By Cynthia Eckersley, Tribute Grant 2023 Recipient
Here is Part 3 of our 2023 Tribute Grant Award Recipient, Cynthia Eckersley's account of her Denver AGM experience told in 3 parts:
It was a rocky road to the Gaylord Hotel in Aurora, Colorado for the Jane Austen Society’s AGM. After the plane landed on the tarmac, and the passengers debarked, I immediately bumped into a Portland couple-- friendly JASNA faces that recognized me and offered to share a cab. A light in the darkness, a path forward, a friendly human connection. As I fumbled with my luggage, it made a difference that my new friends offered to help. We journeyed to the hotel together and arrived all in one piece.
The Gaylord Hotel loomed up out of the scrub grass and sandy soil as if a giant spaceship had landed and sprouted wings. According to the website, it had its own solar system of at least 7 restaurants. What would be my home for the next 7 days consisted of a universe unto itself!
At the check-in counter, my voice trembled and tears sprung to my eyes when I shared that my husband wasn’t able to travel to the conference with me as we had planned. A few hours later, to my surprise, there was a knock on the door of my hotel room. A woman handed me a note with a basket of spa supplies as well as chocolates from the front desk! What a generous and sweet gift to console my sadness!
Already Jane Austen was working her magic! Never in all my travels had I been given anything by a front desk concierge in a hotel to boost my morale. While JASNA “strives to ensure that all are welcome and feel valued in its meetings, events, and community spaces,” the hotel clerk went above and beyond to start off my JASNA AGM experience with a bountiful blessing.
To accommodate the 800 JASNA attendees, we were scattered across several floors and hallways. My room was on the 9th floor of the East wing and had a clear view overlooking the front of the hotel. It was soundproof and extremely clean. Apparently, the housekeeping service works until late into the night and was always available for any of my needs as they worked their way through the massive number of rooms. Outside, paths meandered around the hotel. I explored them on my first day there. I had a lot of time on my hands as I had arrived on Wednesday and the conference officially started on Friday.
There was a pool inside and a pool outside, with a chute that carries inner tubes and swimmers across the desert. By Friday morning, I had acclimated to the area by swimming in the pool, walking to a grocery store (a 5 mile walk for the day) and trying out some of the food options at the hotel which included a marketplace self-service restaurant. The outdoor Jacuzzi was luxurious and the saltwater pool was heavenly. While I couldn’t see the night stars, I mostly had the pool to myself. I floated around while staring into the night sky imagining that I was circling the planet.
I looked forward to the plenary session as I anticipated that the AGM conference would be stimulating. The keynote lecturer, Claudia L. Johnson, a Murray Professor of English at Princeton University is “renowned for her works on Jane Austen and Mary Wollstonecraft.” I listened attentively to her talk on “Austen Escape.” It was detailed, a bit meandering, and food for thought regarding the idea that reading Austen’s novels provided an escape that legitimately served a purpose. Not familiar with Wollstonecraft's works, I got the sense that Ms. Johnson was known for her feminism in writing and that she is a highly valued scholar.
The 2nd plenary speaker on Saturday, Janet Todd (known for her work on women’s writing and feminism) was lovely and raised many issues regarding the “enduring fascination of Darcy’s famous home,” Pemberley. In “To Dream of Pemberley,” she discussed the great estates that were used in creating a sense of escape in films depicting Austen’s writings. Her scholarly background was impressive, to say the least.
There were many breakout sessions. Of course, I could not attend them all. However two of the breakout sessions I attended were on music. The first (“Mary Bennet and the Rocky Road to Accomplishment”) was historical, and well thought out, but the acoustics were not working for part of her presentation which was a disappointment. The second presentation titled “Pride and Prejudice and the Piano” had a different slant on Jane Austen’s music. The speaker never mentioned that most all of Austen’s music is available online through South Hampton University archives. This was a little disturbing as the speaker is rewriting some of the music. However, it provided fodder for a lengthy conversation with another professor over brunch.
Another breakout session I was “A Heart Full of Wonder: Pride and Prejudice” by Collins Hemingway since he lives in Oregon, and I was curious about him. It was stimulating, thoughtful, and well researched. Collins “examined the way Austen delves deeply, for the first time, into the heart and mind of a heroine.” Afterward, he explained his love for Austen and literature.
A highlight was the first timer's session where I met a young woman from Manhattan. We were both alone and finding our way. She, an old soul, had just graduated from college after writing a thesis on Jane Austen. I, a young soul, had retired from social work and was able to reach out. We met somewhere in the middle. The bouncing ball seemed to evade us, so we were able to dodge the questions while laughing at whoever caught the ball as they stumbled to search for an answer. Whew! I was so glad that I didn’t have to be put on the spot regarding my knowledge of Austen, as I was still forging a path through her novels.
