Nelson's trivia quiz, available to download in both PDF and Excel file formats. Enjoy!

The "Austen Family Revelry" reading group discussion, which took place on March 13, 2016, featured several themed activities, including the movie script scenario:

Margaret Harshbarger took up the challenge and has contributed her movie script proposal, "Sex and Violence on the High Seas:  The Story of Charles Austen, brother of JANE AUSTEN," to be shared on our region's website. Enjoy!

TO:    Krank M. Owt, Head of Studio, EU Productions
FROM:    Annie Ting Formoney (aka Margaret Harshbarger)
RE:    Treatment for a new cheap movie as requested, incorporating JANE AUSTEN
Working Title:    Sex and Violence on the High Seas:  The Story of Charles Austen, brother of JANE AUSTEN

The scene opens with our hero, Charles, on board a sailing ship (one of those old, multi-masted jobs), watching the swabbing and floggings performed by sweat encrusted, naked-torso’d mates.

As his gaze shifts to the sky, the music swells for a flashback to a happy childhood with his beloved sister JANE AUSTEN. Suddenly, he is brutally ripped from her bosom and sent to HM Navy following in the footsteps of his older brother Frank. We watch our young hero as he learns the ropes (literally) and the subtleties of swabbing and flogging.

Flashback fades back to Charles and a frenzy of activity as an enemy ship appears. (All ship scenes can use stock footage for background and battle action (Mutiny of the Bounty, Master and Commander, etc.). After a satisfying scene of brutality and mayhem, the enemy ship is boarded and eventually sunk.

Scene shifts to Charles receiving his naval prize money and hurrying to buy topaz crosses for his sisters Cassandra and JANE AUSTEN.

Scene shifts to the high seas with land in sight. It is Bermuda, the island of Charles’ great love Harriet Palmer, where her father is the Great High Poo-Bah in Charge. On the way to see Harriet, Charles is driven by plantations with lots of evil slave labor (whips and stuff).

He and Harriet, after a steamy love scene, pledge their undying passion. Charles rushes off to her father to ask for her hand in marriage, but Harriet’s father is deaf and thinks Charles wants the older and plainer sister, Frances, and so gives his permission, glad to get her off his hands. When he realizes the mistake, Charles (having been taught manly honour by his sister JANE AUSTEN) rushes from the Governor’s Mansion and departs for a brothel in town to drown his sorrows. (We could have a Voodoo zombie scene here at the brothel, which would really vamp up the sex and violence. This would add 30 minutes to the film’s length. I leave the decision to the producers.)

Scene changes to a violent storm at sea (more stock footage). Charles’s wife is dying in childbirth. (Chance here for crashing waves and thunder corresponding to his wife’s screams and moans.) After a very affecting burial at sea (ten-hankie scene), our hero, who is now captain of the ship gives the command to make for Bermuda. (Swell of romantic music.)

Scene shifts to Charles and Harriet sailing into the sunset, which fades into a scene of JANE AUSTEN reading a letter from Charles, sobbing with joy.

The end.


I feel this movie would do well worldwide, as it will have the maximum of sex and violence. Also, it has the JANE AUSTEN cache and audiences will watch anything British. Viewers, especially in America and Australia, will eat it up. Trust me.

Regional member Arnie Perlstein recently had the opportunity of recording a 90-minute YouTube video chat, the subject matter of which was Arnie's interpretation, which he has been refining over the past 11 years, of what he calls the "shadow story" of Jane Austen's Emma.

Arnie's hosts were two witty, well-informed, and open-minded young Janeite friends, Kristin Whitman and Maggie Riley, who host the First Impressions Podcast, created by them for discussion of all things relating to Jane Austen's genius. They started the First Impressions Podcast a few months ago, and you can check out more of their videos here.

Our AGM Tribute Grant honorees were chosen at the March Reading Group meeting. They are Mary Margaret Benson and Frank McClanahan. Mary Margaret was the founder of our group and the RC from 1985-1992. Her husband, Frank, later took his turn as RC, and both were instrumental in the success of our 2010 Portland AGM. They continue to help our region thrive in various ways. We are grateful for all they have done!

~ The AGM Tribute Grant Committee

There is still time to apply for the 2016 AGM Tribute Grant, for attendance at the Washington, D.C. AGM, "Emma at 200:  No One But Herself," October 21-23, 2016. See all the info, including FAQs and grant application form on our 2016 AGM Tribute Grant page at http://www.jasna-orswwa.org/tribute-grant-2016.html​

Registration is now open for “Jane Austen Day 2016” in Philadelphia. ‘Emma: 200 Years of Perfection” will take place on Saturday, April 16, 2016. Join the JASNA Eastern Pennsylvania Region or a day celebrating the bicentenary of the publication of Emma in Philadelphia, the city that first published Emma in the United States.

All the details, program of events, and registration info can be found online here at ​http://www.jasnaeastpa.org/jaday.html