JASNA News, the newsletter of the Jane Austen Society of North America, reported in a recent issue that of the over 300 submissions to their popular Essay Contest, one-quarter of the contestants were male.  The 'Jane Austen Pen Pal Club' welcomes the gentlemen devotees of Austen to join this community and to share their unique perspective on Austen and her work.

 

Entries in the Essay Contest were received from 40 states and five Canadian provinces.  The competition also drew participants from Mexico, Italy, Germany, Ukraine, Brazil, South Korea, Russia, Sweden, Ireland, England, Austria, Columbia, Spain, India, Bulgaria, Nigeria and Turkmenistan. 

 

It appears that in spite of the divisions and the turbulence of these modern times there is one thing that many of us have in common - our Jane.  May her words continue to delight us and to connect us.