Busy. Busy busy busy. Here are only some of the reasons why ( Read more... )

'My idea of good company, Mr Elliot, is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company.'
'You are mistaken,' said he gently, 'that is not good company, that is the best.'
An exchange between Anne Elliot and her cousin/suitor William Elliot from Persuasion, Chapter 16 ( Read more... )

Okay, they don't "always get me down" (yeah - I'm quoting The Carpenters). But today being both, and it having gone from sunny and mid-70s for the past few days, I'm less than enthusiastic about today ( Read more... )

No, I'm not moving on from the Jane project (my WIP - a biography of Austen in verse using period forms, for which I now have 145 poems completed - go me!). I am, however, moving on from my position as Regional Coordinator for the Eastern PA region of the Jane Austen Society of North America. I greet the upcoming end of my two-year term with a ( Read more... )

The Jane Austen conference was excellent. Great speakers and panels. Lots learned, lots to think about, several new books to read.

Developed a bit of an author crush on John Mullan, who is a Professor of English at University College in London and a columnist for The Guardian in the U.K. He's cute (here's his author pic) and smart and funny and ( Read more... )

Many of you are aware that I've been working on a biography of Jane Austen for the past two and a half years, so it will come as no surprise to you (I think) to learn that I am a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America (consisting of a number of chapters in the United States and Canada). This year, the region for which I am Regional ( Read more... )

Lucky me! I came home last night from a writing retreat in New Hampshire where I completed seven Austen-related poems, and today I got to go spend most of the afternoon among other Janeites at an 18th-century Inn in Pennsylvania. Our speaker was the President of JASNA, who discussed similarities in the art of Johannes Vermeer and in the writing of ( Read more... )

Okay, seriously? I got home about 4:30, and then took a massive nap. But I digress ( Read more... )

Yes, even though it's only the 9 o'clock hour here, I'm getting ready to leave for lunch, because today is the spring event for the Eastern Pennsylvania Region of the Jane Austen Society of North America, and as the Regional Coordinator, I have to be there early. Plus, I'm picking up our speaker on a street corner in Philadelphia ( Read more... )

1. I had a delicious Thai Pasta Salad for lunch, fun browsing at Children's Book World, and good conversation with writerjenn. What a great outing ( Read more... )