Jane Austen Book Club NYC

"Alas! If the heroine of one novel be not patronized by the heroine of another, from whom can she expect protection and regard?"

Join us on three Tuesday evenings in April for a deep-dive into Jane Austen's most metafictional novel.

About Northanger Abbey
Despite her own incorrigible ordinariness, the teenaged Catherine Morland finds herself at the center of a high-flown Gothic romance . . . "just like what one reads about"! The line between fiction and fact become alarmingly blurry in this bold, lively literary satire and coming-of-age tale.

About This Series
Are you ready for a leisurely, in-depth exploration of a great book, its themes, and its historical context? Then this group is for you! Whether it's your first time reading Northanger Abbey or your fiftieth, we look forward to hearing what you think and feel about it.

Schedule of Gatherings
Tuesday, April 14, 2026 at 7:00 PM Eastern US time:
Discussion of Volume 1 of Northanger Abbey (chapters 1 through 15)

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 7:00 PM Eastern US time:
Discussion of Volume 2 of Northanger Abbey (chapters 16 through 31)

Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at 7:00 PM Eastern US time:
Wrap-up of Northanger Abbey and discussion of supplemental reading materials TBD.

Meet Your Facilitator
Sarah Rose Kearns is a playwright, performer, and lifelong Austen enthusiast. Her stage adaptation of Persuasion debuted off-Broadway in 2021 and, last year, received its second production at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in Baltimore. Her one-act play Manydown, which imagines one important night in the lives of Jane Austen and her sister Cassandra, has been performed more than a dozen times in six US states, as well as in the UK and New Zealand — and was recently adapted as a short film by Prerna Ramachandra. Rose's third and latest play The Austens, a full-length dramatic comedy about the beloved novelist and her family, has had staged readings in New York City, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and at Jane Austen’s brother’s house in Chawton, the English village where the play is set. In addition to her creative work, Rose is passionate about the work of building strong communities through art. Since its inception in 2020, she has served as a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) committee for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion; and, since 2023, as co-Regional Coordinator for the JASNA New York Metropolitan Region. She is also the founding artistic director of The Holy Theatre, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit arts organization in New York City, with a mission to make plays and other gatherings that leave people feeling nourished, connected, and more able to be brave.

About the Registration Fee
Your payment of $4 per session for each of the four sessions in this series will help the organizers cover monthly Meetup.com platform fees. Any additional proceeds will support The Imaginists, the educational programming wing of The Holy Theatre, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit arts organization.

"Alas! If the heroine of one novel be not patronized by the heroine of another, from whom can she expect protection and regard?"

Join us on three Tuesday evenings in April for a deep-dive into Jane Austen's most metafictional novel.

About Northanger Abbey
Despite her own incorrigible ordinariness, the teenaged Catherine Morland finds herself at the center of a high-flown Gothic romance . . . "just like what one reads about"! The line between fiction and fact become alarmingly blurry in this bold, lively literary satire and coming-of-age tale.

About This Series
Are you ready for a leisurely, in-depth exploration of a great book, its themes, and its historical context? Then this group is for you! Whether it's your first time reading Northanger Abbey or your fiftieth, we look forward to hearing what you think and feel about it.

Schedule of Gatherings
Tuesday, April 14, 2026 at 7:00 PM Eastern US time:
Discussion of Volume 1 of Northanger Abbey (chapters 1 through 15)

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 7:00 PM Eastern US time:
Discussion of Volume 2 of Northanger Abbey (chapters 16 through 31)

Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at 7:00 PM Eastern US time:
Wrap-up of Northanger Abbey and discussion of supplemental reading materials TBD.

Meet Your Facilitator
Sarah Rose Kearns is a playwright, performer, and lifelong Austen enthusiast. Her stage adaptation of Persuasion debuted off-Broadway in 2021 and, last year, received its second production at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in Baltimore. Her one-act play Manydown, which imagines one important night in the lives of Jane Austen and her sister Cassandra, has been performed more than a dozen times in six US states, as well as in the UK and New Zealand — and was recently adapted as a short film by Prerna Ramachandra. Rose's third and latest play The Austens, a full-length dramatic comedy about the beloved novelist and her family, has had staged readings in New York City, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and at Jane Austen’s brother’s house in Chawton, the English village where the play is set. In addition to her creative work, Rose is passionate about the work of building strong communities through art. Since its inception in 2020, she has served as a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) committee for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion; and, since 2023, as co-Regional Coordinator for the JASNA New York Metropolitan Region. She is also the founding artistic director of The Holy Theatre, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit arts organization in New York City, with a mission to make plays and other gatherings that leave people feeling nourished, connected, and more able to be brave.

About the Registration Fee
Your payment of $4 per session for each of the four sessions in this series will help the organizers cover monthly Meetup.com platform fees. Any additional proceeds will support The Imaginists, the educational programming wing of The Holy Theatre, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit arts organization.