Special Sessions and Interactive Stations
Important things to know about Special Sessions:
This page describes sessions that are included in the AGM Attendee registration fee.
Companion registration does not include non-ticketed special sessions.
Times shown are for preliminary planning purposes only. A final schedule will be posted closer to the AGM and included in the printed program.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16
AGM Early Arrivals Meet and Greet
Wednesday, 8:00pm to 10:00pm
Cleveland Hilton Downtown
Included in Attendee registration
Stop by this informal gathering, held at the Cleveland Hilton Downtown, grab a drink at the cash bar, and see who else has arrived at the AGM.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17
Ride with Napoleon at Waterloo
José Torres Ramirez, 3eme Cuirassiers
Thursday, 10:30am to 11:15am
Thursday, 1:00pm to 1:45pm
Cleveland Hilton Downtown
Included in Attendee registration
On Sunday, June 18, 1815, near the hamlet of Mont-Saint-Jean in Belgium, a French army under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte clashed with a British-led force under the command of the Duke of Wellington. Napoleon was defeated, and the Battle of Waterloo marked the end of the Napoleonic era. In this presentation, you will hear the memoirs of one of Napoleon’s cavalry veterans who chose to document his personal contribution to this clash of nations, reminiscing about his own feelings during the battle, what he saw, what it sounded like, and what it felt like to be there. This presentation is drawn from diaries and letters Mr. Torres Ramirez has studied. When he is not in character, our cavalryman will explain his uniform and let us examine his accessories.
José A. Torres Ramírez de Arellano was born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. He moved to the city of Cleveland, where he serves as prosecuting attorney, after graduating from law school in 1993. For the past 24 years, he has also been a member of the 3eme Cuirassiers reenactment group and has participated in battle reenactments in Spain, France, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Germany. In 2005 and 2015, he charged against the British squares in the fields of Waterloo.
"We have met the enemy": The Battle of Lake Erie
Robert Whitman, National Park Service
Cleveland Hilton Downtown
Included in Attendee registration
Come and learn about the Battle of Lake Erie in the words of the men who were there, along with how this pivotal battle fits into contexts of the War of 1812 and US history in general. We will follow the tales of individuals such as Usher Parson, surgeon’s mate; Samuel Hambleton, purser; William Taylor, sailing master; Lt. John Brooks, USMC; Oliver Hazard Perry; and others.
Robert Whitman is the Chief of Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers at Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial, which commemorates the victory of Oliver Hazard Perry's squadron over the Royal Navy in the Battle of Lake Erie, part of the War of 1812. In this role, he is responsible for daily operations, interpretative and education programs, the museum collection, digital experience, and the historic weapons programs at the park.
Austen Annotations I: "Sketches, full of variety and glow"
Featuring enlightening mini-lectures from Elise Mertz, Colleen Gleason, Joy R. Prevost, Dr. Amanda Gelber, and Jill Ottman
Thursday, 3:00pm to 4:00pm
Cleveland Hilton Downtown
Included in Attendee registration
In this exciting and fast-paced special session, our speakers will present a variety of short presentations on interesting aspects of Austen’s life and works. They will use the PechaKucha format, in which each will show 20 slides with 20 seconds of commentary for each slide. A question-and-answer session for the whole group will follow. Mini-lectures include:
Household Husbandry: Paternalism, Fatherhood, and Marriage
Elise Mertz, Washington, DC Metro Region
Jane Austen uses romance to restore the conservative social norms disrupted by her heroines' fathers' failures to properly fulfill their familial and societal functions.
Elise Mertz is a first-year graduate student in literature at George Mason University, where she also works in the library to create instructional materials for developing researchers. This is her first academic conference.
Living with Neurodiversity and Disability in Jane Austen's Time
Colleen Gleason, Dayton, Ohio Region
This talk will explore, through the lens of Austen's brother George and her uncle Edward, how people living with neurodivergence/disability in the Regency era were viewed and treated by society.
Colleen Gleason is a native Floridian and a former history teacher turned textbook editor, holding a doctorate in Educational Leadership. She has been a longtime JASNA member in Florida and now Ohio, and a lover of Jane Austen and her world. She has attended several JASNA AGMs and is thrilled to be presenting for the first time in Cleveland.
"I am so pleased that the Mead is brewed!": Jane Austen and Mead
Joy R. Prevost, Greater Sacramento Region
Mead, a beverage made from honey, may have been Jane Austen’s favorite drink. This presentation will show its origins, its significance to Austen, and the making of this delicious beverage.
