Home stretch

It’s here at last: The final month of this Austen 250 year—which just happens to be the very month in which we will commemorate Jane Austen’s 250^th birthday. As we march inexorably towards the great day of December 16, the pace of celebratory events is hardly slackening—quite the contrary, in fact.

Case in point: Over the next two weeks, at least eleven libraries (public, academic, or research-focused) in England and the US have Austen 250 events planned—tea parties, movie screenings, lectures by Austen experts, craft workshops, and more. I am absolutely certain that this is a substantial undercount. These are just the events that happen to have come to my attention:

* December 3, University of Michigan library, Ann Arbor: Conversation about Austen retellings, plus a viewing of rare Austen editions.

* December 6, Mentor Public Library (OH): Jane Austen tea, including scones, games, and a presentation on the Regency period.

* December 6, Rockingham Free Public Library (VT): Regency celebration with music, dancing, crafts, and food.

* December 7, Princeton Public Library (NJ): Talk (co-sponsored by my local chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America) by Devoney Looser, author of the new book Wild for Austen: A Rebellious, Subversive, and Untamed Jane. Part of an Austen 250 series that includes four movie screenings and a performance of period music.

* December 11, Toledo Lucas County Public Library (OH): “The Rocky Horror Pride and Prejudice Picture Show”—“a call-and-response style screening” of the 2005 film of P&P that “combines the love of the hand flex with the excitement of a Rocky Horror screening.” Needless to say, costumes are de rigueur.

* December 12, Warwickshire Libraries (UK): Deadline to submit votes for favorite Austen novel. Part of an Austen 250 series that started last month and includes multiple craft workshops, plus games and lectures.

* December 12, Rosenbach Museum & Library (Philadelphia): Pride and Prejudice tea party, co-sponsored by Winterthur Library (Delaware). Held in the historic Rosenbach townhouse and featuring a display of first editions and design sources from Winterthur’s collection, as well as a visit with “Elizabeth Darcy, née Bennet.” Even at $250 a ticket, it’s already sold out.

* December 13, Cincinnati Public Library (what is about Ohio and Jane Austen?): Austen tea party, including food, crafts, card-playing, and a photo booth for any attendees who accept the invitation to come in period costume.

* December 15, North Hampton Public Library (NH): Online talk by Claire Evans about Sanditon, the novel Austen left unfinished at her death.

* December 16, North Castle Public Library (NY): Online conversation between Janet Saidi, author of the new book Jane Austen: The Original Romance Novelist, and book blogger Tabrizia Jones.

Frankly, if you only attend one library-sponsored Austen 250 event this month, it clearly should be the Rocky Horror-style P&P screening. How fun would that be?

But if none of the above events fits your schedule, here’s an eleventh possibility that’s close to my heart:

* December 2, online at 7 pm (US Eastern): I’ll be giving an introductory talk about Austen’s life and work, sponsored by the Long Hill Township Library (NJ) and the New Jersey Main Library Alliance. It’s free, but you must register to get the Zoom link.