Blog - JASNA North Carolina

Virtual Book Club: The Castle of Otranto

Fiction· Meetings

25 Mar

By Bill Gaither JASNA-NC members met on February 15, 2026, for a fun and insightful discussion of Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto (1764), the first Gothic novel in English and the forerunner of a robust literary tradition that Jane Austen famously spoofed in Northanger Abbey (1817). Regional coordinator Sara Tavela presided and also ably led the literary discussion at this Virtual Book Club…
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Holiday Celebration and Jane’s 250th Birthday

2 Jan

By Elizabeth Jewell On Sunday, December 7, 2025, JASNA-NC members gathered in person and virtually to celebrate the holiday season and Jane’s 250th birthday, which is on December 16, 2025. The in-person get-together was at Gisele Rankin’s lovely home in Cary, and members brought an array of tasty treats. Karin Wiberg led the in-person meeting, while Regional Coordinator Sara Tavela…
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A Musical Celebration for Jane Austen’s Birthday

Austen Adventures

18 Dec

By Pamela Hale Our member Pamela hosted a musical party in honor of Jane Austen’s birthday on December 13, 2025. Hear about the party and find the music played below. The party on December 13th was so much fun. To begin, I read a short excerpt from the opening of Claire Tomalin’s book, Jane Austen: A Life. The 21 attendees,…
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Virtual Book Club: Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev

Meetings· Virtual Book Club

3 Dec

By Bill Gaither Members met on November 16, 2025, for a deep and delightful discussion of Sonali Dev’s contemporary romance novel Recipe for Persuasion. Romance novel author and member Nancy Martin-Young led the discussion. Regional coordinator Sara Tavela presided. This was a Virtual Book Club meeting. With keen insights and richly evocative slides, Nancy led members through a discussion of…
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2025 AGM Debrief Recap

6 Nov

By Linda Darden In October members of the North Carolina region of JASNA met to compare notes and shareexperiences from the Annual General Meeting (AGM), recently conducted in Baltimore, Maryland. The region had a particularly large in-person attendance this year with 18 members registered, with several others participating through the virtual attendee option. Sue Scott opened the discussion by sharing…
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JASNA North Carolina

2 weeks ago

JASNA-NC September 20 MeetingDr. Meghan Kobza on The MasqueradeGlittering masquerades, held at the most fashionable London venues, dominated the calendars of the Georgian elite. A thrilling opportunity to gather, flirt, and consume, hosts such as “Empress of Pleasure” Teresa Cornelys welcomed the great and the good in elaborate costumes—including diamond-covered gowns, harlequin outfits, or, in some cases, very little at all. Organised by wealthy impresarios, the masquerade allowed the aristocracy to flaunt their status and enjoy themselves behind the closed doors of opulent ballrooms, theatres, and gardens, dressed by an industry of ever more inventive habit makers. For the rest of society, the masquerade was notorious for mischief and misbehaviour, and a focus for voracious gossip. Join JASNA-NC for a fascinating afternoon learning about the social history of masquerade, which will be an excellent prelude to the AGM's Masquerade Ball at the end of October!The DetailsWhat: The Masquerade with Dr. Meghan Kobza, historian and authorWhen: September 20, 2026 from 2:00-3:30 p.m.Where: In the comfort of your home via Zoom.RSVP: All are welcome! Register Here - jasnanorthcarolina.org/events/Please email if you have any questions or concerns: jasna.ncarolina@gmail. com—Sara Tavela & Linda Darden, Co-Regional Coordinators, JASNA-NC ...

Events - JASNA North Carolina

jasnanorthcarolina.org

This page includes information on JASNA North Carolina events--monthly meetings, other events, and past events. Come visit!

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JASNA North Carolina

1 month ago

Hi, friends! Our August meeting is just around the corner, and we're looking forward to our discussion on Northanger Abbey. While you can sign up any time up until the start time of the meeting, we recommend signing up now so you don't miss out. Check out the details below, and we look forward to seeing you there! —Sara Tavela & Linda Darden, Co-Regional Coordinators(jasna.ncarolina@gmail.com)JASNA-NC August 16 MeetingVirtual Book Club: Austen's Northanger Abbey Join us for our upcoming Virtual Book Club selection, Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. Earlier this year we read Horace Walpole's Castle of Otranto, considered to be the first English Gothic novel and one that was surely an inspiration for the genre. In this month's reading, Jane Austen takes on the themes and style of the very popular gothic novel tradition as she tells the story of a charming young woman who was not 'born to be a heroine'. We look forward to the discussion!To help prepare for our conversation, our facilitator, Mary Jane, has provided some preliminary information and questions for us:Northanger Abbey Info & Questions chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://mcusercontent.com/865810cf8f660169f15... The DetailsWhat: Virtual Book ClubWhen: August 16, 2026 from 2:00-3:30 p.m.Where: In the comfort of your home via Zoom.RSVP: All are welcome! Register Here jasnanorthcarolina.org/events/august-16-2026-virtual-book-club-northanger-abbey/ ...

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JASNA North Carolina

2 months ago

JASNA-NC July 19 MeetingFun and GamesGet ready for some summer fun with our annual Fun & Games meeting! We’ll play some Austen-inspired games with simple scoring systems.Prize winners will be selected via an online randomized process, so you can enjoy the games without stress or pressure; there will be prize winners in meeting and for those who play from home via the recording.As Jane Austen wrote, “Life is but a quick succession of busy nothings,” so let us fill our ‘nothings’ with merriment this meeting!The DetailsWhat: Fun and GamesWhen: July 19, 2026 from 2:00-3:30 p.m.Where: In the comfort of your home via Zoom.RSVP: All are welcome! Register HereAccessibility: We have auto-captions available in the meeting and if there are slides they will be as high contrast as possible. If you have accessibility needs we have not addressed here, please let us know.“They sat down to table to try their hands at Speculation, the game of the moment, and the only one which could engage the party in a scattered room.”—Mansfield ParkUpcoming EventsJuly 18-19, Virtual JaneCon. Learn more here.July 19, JASNA-NC Monthly Meeting, Fun & Games. Register here.August 16, JASNA-NC Monthly Meeting, Virtual Book Club: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. Register here. September 20, JASNA-NC Monthly Meeting with Dr. Megan Kobza on The Masquerade. Register here.October TBD, JASNA-NC Monthly Meeting, Virtual Book Club: Nikki Payne's Pride and Protest.October 29-November 1, JASNA AGM in Arizona. Details below.When you register for JASNA-NC Zoom meetings, you will immediately receive the meeting access info. A reminder will be sent a couple days ahead of the event and again a couple hours ahead.Not yet a member of JASNA? Most JASNA-NC events are member-only; if you would like to visit as a guest to see if we are the right match for your interests, please email the regional coordinator (Sara/Linda). We would love to have you! When you join JASNA, you not only get all the membership benefits of the larger organization, you also become a member of the region you live in and get to participate in all member events. Our Membership Officer who will welcome new members can be contacted at membership.jasnanc@gmail.com (please note that the address is a bit different from the regional ...

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