The Latest from Devoney (December 2023)

Celebrating Jane Austen's Birthday: 16 December

Dear Jane-Friends:

Happy Jane Day! Google claims that “Jane Day” in the U.S. falls each year on June 13th. What? I don’t celebrate that one. (Maybe you do if your name is Jane.) In the corners of the world in which I have the good fortune to promenade, Jane Austen’s birthday is the rightful Jane Day. She was born on December 16, 1775, so this year marks the 248th anniversary of her birth.

In the past, I’ve celebrated this day at home, once by attempting to make Jane-shaped cookies. (Fail. See below. Do not invite me to your holiday cookie exchange.) Other years I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to groups at Jane Austen-themed high teas, and those are always a lot of fun.

This year, however, I’m doing neither. Instead I’m spending part of the day researching and writing. That’s because I’ve signed the contract for my next book, Wild for Austen, with St. Martin’s Press, coming in fall 2025—just in time to celebrate Austen’s 250th birthday, a.k.a. the semiquincentennial or sestercentennial. It means I’ll be writing like crazy (or like wild!) over the coming months, diving into her writings, life, and legacy. I’ll definitely resurface to share details about how it’s coming together in future newsletters. In the meantime, if you have favorite examples of Austen’s wildness, do share them.

There’s definitely no shortage of wild Austen things in the news now, including the surprising return of an idea for a Winchester, England Jane Austen statue, which was roundly criticized and scrapped last time around. (So far this one’s better liked.) But what’s got me really excited is the announcement that Hallmark is planning four new Austen-inspired adaptations to air in February, including a Sense and Sensibility film with an all-Black cast. It’s part of what Hallmark is calling “Loveuary with Jane Austen.” I’m so grateful they’re taking these movies out of the Christmas rotation, and I’m eager to see what they’ve got up their sleeves with this Valentine’s Day twist. I’ll be anticipating these all Jane-uary!

This past fall brought other Jane-tastic adventures, including giving three lectures in November. The first was a talk at the Jane Austen Society of North America’s Annual General Meeting in Denver, where I presented new material on Pride and Prejudice’s legacy in early 20th-century popular culture, including stories of Ring Lardner, Harry Wills, and Judy Garland. (That essay will be out soon in Persuasions journal.) At the AGM I also got to introduce feminist-scholar-hero Janet Todd and then hear both her and another hero, Claudia L. Johnson, give stunning lectures. As if that weren’t enough, I had the pleasure of acting in Syrie James’s fantastic new play, Jane Austen in 48 Minutes. I can now say I’ve played Elizabeth Bennet on stage. (And also Marianne Dashwood, Mary Crawford, Emma Woodhouse, Isabella Thorpe, and Anne Elliot!) Syrie’s play is a hilarious triumph. It was truly an honor to read these parts alongside authors Francine Mathews, Janet Todd, and Diana Birchall, as well as several incredibly talented, funny male leads.

The following week, I got to be in the audience for another great play, during a visit to the University of Minnesota’s Theatre Department. Not only did I get to see Lisa Channer’s fine production of Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice; I visited a class with the cast and gave a lecture on “Staging Austen, Past and Present.” But the November talk that was nearest and dearest to my heart was at University of Tulsa’s gorgeous McFarlin Library—an argument/debate/dialogue over Austen with my caro sposo George Justice. The Library hilariously billed it as our “final showdown” over Austen. I sincerely hope that’s not true, just as I hope we rarely resemble the odious Eltons, even if this event photo may suggest otherwise.

This fall also saw the publication of a pandemic editing project I completed with three talented Arizona State University students. We co-edited Anna Maria Porter’s second charming short story collection, Artless Tales; or, Romantic Effusions of the Heart (1795/96) for the fantastic Juvenilia Press. The Juvenilia Press publishes creative works by authors under the age of 21, from the 17th century to the present, in books that are put together by faculty-student collaborative teams. Do check it out! I also love the cover they designed.

There’s just so much more Austen-fun and literary-women-fun to turn to as 2023 rolls into 2024. Next on my listening list is Patricia A. Matthew’s Audible lecture, “Reading Pride and Prejudice in the 21st Century.” I’m also reading two exciting things before they’re published. Over the holiday break, I’ll devour Jennifer Croft’s forthcoming novel, The Extinction of Irina Rey and Natalie Jenner’s forthcoming novel, Jane Austen at Sea. I’ll be preparing, too, for a few talks in early 2024, including one on Sister Novelists’s Jane Porter, which will be held at the Grolier Club in New York on February 20th. Perhaps I’ll see you there?

As ever, please drop me a line if you think there’s something I should notice about Jane Austen, the Porter sisters, strong women, or roller derby. (More from me on roller derby in 2024, too!)

So Happy Jane Day, Happy Holidays, and thanks again for staying connected,
Devoney

P. S. If you’ve got a spare moment over the holidays, I’d still be grateful for any boosts you might want to give to Sister Novelists and this newsletter.

• Have you rated or reviewed Sister Novelists on Goodreads, Amazon or BookBub ? Publishers tell authors that it’s the best way to help a book find its next readers.

• Perhaps you’ll want to choose Sister Novelists for your book group in 2024, drawing on its online reader’s guide? Or listen to, recommend, or review the book on Audible? Or suggest Sister Novelists to your favorite library for purchase? (ISBN: 978-1635575293)

• You could also forward this newsletter to a friend who might want to join us here. How quick come the reasons for forwarding what we like!