Annual General Meetings

2025 will be a milestone year: we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, and the Maryland Region will welcome members to Baltimore for the Region's first AGM since 1980. Drawing our theme from Austen’s own words in a letter to her sister Cassandra, we will focus on the essence of Austen—the milestones of her life, her letters and writing development, and her innovation, wit, realism, and irony. This diverse and unique celebration will offer opportunities to explore Austen’s Genius juxtaposed with the rich history of Maryland and “Charm City.” 

Stunning waterfront views await at the Marriott Baltimore Waterfront, which is dedicating its entire hotel conference space to the AGM. Your experience will be enhanced by sites such as Ft. McHenry, the Inner Harbor, Edgar Allen Poe’s grave, American Visionary Museum, Goucher College’s Austen collection, B&O Railroad Museum, and quirky neighborhoods like Hampden and Fells Point. Attendees will agree that “a very strange [Janeite] it must be, who does not see charms in the immediate environs of [Baltimore], to make him wish to know it better.”

The 2026 AGM theme focuses on Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, the novels that represent the “bookends” of Jane Austen’s career—her first sale and her final completed manuscript. United by the setting of crucial scenes in the resort city of Bath and by their joint publication in 1818, the pair of novels offers many fascinating points of comparison. We expect speakers to consider the author’s maturation; her characters; the expression of themes, including masculinity, authenticity and deception, innocence and experience; aspects of Bath itself; and the pursuit of health at resorts, to name but a few possible topics.  

Like Bath in England, Tucson’s origins are linked to the presence of water. Roman relics in Bath have a parallel in petroglyphs in the Sonoran desert, telling the story of the Hohokam people, whose descendants, the Tohono O’Odham, still live on their historical homeland. In the late 1600s, the first treatise on the medicinal use of Bath’s waters was published, and an Italian Jesuit founded the Mission San Xavier del Bac in Arizona. In 1775, as visitors to Bath were flocking to the new Royal Crescent and Hot Bath, and as the Austens in Steventon were welcoming Jane into the world, a Spanish governor founded the city of Tucson. JASNA members attending the AGM will feel this history all around them, while enjoying the laid-back luxury of the JW Marriott Starr Pass. 

The Ohio North Coast Region hosted an unforgettable conference on the shores of Lake Erie. We gathered to explore Jane Austen’s origin story: where she came from, the world of ideas in which her genius was steeped, and the revolutionary world that inspired her to lead her own revolution through her chosen art form—the novel.

In her novels, Austen engages with the changing ideas and current events of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Her precision is evident in her surviving manuscripts, but some of her meaning may be lost to us today. Although the in-jokes and references to current events and public figures would have been obvious to those of her contemporaries who were not “dull elves,” modern readers rely on annotations and the work of cultural historians to plumb the depth of Austen’s genius.

The JASNA Denver/Boulder Region welcomed members to the Mile High City to dive deep into the many rocky relationships and situations that unfold in Pride and Prejudice. Speakers and presentations examined the novel with fresh eyes and unique perspectives, unpacking Elizabeth and Darcy’s rocky start; delving into the rocky road that may lay ahead for Charlotte and Mr. Collins and Lydia and Wickham; and exploring the complexities and motivations of Lady Catherine’s, Caroline Bingley’s, and many others’ arrogance. Activities and excursions provided an opportunity to explore the beauty, culture, and history of Denver and the surrounding areas.

JASNA members gathered in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia, to celebrate Jane Austen’s first published novel, Sense and Sensibility. Plenary speakers Emma Clery, Robert Morrison, and Susannah Fullerton—and over 30 breakout speakers—explored Austen's nuanced treatment of love, wealth, family, marriage, duty, and honor. For those who couldn't attend the AGM in person, we also offered a Livestream option, making core elements of the conference available virtually. 

JASNA members joyfully gathered in person again for an AGM in the exciting city of Chicago, where we explored the strong connection between Jane Austen and the arts. Austen attended private musical evenings, enjoyed visits to the theater and galleries, and participated in family theatricals. In addition, each of her novels features the arts in some form. In 2021 we examined how the visual and performing arts influenced Austen’s writing and how her work has in turn inspired film, stage, and other artistic adaptations for more than 200 years.

Although the coronavirus pandemic prevented an in-person conference in 2020, our Virtual Annual General Meeting in many ways enhanced the feeling of camaraderie with fellow members while it gave us the opportunity to gain new insights into Austen’s youthful writings. Complementing the juvenilia content were new takes on favorite AGM activities, such as the Social Hour and Promenade, and new features that took advantage of the capabilities of an online format.

We traveled to Virginia—and the year 1775—to celebrate 200 years of Northanger Abbey in America's colonial capital, Williamsburg. There we explored the novel in all its horror and humor and immersed ourselves in the 18th-century world of Jane Austen, when England and Virginia were ruled by the same crown. We also celebrated JASNA's 40th anniversary, marking its inaugural meeting on October 5, 1979. 