By the way, if I had to pick the best of Austen’s beaus, fictional or otherwise, I would have said Mr. Darcy like most of the ladies present at the AGM. Tom Lefroy might have been familiar with the laws of Gretna Green, but he wasn’t able to marry Jane and might not have been such a great catch anyway. Most of the lawyers I had dated worked long hours, were self-obsessed, and ended up divorced. By contrast, my Mr. Darcy was home recuperating.
My new friend accompanied me to the banquet and the ball. We had a lovely evening, as she joined our Portland group at the banquet table. It was the highlight of my evening, as I traipsed and curtsied across the stage in my red Regency gown during the promenade on a full stomach of roast beef, potatoes and vegetables topped off with a chocolate cake brownie dessert.
Afterwards, we skipped most of the ball to attend the play, Being Mr. Wickham which was phenomenal!
Another ticketed performance was the premiere of “The Jane Austen Playlist: Pride and Prejudice” by Syrie James. JASNA scholars, Devoney Looser, James Nagle, and Janet Todd were just three of the brave souls who blitzed through “Jane Austen in 48 Minutes: 6 Rocky Romances”. The stage lit up with their laughter and literacy. The play presented Jane’s novels in 8 minutes each, funny and brilliantly acted out by them. We all applauded and were charmed by the wit and satirical comments of these scholarly actors.
I attended the Sunday morning book signing and had an inspiring conversation with Devoney Looser about her book, Sister Novelists: The Trailblazing Porter Sisters, Who Paved the Way For Austen and the Brontes. I had read her book for my region’s bi-monthly meeting and was delighted to talk to her.
The Sunday Plenary session and brunch ended my JASNA AGM adventure. “Solving the Male Mystery: The Bennet Sisters as Detective Heroines” by Francine Mathews was enthralling! While I had not read her mystery series, I now had a new goal of reading them all when I returned to Oregon.
I also have another possible venue to pursue: Chawton House and the Residency grant given my interest in music and the newly discovered music notebook containing Jane Austen’s music with her signature titled, Select Collection of Choice Music for the Harpsichord or Piano Forte by Domenico Corri (1790).
Oh, so many things to explore! So little time! I said good-bye to my newfound friends, with promises to text, a head full of Austen and a heart full of love.
What a very special experience attending the AGM as a Tribute Grant Award Recipient! Thank you so much to the Oregon-SW Washington Region! I had a wonderful time at the 2023 JASNA Denver AGM! Everyone was welcoming! When I returned home, I expressed my appreciation in my thank you notes to the honorees, Bill Boyd and Marna Tisdel. I also co-presented at our March regional meeting on Jane Austen at Home: A Biography by Lucy Worsley.
It was a rocky road to the Gaylord Hotel in Aurora, Colorado for the Jane Austen Society’s AGM. After the plane landed on the tarmac, and the passengers debarked, I immediately bumped into a Portland couple-- friendly JASNA faces that recognized me and offered to share a cab. A light in the darkness, a path forward, a friendly human connection. As I fumbled with my luggage, it made a difference that my new friends offered to help. We journeyed to the hotel together and arrived all in one piece.
The Gaylord Hotel loomed up out of the scrub grass and sandy soil as if a giant spaceship had landed and sprouted wings. According to the website, it had its own solar system of at least 7 restaurants. What would be my home for the next 7 days consisted of a universe unto itself!
At the check-in counter, my voice trembled and tears sprung to my eyes when I shared that my husband wasn’t able to travel to the conference with me as we had planned. A few hours later, to my surprise, there was a knock on the door of my hotel room. A woman handed me a note with a basket of spa supplies as well as chocolates from the front desk! What a generous and sweet gift to console my sadness!
Already Jane Austen was working her magic! Never in all my travels had I been given anything by a front desk concierge in a hotel to boost my morale. While JASNA “strives to ensure that all are welcome and feel valued in its meetings, events, and community spaces,” the hotel clerk went above and beyond to start off my JASNA AGM experience with a bountiful blessing.
To accommodate the 800 JASNA attendees, we were scattered across several floors and hallways. My room was on the 9th floor of the East wing and had a clear view overlooking the front of the hotel. It was soundproof and extremely clean. Apparently, the housekeeping service works until late into the night and was always available for any of my needs as they worked their way through the massive number of rooms. Outside, paths meandered around the hotel. I explored them on my first day there. I had a lot of time on my hands as I had arrived on Wednesday and the conference officially started on Friday.
There was a pool inside and a pool outside, with a chute that carries inner tubes and swimmers across the desert. By Friday morning, I had acclimated to the area by swimming in the pool, walking to a grocery store (a 5 mile walk for the day) and trying out some of the food options at the hotel which included a marketplace self-service restaurant. The outdoor Jacuzzi was luxurious and the saltwater pool was heavenly. While I couldn’t see the night stars, I mostly had the pool to myself. I floated around while staring into the night sky imagining that I was circling the planet.
