The Creative Eye of Fancy: JASNA-NYM Birthday Meeting

Join us for a party to celebrate Jane Austen's 251st, featuring a performance of excerpts from a new opera based on Sense & Sensibility.

We invite you to join your fellow Janeites in Manhattan on Saturday, December 5th for a party to celebrate Jane Austen's 251st birthday — and the inspiration that she and her work have provided to generations of artists and artisans.

This event is a regional meeting of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) New York Metropolitan Region. Like most of our gatherings, it is open to members and non-members alike; if you are not yet a JASNA member, however, we encourage you to join! Learn more on our "about" page here.

The meeting will take place in the Commons at Northeastern University New York City (formerly known as Marymount Manhattan College), an ADA-accessible venue. Please note the start time! Because December 5th is the second night of Hanukkah, we're gathering a little earlier in the day than we usually do.

The agenda for this meeting includes:

• A reception with tea sandwiches, sweets, prosecco, and (of course!) birthday cake.
• A concert of excerpts from a new operatic adaptation of Sense and Sensibility by composer Brittany Sokolowski, featuring performances from Brittany Sokolowski and Monica Dewey (sopranos), Maximillian Jansen (tenor), and Travis Bloom (piano)
• A showcase of Austen- or Regency-inspired visual art and craft pieces from members, coordinated by Shamim Rashid-Sumar (here's the link to register your work!)
• A Member Spotlight talk from Samantha Holland and Ashley Witkowski, undergraduate students at Lehigh University, who will describe their research on fictional depictions of Jane Austen's life — including Manydown, a short film by Prerna Ramachandra, adapted from a play by Sarah Rose Kearns (which was screened at our birthday meeting last year)
• A very special birthday toast written by Amy Jensen and performed by member volunteers.
• Our famous Giveaway Table — your annual opportunity to de-stash Austen-related books and tchotchkes from your collection, and/or to take home new ones free of charge
• The election of JASNA New York Metro's next Regional Coordinators, now that Fran and Rose's term is coming to an end.

Please note that JASNA-member and documentarian Mary Anne Rothberg and her small film crew will be with us once again to record the concert and talks. Attendees can opt in or out of being filmed.

As always, please feel free to email us at jasnany@yahoo.com with any questions or concerns. We look forward to seeing you in December!