Jane Austen Letter Writing Society
It has been a long time in coming but here we are finally together. I am so happy that you have stopped by this blog and hope that you will pull up a nice comfortable chair and have a cup of tea with me. P.G. Tips or Twinings? One lump or two? Cream?
Tea with me!
I found myself in a predicament in deciding how I was going to manage the "Society", was it going to be a periodic post on my blog:
Lost Art of Letter Writing Revived...or was it going to stand alone? After thinking it through a bit, I realized that my letter writing blog covered so many different aspects of the snail mail world that A "Jane Austen Letter Writing Society" would just get lost in the shuffle. After this indisputable conclusion, I determined that it would indeed need to stand alone. So here we are dear reader, in a tiny corner of the blogosphere where we can discuss all things Austen and enjoy sending each other Austen- inspired letters from an era long departed from the world in which we find ourselves today.
So, what will people DO exactly in this Jane Austen Letter Writing Society? That's a wonderful question. I have been pondering this very thing for quite some time. Here are my thoughts on the matter.
1. Of course, we will write and send letters. But I wanted to fine tune this a bit and introduce you to a like-minded pen friend. So this will be a
pen pal matching site. If you would like to be matched to another , you must first fill out the application and send it to me at jalwsociety@gmail.com. I will take your information and match you to another, who will hopefully be perfectly suited to your tastes. Every other month I will offer a new match up. You may continue to write your previous pen friend and sign up for a new one or not. The choice is yours.
2. I will be issuing all sorts of fun
Letter Writing Challenges in the Jane Austen inspired style. I have a list of challenges compiled but for now I am keeping it under wraps. I am open to what you, dear reader, might like to contribute or suggest in this area.
3. There will be
contests. Yes, yes! ( Do I hear very genteel clapping?) We will have a delightful time with testing our wits on Austen trivia, writing and submitting essays, poems, limericks, and actually some fun challenges on performing Regency era tasks in our very own time. Ha, ha....you will just have to wait to hear these--have I piqued your interest? I do hope so.
4. Did I say
tea? Oh would you simply indulge me just a tiny bit by allowing some discussion of tea? I would love to hear of your tea rituals and recommendations.
5. And finally,
reader participation on this blog is VITAL. Being a blogger is a lonely affair a great deal of the time, particularly when you get absolutely no response from a post. Did I miss the mark? What went wrong? Naturally, with no comments there are all sorts of second- guessing going on in the mind of a blogger. I hope that we can have lively discussions by making comments, will you do this? I do hope so. Another way to participate will be by sending in submissions to be posted. I will receive submissions on Regency letter writing themes, stationery, calligraphy, pen and inks, crossed,letters, tea, book reviews, blogs, and, of course, whatever is on your mind anything (within reason , gentle reader) Jane Austen. submissions may be made through jalwsociety@gmail.com .
Do you have questions? Email me or just leave a comment. Thank you for joining me. I am looking forward to a rewarding time with you and the Jane Austen Letter Writing Society!
Affectionately,
Lady Pamela