I looked forward to the plenary session as I anticipated that the AGM conference would be stimulating. The keynote lecturer, Claudia L. Johnson, a Murray Professor of English at Princeton University is “renowned for her works on Jane Austen and Mary Wollstonecraft.” I listened attentively to her talk on “Austen Escape.” It was detailed, a bit meandering, and food for thought regarding the idea that reading Austen’s novels provided an escape that legitimately served a purpose. Not familiar with Wollstonecraft's works, I got the sense that Ms. Johnson was known for her feminism in writing and that she is a highly valued scholar.
The 2nd plenary speaker on Saturday, Janet Todd (known for her work on women’s writing and feminism) was lovely and raised many issues regarding the “enduring fascination of Darcy’s famous home,” Pemberley. In “To Dream of Pemberley,” she discussed the great estates that were used in creating a sense of escape in films depicting Austen’s writings. Her scholarly background was impressive, to say the least.
There were many breakout sessions. Of course, I could not attend them all. However two of the breakout sessions I attended were on music. The first (“Mary Bennet and the Rocky Road to Accomplishment”) was historical, and well thought out, but the acoustics were not working for part of her presentation which was a disappointment. The second presentation titled “Pride and Prejudice and the Piano” had a different slant on Jane Austen’s music. The speaker never mentioned that most all of Austen’s music is available online through South Hampton University archives. This was a little disturbing as the speaker is rewriting some of the music. However, it provided fodder for a lengthy conversation with another professor over brunch.
Another breakout session I was “A Heart Full of Wonder: Pride and Prejudice” by Collins Hemingway since he lives in Oregon, and I was curious about him. It was stimulating, thoughtful, and well researched. Collins “examined the way Austen delves deeply, for the first time, into the heart and mind of a heroine.” Afterward, he explained his love for Austen and literature.
A highlight was the first timer's session where I met a young woman from Manhattan. We were both alone and finding our way. She, an old soul, had just graduated from college after writing a thesis on Jane Austen. I, a young soul, had retired from social work and was able to reach out. We met somewhere in the middle. The bouncing ball seemed to evade us, so we were able to dodge the questions while laughing at whoever caught the ball as they stumbled to search for an answer. Whew! I was so glad that I didn’t have to be put on the spot regarding my knowledge of Austen, as I was still forging a path through her novels.
By the way, if I had to pick the best of Austen’s beaus, fictional or otherwise, I would have said Mr. Darcy like most of the ladies present at the AGM. Tom Lefroy might have been familiar with the laws of Gretna Green, but he wasn’t able to marry Jane and might not have been such a great catch anyway. Most of the lawyers I had dated worked long hours, were self-obsessed, and ended up divorced. By contrast, my Mr. Darcy was home recuperating.
My new friend accompanied me to the banquet and the ball. We had a lovely evening, as she joined our Portland group at the banquet table. It was the highlight of my evening, as I traipsed and curtsied across the stage in my red Regency gown during the promenade on a full stomach of roast beef, potatoes and vegetables topped off with a chocolate cake brownie dessert.
Afterwards, we skipped most of the ball to attend the play, Being Mr. Wickham which was phenomenal!
Another ticketed performance was the premiere of “The Jane Austen Playlist: Pride and Prejudice” by Syrie James. JASNA scholars, Devoney Looser, James Nagle, and Janet Todd were just three of the brave souls who blitzed through “Jane Austen in 48 Minutes: 6 Rocky Romances”. The stage lit up with their laughter and literacy. The play presented Jane’s novels in 8 minutes each, funny and brilliantly acted out by them. We all applauded and were charmed by the wit and satirical comments of these scholarly actors.
I attended the Sunday morning book signing and had an inspiring conversation with Devoney Looser about her book, Sister Novelists: The Trailblazing Porter Sisters, Who Paved the Way For Austen and the Brontes. I had read her book for my region’s bi-monthly meeting and was delighted to talk to her.
The Sunday Plenary session and brunch ended my JASNA AGM adventure. “Solving the Male Mystery: The Bennet Sisters as Detective Heroines” by Francine Mathews was enthralling! While I had not read her mystery series, I now had a new goal of reading them all when I returned to Oregon.
I also have another possible venue to pursue: Chawton House and the Residency grant given my interest in music and the newly discovered music notebook containing Jane Austen’s music with her signature titled, Select Collection of Choice Music for the Harpsichord or Piano Forte by Domenico Corri (1790).
Oh, so many things to explore! So little time! I said good-bye to my newfound friends, with promises to text, a head full of Austen and a heart full of love.
What a very special experience attending the AGM as a Tribute Grant Award Recipient! Thank you so much to the Oregon-SW Washington Region! I had a wonderful time at the 2023 JASNA Denver AGM! Everyone was welcoming! When I returned home, I expressed my appreciation in my thank you notes to the honorees, Bill Boyd and Marna Tisdel. I also co-presented at our March regional meeting on Jane Austen at Home: A Biography by Lucy Worsley.