JASNA's 2013 Essay Contest is now under way, for high school, college, and graduate school students to submit short essays. The topic this year is inspired by the theme of the upcoming AGM, "Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice . . . Timeless." For more information, including eligibility, prizes, and FAQs, please visit the JASNA Essay Contest page at http://jasna.org/essaycontest/index.html.

Today, December 16, is Jane Austen's birthday! The excerpt reprinted below comes from a special birthday announcement, via email, from our JASNA President Iris Lutz:

The reading schedule for the coming year has been emailed to members by our Chapter Secretary, Janet Rohrbaugh, as well as posted here online on our 2013 Events page. 

Please set your calendars -- we have a great year ahead of us!

First up is our reading discussion group next month, on January 13, 2013. The topic is "Jane Austen’s Letters, A Contest of Wit & Satire," and the discussion will be led by Debbie Guyol & Bill Boyd.

Below are some more photos captured from our Birthday Celebration event on December 1. If you have additional personal photos you would like to share from this event, please contact Web Manager Jennifer Snoek-Brown directly.

Hello all you JASNA OR/SW Washington Fans,

Below is a special invitation from the local English Country Dancing organization - they are a most friendly and gracious group. Please feel free to take advantage of their kind offer. Enjoy !  

An invitation from the English Country Dancing Community:

Members of the Jane Austen Society of Oregon and SW Washington are cordially invited to attend an evening of English country dancing at no charge during the month of December 2012.

Dances are held each Friday evening at 7:30 PM.  Come for the 7:30 start because more teaching is done in the earlier part of the evening. Wear comfortable clothing; our regular dances are not costume events. Bring shoes in which to dance.

We dance at the Burlingame Water Tower Dance Hall, located at 8936 SW 17th, Portland, OR 97219 (map)

Please tell the person at the door that you are an Austen Society member.

Directions to the hall:

• From the North, head South on I-5. Take the Barbur Blvd. exit, Number 296A, and turn right. Turn right onto SW Spring Garden Street. Turn right onto 17th Avenue and look for the dance hall near the top of the hill.
• From the South, head North on I-5. Take the Taylors Ferry exit, number 295, and keep left at the fork in the ramp. Merge onto Taylors Ferry, turn left on 17th Avenue and look for the dance hall near the top of the hill.

For more information about the Portland Country Dance Community, please visit their web site here at http://www.portlandcountrydance.org/.

Our December celebration was a splendid event! Live period music filled the Oaks park Dance Pavilion throughout, and many beautiful items and costumes were made available to the highest bidders at our silent auction. After a delicious Regency luncheon, twenty dancers joined forty guests for a grand promenade, followed by an hour of English Country Dancing. 

Many guests came in costume to meet "Jane" and to wish her well. Jane Austen was radiant in green silk (see left), and charmed all those who came into contact with her. Also in attendance were several characters from her novels. I must say, Lady Catherine De Bourgh was much nicer that I ever expected her to be, and Emma Woodhouse just as charming as I would have expected. Sadly, Lydia hasn't changed a bit, but was looking well, despite her lack of income. I must admit, however, that her skirt was scandalously short, and her neckline much lower than is considered proper. 

After dancing, we invited all present to join together in a song to commemorate Jane's birthday, and afterward enjoyed a sumptuous birthday dessert of ginger cake topped with fresh cream. 

~ Kim Higgins, Regional Coordinator