JASNA members gathered for the 2018 AGM and a celebration of the 200th anniversary of Persuasion in the City of Fountains, exploring the novel's themes of constancy and hope.  Examples of hope, both pure and self-serving, permeate the novel.  Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth represent ideal romantic constancy.  Despite the influences and presumptions of their surrounding society, their steadfast devotion survives separation and obstacles, creating the foundation for hope.

JASNA members gathered by the sea in October 2017 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's death, explore her profound influence on literary and popular culture, and discuss how she has been reimagined by succeeding generations of Austen enthusiasts in the 200 years of her “afterlife.”

JASNA's 2016 AGM celebrated the bicentennial of the publication of Jane Austen's masterpiece Emma.  The conference theme “Emma at 200: ‘No One But Herself’” echoed Jane Austen’s statement, “I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like”, as well as Emma’s realization that “Mr Knightley must marry no one but herself!”

The 2015 AGM was held in Louisville, Kentucky, the “Gateway to the  South."  Outstanding speakers, breakout sessions, and special events focused on the theme "Living in Jane Austen’s World."

Mansfield Park was the first novel of Jane Austen’s maturity—the first novel that she wrote  all-of-a-piece (after settling into life in Chawton in 1809) rather than rewriting earlier drafts.  JASNA members spent the weekend celebrating the 200th anniversary of the publication of Mansfield Park,  Fanny Price, and the contexts, conventions and controversies of this brilliant novel.

JASNA members celebrated the novel that, for many, remains their first and favorite encounter with Jane Austen.  One cannot deny that it was a "light, and bright, and sparkling" conference.

Three powerful components of continuing interest throughout Jane Austen’s  novels and juvenilia formed a compelling conference theme with rich and meaningful associations to the host community in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

During the conference JASNA members explored the idea that Sense and Sensibility is a novel of duality, as well as a social satire directed at the leisure class  of Regency England.  While it may be considered the novel that many Janeites find troubling, there was no indication of trouble as attendees enjoyed themselves and a wealth of speakers and events. 

The conference, held during Halloween weekend, perfect Gothic timing, focused on aspects of mystery, mayhem and mendacity in Northanger Abbey.  While there might have been a focus on mystery and mayhem, JASNA members made certain there was a focus on the merry, rather than the mendacious.

Old friends were greeted and new ones made when JASNA members gathered  to discuss the siblings that Austen created. There was such a wealth of topics raised in Philadelphia, the city "that shone bright while Jane did."

The theme of "Austen's Legacy: Life, Love & Laughter" elicited many opinions and interesting presentations on Jane Austen's influence nearly two centuries after her novels were first published. One thing all agreed upon was that her influence extends from the highest levels of literary scholarship and criticism to the broadest dimensions of popular culture.

A warm Canadian welcome was given to attendees who gathered to focus on Emma, faultless in spite of all her faults. In spite of discussing the many flaws of Emma Woodhouse, there was universal agreement that the novel Emma is indeed flawless.

The Southern Arizona Region promised something for everyone, and that's what attendees were provided.  Thought-provoking lectures and breakout sessions, special-interest workshops, entertainments and diversions, a Regency Masked Ball, and gazing at the stars made this AGM an abundant experience.

JASNA members at the conference examined the most significant primary source material in existence concerning Austen’s life and work—her own correspondence. And for members who felt that no AGM could be complete without a focus on the novels, there were many sessions that focused on Austen’s use of letters in her fiction and her place in epistolary literature. 

The city has played an important role in five of Austen's novels and certainly in Persuasion.   The experiences of Anne Elliot, as well as other characters, were examined in their urban milieu. "Interior Worlds" offered speakers the opportunity to discuss the emotional, mental, psychological, social, metaphysical and physical settings of the private sphere. "Exterior Worlds" allowed for papers that focused on the many environments in the novel: social, physical, political, historical, commercial, educational, artistic, religious, economic, and more.

To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of our founding, JASNA members journeyed to England in October 2003  to experience, first hand, Jane Austen’s beloved country. They explored the significance of home and family in Jane Austen’s works and life with distinguished Austen scholars even as  they traced her footsteps at the cherished locales from which she drew inspiration.

The Regency was a period which was both controversial and elegant, as well as corrupt and courtly.  The presentations and the discussions that followed were entertaining and edifying, a perfect combination for JASNA members.

While Jane Austen is entertainment enough for JASNA members, discussing the various pleasures, pursuits and passions of the Regency, as well as Austen's characters, proved delightful for all who attended the AGM. 

Boston was an ideal place to consider Pride and Prejudice.  To many visitors, Boston, with its gaslights, elegant townhouses, and charmingly haphazard street pattern, is reminiscent of the London where the Gardiners reside and the Bingley siblings settle for the winter. Attendees determined that Pride and Prejudice will undoubtedly be in their future.

