Lucky thirteen
Thirty-nine years ago, during my first semester of college, I took the train from New Haven to Philadelphia to attend my first Jane Austen Society of North America Annual General Meeting—the fifth JASNA AGM, centered on Emma. At seventeen, I was the youngest Janeite there.* I adored every minute of the weekend. As far as I was concerned, all the scholarly lectures were brilliant, all the group discussions were stimulating, and all the food was delicious. On Sunday night, I re