JASP 2025: Interview with Jenny Abella

In anticipation of JASP 2025 we’ll be interviewing our esteemed staff and speakers. This year’s four-day symposium, JASP 2025: Sensibility and Domesticity, will take place June 19-22, 2025, in historic New Bern, North Carolina. We will be focusing on Austen’s first published novel, Sense and Sensibility, and considering the birth of her career as a published author and taking a transatlantic look at the world into which she was born. Program topics include medicine, birth, and domestic arts in Regency England and colonial North Carolina. We’ll be covering the aforementioned topics and celebrating Austen’s 250th birthday through a wide range of activities including workshops, small-group discussions, and workshops. And of course, our Regency Ball is an event not to be missed! We can’t wait to celebrate Austen’s 250th birthday with you! 

Our next interviewee is Jennifer "Jenny" Abella who has served as a JASP volunteer in multiple capacities, including associate director and publicity chair. She is the director of the copy editing department at Encyclopaedia Britannica (yes, it still exists!). Jenny is an avid fan of all things Austen, pop culture, YA books, comic books and Disney.

How long have you been involved in JASP?

I've been a volunteer since 2015. I am a former associate director and publicity chair.

Which JASP activity are you most looking forward to and why?

I love the activities, such as crafts and dance lessons, that truly immerse you in world of Austen. I also love the small-group discussions, which feel more like book clubs, really, where we get to explore the questions raised in the talks and how they relate to that year's book.

Are you more Elinor or Marianne? Do you have a least favorite character?

I long to be Elinor ... but I'm definitely more a Marianne. Sense and Sensibility makes me appreciate how important balance is! Lucy Steele is one of the Austen characters that I love to hate -- she seems so nice until you realize how duplicitous she is.

Film still from Sense and Sensibility (1995)

What do you love most about Jane Austen and her works? 

I've been reading Austen for three decades now and I find something new every single time I pick up her books. I love that about her works. I also love how modern the characters and stories can be -- even though the books are 200+ years old. The novels are so adaptable to different time periods and settings. The possibilities seem endless.

Image from Pinterest

Why is Jane Austen important?

Jane Austen was so insightful -- about class, gender roles, and society. She can make you laugh and cry and think about how life was back then -- and how much and how little it has changed since.

Why should people attend JASP 2025? 

What better way to celebrate Jane Austen's legacy --- especially in her 250th year -- than by gathering with fellow fans and scholars to explore her work in depth through talks, discussions, activities and even a ball.

There are only a few places left for JASP 2025. Join us for incredible talks, discussions, and activities to honor Jane Austen's legacy and celebrate her 250th birthday. Register here! JASP 2025 is partially supported by a grant from North Carolina Humanities. We hope to see you in New Bern, NC!