Attendees gathered in Colorado Springs, the city nestled at the base of 14,110-foot-high Pike's Peak.  It was the perfect backdrop to discuss the novel that demonstrates Jane Austen was at the peak of her skills when she wrote Emma. 

The theme of "Northanger Abbey: The Gothic and More" was perfectly situated in a city that offered so much more than had been promised. 

“The finest, purest Sea Breeze on the Coast—acknowledged to be so—Excellent Bathing—fine hard Sand—Deep Water ten yards from the Shore—no Mud—no Weeds—no slimey rocks—Never was there a place more palpably designed by Nature”—for the Annual General Meeting of the Jane Austen Society of North America!   In short, never was there a place where Nature and Ideas were more generously joined.

Beautiful fall weather and historic houses formed the background for a discussion of “Jane Austen and Her Men” by more than 500 Jane Austen Society of North America members who gathered in Richmond the first weekend in October.

Revisiting Mansfield Park was a joy for conference-goers.  Only among JASNA members can the merits of not only the novel but its steadfast heroine Fanny Price be extolled, for which Society members are most grateful.

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Once again, JASNA members found themselves in a beautiful city, spending time discussing their favorite author among the best company.  Talk of the three R's led attendees to remark on the resplendence of the conference and be grateful to be part of it.

In an exquisite setting that many called Shangri-La, JASNA members considered themselves lucky just to be together in such an environment.  To add to all this many fine speakers and the best company made it almost difficult "to bear such happiness."

When members met in Santa Monica to focus on Jane Austen's Letter on Travel and the Sea, who could have supposed that Saturday evening would be brought to a close by their singing sea shanties?  Regency costumes, banquet food that reflected a Regency menu, and speakers who shared details of Regency life helped attendees feel as if they had experienced Austen's time period.

JASNA members arrived in Ottawa to be presented with a splendid variety of speakers and events, as well as banners made just for the occasion by all the Regions.  The number and rich diversity of workshops and other activities made choices attractively difficult for all. 

Wryly and often noted during the conference that focused on Sense and Sensibility was that the government, in the process of shutting down,  lacked both sense and sensibility.   A wide array of speakers, a view of the Burke collection and, as usual, the best company kept JASNA members entertained.

Surely at no other JASNA meeting has one been asked to check one’s guns at the door.  JASNA members knew then they were in the west and in a beautiful locale.  How could attendees bear such happiness?  To discuss a favorite novel in such an exquisite location was one of the best blessings of existence.

JASNA's tenth AGM was the time to take stock of the Society growth and the excellence of AGMs in general and in particular.  Jane Austen's England for a weekend at least was present in Chicago.

In an opening plenary session, Professor A. Walton Litz was careful to attach the Juvenilia to the rest of Jane’s oeuvre, as material in which the seeds of all her later work, her authentic voice, are to be found, and he also made a plea for their intrinsic wit and energy.  Many attendees freely shared their dislike of the Juvenilia, but on the whole, Jane’s advice to Anna Lefroy as quoted by Walton Litz seemed to sum up the response: “Till the heroine grows up, the fun must be imperfect.”

Discussing relations such as the Watsons brought about the lively discussion one is wont to find and enjoy at AGMs.  Vancouver was not only a beautiful and appreciated setting for JASNA members, but Saturday was proclaimed "Jane Austen Day" by the mayor, making Vancouver a "universal favorite" among attendees.

Discussing Northanger Abbey in such a beautiful city, one that Jane Austen surely would have admired, was great enjoyment for JASNA members who became convinced during the weekend that Northanger Abbey itself could benefit from Spanish moss. 

The theme of Persuasion brought members to St. Louis to discuss not only a favorite novel but to talk about Anne Elliot, a heroine, as Jane Austen once said, "almost too good for me." 

JASNA members gathered in the City of Brotherly Love to celebrate the sesquicentennial publication of the Philadelphia edition of Emma, the only novel published in the United States during Jane Austen's lifetime.  Excellent plenary and breakout speakers made the event highly popular.

Toronto hosted the first AGM to focus on not one particular novel, but all of them.  Settings of the novels and how they influenced and foreshadowed the plots was the topic for the weekend, one clearly enjoyed by all who attended.

Eager attendees gathered in San Francisco to discuss Sense and Sensibility and to participate in what became a lively event: “A Great Debate on the Virtues of Marianne versus Elinor.”  Excellent speakers, the best company and charming events rounded out the weekend.

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Those who attended the second Annual General Meeting discussed Mansfield Park and its heroine Fanny Price.  If  this were not enough to keep members happy and entertained, they were able to see the extensive Jane Austen collection that Alberta Hirshheimer Burke, wife of one of JASNA's founders, Henry Burke, donated to Goucher College.

On October 5th, 1979, "some people who like Jane Austen" held their first Annual General Meeting.  While hopeful that the Society would grow, little could they imagine that the banquet for 100 would become a weekend conference for over 700 in the years to come.