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The Jane Austen Summer Program (JASP) is a symposium-style <br />event, usually held in June of each year, which offers programming <br />that reflects the interests of its attendees. Key characteristics of our <br />four-day event include the plenary format, Context Corners, break- <br />out discussion groups, period refreshments, film screenings, rental <br />costumes, hands-on workshops, pedagogy sessions, <br />interdisciplinary content and approaches, emphasis on history and <br />material culture, an open discussion session with the Co-Directors, <br />original theatrical productions, a film and adaptation panel, and a <br />Regency Ball (see walkthrough document), an art exhibit at the <br />Ackland Art Museum, and a rare book exhibit at Wilson Library. <br />Unlike more formal academic conferences or fan conventions, JASP <br />unifies scholarly attention to Austen’s oeuvre with the enthusiasm <br />and passion of her fans; it is truly a public humanities project, which <br />is reflected in its attendees. <br />A special attribute of the Jane Austen Summer Program is the blend <br />of scholarly discourse and hands-on experiences within a social <br />environment that brings together multiple audiences and ages. <br />Attendance? In 2019, for example, our age range was 11-81. We have <br />held JASP for 8 year and always sell out. We limit attendance to 120 <br />participants each year due to space restrictions. <br />Through our teacher scholarships, we have brought 22 NC teachers <br />to JASP with the full tuition scholarship over the four years we have <br />offered it and also supplemented a discounted price of tuition for 20 <br />more teachers. In 2017, 25% were African-American; in that same <br />year 50% of scholarship attendees had only an undergraduate <br />education, while the other 50% had additional graduate school <br />experience. Half of the winners were from rural communities. The <br />community aspect of JASP allows both general readers, scholars, <br />and teachers from within the state of North Carolina and readers <br />across the country to meet, socialize, and bond within a centralized <br />location. Participants come from across the US and the state of North <br />Carolina. <br />Outside of our usual summer symposium, we have also begun <br />offering free public events, beginning in July 2019, with our series <br />Jane Austen & Co. Jane Austen & Co. is a free public humanities <br />series hosted by the Jane Austen Summer Program. Originally, our <br />events took place at South Regional Library in Durham. Our original <br />format featured short lectures on historical women writers and small <br />group community book discussions. Through JA& Co we have <br />expanded our creative writing contests to middle and high schoolers, <br />as well as for adults. <br />JASP Plus was planning to start its first 2-day set of events as an <br />add-on for teachers who attend JASP, but this was cancelled. We <br />planned it with our partner, National Humanities Center. <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: 88C0949C-F7C6-47D4-8832-A8CDDEFA33A0