Yours Faithfully, Amanda

October 30, 2016 Dear Jane, I initially began this letter to you whilst in a large ‘barouche,’ which we in the twenty-first century like to call the “Megabus.” (You may remember that I wrote of such transportation in previous letters.) I now finish my note within the comfort of my own home for I feel it my duty to write to you as promptly as may be for I have a most wonderful event to tell you of. To be sure, when you read about where I have been and what I have been doing, I dare say you will be all astonishment, Jane! Now, as I do not wish to keep you in suspense any longer, I shall just come right out with it. From Wednesday 19 October to Sunday 23 October, I was in Washington D.C. for my first ever Jane Austen Society of North America Annual General Meeting (JASNA AGM) and it was nothing short of sensational. The theme of this year’s meeting was, of course, Emma , as it coincides with the bicentennial of its original publication. In truth, it is difficult to describe t...

October 10, 2016 Dear Jane, When last I wrote, I mentioned that I would not write again until I had some diverting fall excursions to tell you of. Happily, I had a most lovely Friday evening last week and I hearily wish to tell you all about it. (Pray, do not be alarmed by the quotation above as it will all be explained in good time.)  A portrait of Miss Charlotte Brontë. After a surprisingly pleasant day of temping, I was determined to visit the Morgan Library (one of my most favorite places in New York City) in order to walk through an exhibit currently on display there called, "Charlotte Brontë: An Independent Will." Fortunately, the Morgan offers patrons free admission on Friday evenings from seven o'clock until nine o'clock so I had no excuse to miss it.  Miss Brontë's writing desk... I need one of these! Now, as Miss Brontë found her fame many years after your passing, you would not have known her, but she certainly knew you, Jane. I implo...