About us

Beginnings

The Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) was founded in 1979 by Joan Austen-Leigh, Henry G. Burke, and J. David Grey. JASNA’s approximately 4,000 members are of all ages and from diverse walks of life.

The Greater Phoenix Region was formed on January 27, 2012. We have been experiencing steady growth and are confident that we will continue to grow and be enriched by each other and the better understanding of Jane Austen and her work. We have great plans for the future!

Mission

Our mission is to create community and provide a vehicle among the people of the Greater Phoenix area to study, appreciate, understand, and enjoy the works and life of Jane Austen, to reach out to the community through various services, and provide scholarships for Austen-related study and travel.

Janine Kelly

Regional Coordinator

Jane Austen and Shakespeare are for everyone! I enjoyed introducing both stellar British writers to my students on the Navajo Reservation. Celebrating all things literature, I have lectured and taught at Barry College in Miami, Florida, as well as diverse high schools, community colleges, and NAU in the Southwest. 
Past President of the Flagstaff chapter of Women’s PEN, I was honored with an NEH fellowship to the prestigious Folger Library in Washington D.C. and have received numerous awards for my writing — the highlight was having lunch with Nobel Literature Laureate Derek Walcott. 
I graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Florida and studied with the renown Austen scholar, Dr. Sandie Byrne, at Exeter College, Oxford, where her post-graduate students toured Bath, Chawton, Lyme Regis, and other areas noted in Jane’s unforgettable novels. ( Seeing Jane Austen’s petite writing desk was exhilarating.)
Past editor-in-chief and publisher of the Southwest Literary Journal and member of the International Literacy Association, I wouldl ike to invite high school, community college, and university teachers from Phoenix, the Native American reservations, and Flagstaff to our region, encouraging them to coach their students to enter the annual essay contest sponsored by the AGM committee. Some students have seen the film versions of Jane’s novels but not yet read them. Jane Austen’s novels have much wisdom to offer the teen heart. 
I have attended the glorious AGMs in Vancouver, Philadelphia, and Portland and was bedazzled by the presentations there, afterwards enjoying bottomless cups of tea with the congenial Janeites from across the country and as far away as Japan and New Zealand. Jane Austen attracts the nicest people! 
JASNA is a vibrant group of beautiful people that harmonizes fun social activities such as the lovely tea at the Capitol Canyon Club in Prescott with scholarly presentations by John Mullan and book club discussions. Alternating Zoom gatherings with in-person gatherings in the Phoenix area with a summer gathering in Northern Arizona to escape the heat is a blueprint I would continue. Pre-Covid, my family travelled to the Phoenix and Scottsdale throughout the year to visit the zoo, theatre, arboretum, and museums. 
Inactive for several years following a car accident, I am happy to renew my membership and friendship with the beautiful members who share a love for all things Austen. It is an honor to be selected as Regional Coordinator of the Greater Phoenix Region of the Jane Austen Society of North America. 

Our Board

Janine Kelly, Regional Coordinator

Delia Athey, Treasurer

Angela Cade, Recording Secretary

Kate McClary, Membership Coordinator

Donna E. (Bella) Bennett, Historian

Sherry Moore, Electronic Media

Holly Welker, Discussion Facilitator

Peg Hesley, Regional Dance Caller

Perry Krowne, Northern AZ Book Club Leader

Elizabeth Pickens, Newsletter Editor

Diane Gorham, Founder

Paula Heil, Advisor

 

 

Join us!

Membership in JASNA is open to everyone, especially those who have an interest in Jane Austen and her works. We welcome your participation in JASNA’s activities, conferences, and regional groups.

If you’re ready to join, you may do so here!

You are also welcome to come to a few local events before you decide to join.

JASNA Greater Phoenix is a region of The Jane Austen Society of North America. If you’d like more info, please fill out the form below.

Get involved:

If you would like to be placed on our email list, please fill out this form. We promise not to fill your inbox, but keep you abreast of upcoming events which may be of interest to you.

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