Joy Prevost has been a NorCal and Sacramento Region JASNA member since 1992, actively participating in several roles. Her happiness comes from family, traveling, and being the JA Book-to-Fork Cooking Club and JA Movie Fan Club Coordinator.
Pamphlets & Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Dr. Amanda Gelber, Maryland Region
Pamphlets served many purposes, ranging from politics to gossip. This is a deeper look into who published pamphlets, who was allowed to publish them, and how they were published.
Amanda Gelber is a higher education administrator who specializes in student engagement. She recently finished her doctorate in higher education leadership and innovation.
The Year Without a Summer: How a Volcano Rocked the Regency World
Jill Ottman, Wyoming Region
The Indonesian stratovolcano Tambora erupted in 1815, resulting in serious disruption of Earth's climate. How did the "Year Without a Summer" affect people—and possibly Jane Austen herself?
Jill Ottman is employed by the Wyoming State Geological Survey. She has published works on Regency-era sidesaddle riding and the first white women to make the overland journey to Oregon.
Do You Dream of Austen in Color? Inviting People of Color Fully into the Janehood
Damianne Scott, Dayton, University of Cincinnati Blue Ash
Thursday, 4:15pm to 5:00pm
Cleveland Hilton Downtown
Included in Attendee registration
In this thought-provoking discussion, Damianne Scott will testify, alongside other JASNA members and Janeites of Color, about the isolation and pain that can occur when lovers of Austen are denied full access to her and her Regency world. In addition, the panel will talk about why it is valuable to seek out voices of diversity to enrich the understanding of Austen, both in the past and the future. And finally, the panel will propose ways in which Janeites everywhere can be more welcoming to People of Color in a substantial way.
Damianne Candice Scott is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash, where she teaches English Composition. She is the founder of "Black Girl Loves Jane," a Facebook page whose mission is encouraging diversity in Austen and other classic literature in all varieties and adaptations. In the spring of 2024, she will be a featured essayist in the book, Retelling Jane Austen: Essays on Recent Adaptations and Derivative Works.
The Lost Austen Fairy Tales
Lizzie Dunford, Jane Austen’s House, UK
Thursday, 5:15pm to 6:00pm
Cleveland Hilton Downtown
Included in Attendee registration
Tucked away in the Austen-Leigh archive is a slim notebook filled with handwritten tales, proudly bearing the intriguing title "The Delightful Tales of Fairy Land." Watermarked 1812, and written by Austen’s young nephew James Edward for his sister, these tales have never been published and have received very little scholarly attention. In this illustrated talk, Director of Jane Austen’s House Lizzie Dunford will share her research into these lost fairy tales, exploring their sources and influences and sharing excerpts from these fascinating stories, and their princesses who improve their minds by extensive reading, for the first time in over 200 years.
Lizzie Dunford has been the Director of Jane Austen’s House since 2020. She is an expert on the management, marketing, and interpretation of writers’ houses, with over 15 years’ experience in the heritage and tourism sector. Her 2023 JASNA AGM paper "Darling Children: the Presence of Pride and Prejudice at Jane Austen’s House" was published in Persuasions, and she regularly presents and writes on Austen, museum practice, and literary homes.
Drama in Words and Music: Jane Austen Sings
Gillian Dooley, Flinders University, South Australia
Laura Klein, Colorado Christian University
Thursday, 7:30pm to 8:30pm
Cleveland Hilton Downtown
Included in Attendee registration
Jane Austen played and sang a variety of music. She collected sheet music, some printed and some copied by hand into her own music albums. Much of the music she copied originated on the stage, in Italian or French opera, or in English musical theatre of the time. This presentation will include performances of a selection of songs and piano music from Austen’s own collection and will provide background and context for Austen’s knowledge of the theatre and theatre music.
Gillian Dooley is an Honorary Associate Professor in English literature at Flinders University, South Australia. She enjoys researching links between music and literature and bringing them to life in performance. Her interests over 30 years have included novelists Jane Austen, Iris Murdoch, V.S. Naipaul, and J.M. Coetzee, and maritime explorer Matthew Flinders, and she has published widely on their work. Her book, She Played and Sang: Jane Austen and Music, was published in March 2024.
Laura Klein, M.M., Denver-based pianist and affiliate faculty at Colorado Christian University, is pursuing her Ph.D in Historical and Performance Practice Musicology at University of Colorado Boulder, where her research focuses on the Austen family music collection. She founded "The Jane Austen Playlist" in 2019, a project that digitizes, records, and dramatizes the music Jane Austen collected. Her recent appearances include the world premiere of "The Jane Austen Playlist: Pride and Prejudice" at the JASNA 2023 AGM.
Young Filmmakers Contest
Finalist Films and Awards
Thursday, 8:45pm to 9:45pm
Cleveland Hilton Downtown
Included in Attendee registration
Wind down the evening watching short films on everyone’s favorite subject! Now in its eighth year, the JASNA Young Filmmakers Contest is the world's first film contest devoted to Jane Austen. Join the excitement as the finalists for 2024 are announced—watch the short films, vote for your personal choice, and hear the opinions of world-class judges.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18
Jane Austen’s Wardrobe: What the Writer Wore
Hilary Davidson, Fashion Institute of Technology
Friday, 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Cleveland Hilton Downtown
Included in Attendee registration
What did Jane Austen wear? Fashion historian Hilary Davidson shares how her book Jane Austen’s Wardrobe originated and some of the new discoveries and insights she found along the way. Drawing on Austen’s 161 known letters, as well as her own surviving garments and accessories, Davidson has assembled examples of the variety of clothes she would have possessed—from gowns and coats to shoes and undergarments—and will tell the story of how Jane Austen was alert to fashion trends but thrifty and eager to reuse clothing.
Hilary Davidson is a dress historian, currently Associate Professor and Chair, MA Fashion and Textile Studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She was previously a fashion curator, and has lectured, broadcast, and published extensively. Her reconstruction of Jane Austen’s pelisse coat (Costume, 2015) led to an extensive study of Regency dress, published as Dress in the Age of Jane Austen (2019) and Jane Austen’s Wardrobe (2023, both Yale University Press).
Made it? Model it! Extravaganza: Fashion Show & Bingo
Lisa Brown, Central and Western New York Region
Friday, 8:00pm to 9:15pm
Cleveland Hilton Downtown
Included in Attendee registration
Hosted by crowd-pleasing speaker Lisa Brown, a group of AGM attendees will model their own "work" based on clothing from Jane Austen’s lifetime (1775-1817). Enjoy these JASNA members’ skills with needle and thread as they show off four decades of fashion they have sewn themselves. Following the fashion show, Lisa will call several rounds of her popular Jane Austen bingo games based on Hilary Davidson’s new book, Jane Austen’s Wardrobe. Prizes will be awarded to winners.
Lisa Brown is Regional Coordinator of the Central and Western New York Region, and chair of JASNA’s Jane Austen Book Box committee. She is well known for her popular AGM workshops, fashion shows, and breakout sessions. During the pandemic, Lisa created Jane Austen Bingo for JASNA Zoom meetings.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19
Scents and Sensibilities: The Fragrance, Aromas, and Smells of Austen’s Regency World
Dan Macey, Eastern Pennsylvania Region
Saturday, 9:15pm to 10:00pm
Cleveland Hilton Downtown
Included in Attendee registration; registered Companions welcome
The Regency-era English were bombarded with a host of smells that, to our modern-day noses, would be considered either unusual or offensive. Whether living in the city or countryside, there was plenty to smell, from the odors of the burgeoning industrial age to those emanating from poor sanitation and drainage; to the down-right ripeness of one’s body and the strong perfumes used to mask personal odors and poor hygiene; to the unique spices and flavors of the kitchen and table. This presentation will attempt to bring the everyday smells and fragrances of the Regency Period to life, based on period correspondence and accounts and Austen’s own writings.
Dan Macey has worked as a food stylist for more than 25 years, bringing food images to life for advertising, packaging, and editorial purposes. He also writes about food and food history and is on the board of the Historic Foodways Society of the Delaware Valley. He regularly speaks on food history topics, including in the three videos on food related to Austen novels that he created for the JASNA Virtual AGM in 2020. He recreated an authentic Regency banquet to benefit the Chawton House Library. Recently, his food writing and styling were featured in The Gilded Age Cookbook, by Becky Diamond.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20
AGM Authors’ Book-Signing
Sunday, 8:30am to 9:30am
Cleveland Hilton Downtown
Included in Attendee registration
Meet the presenters at the 2024 AGM who have published books and have your copies signed by the authors. A selection of the authors’ books will be available for purchase during the session.
Interactive Stations
Interact with Austen’s Material World
Days and times to be announced
Cleveland Hilton Downtown
Included in Attendee registration
At stations in the conference area, spokespeople for a variety of projects and activities will meet informally with AGM attendees. A schedule and station descriptions will be provided nearer to the AGM. Participating experts and topics include: