Report on the meeting from Chapter Program Chair, Jim Nagle.

Our June meeting went amazing well, especially when you consider that our main speaker didn't show up!

As you recall, we had advertised that at our June 8 meeting, JASNA's National President, Marsha Huff, would come from Wisconsin to speak on "Viewing Austen through Vermeer's Camera Obscura." We had rented the auditorium at the UW's Henry Art Gallery and arranged for a catered tea and cake reception afterwards in the Gallery's Baci Court. Kimberly Brangwin had also arranged a dinner for the night before for Marsha with about ten to eleven of our Chapter Members.

Well, there is an old saying: "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." Marsha was not able to come because of thunderstorms that delayed and then eventually cancelled her flight, and closed the airport. Not that many years ago that would have forced us to cancel the meeting. Now, through the miracle of electronics, Marsha emailed her talk and slides of Vermeer paintings to Kimberly who hurriedly reviewed them while we were busy making sure the still warm CD (having just been burned) did work.

Aside from that initially jarring and potentially fatal problem, the meeting went amazingly well. We had well over ninety attendees, at least half of whom were not regular members (we ran out of membership forms and had to start telling people to visit the website and download the form from there).

Carolee Jones made the award presentations to our three essay contest winners, Brenna O'Neill, Andrew J. Bell, and K. Olivia Harrington. Charlene Kern gave a very enticing invitation for all the attendees, especially the non-members, to come to our August meeting at which English Country Dancing will be displayed and taught. And finally, it was on to Kimberly.

Kimberly's presentation was outstanding on its own rights, but especially when you consider that it was essentially an extemporaneous talk. Between Kimberly's lively presentation and Marsha's comments, which were both elegant in their structure and illuminating in their comparison, and well illustrated by the slides of Vermeers paintings, the meeting presented a very thought-provoking interplay between two geniuses, Vermeer and Austen. Connie Winkler, who also was reading the material for virtually the first time, and Jim Nagle aided in the presentation by reading from Jane's novels to show the connection between Jane's words and Vermeer's paintings.

At the meeting's conclusion we went to the Baci Court for the tea and cake reception of chocolate and lemon cake. All-in-all, for a meeting that danced on the precipice of disaster, the meeting went swimmingly.

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Left to right: KCTS Essay Co-ordinator Erin Whitcomb, Chapter RC Julie Arnold, 3rd Prize Winner K. Olivia Harrington, 1st Prize Winner Brenna O'Neill, 2nd Prize Winner Andrew J. Bell, Chapter Essay Co-ordinator Carolee Jones

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Left to right: 3rd Prize Winner K. Olivia Harrington, 1st Prize Winner Brenna O'Neill, 2nd Prize Winner Andrew J. Bell

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1st Prize Winner Brenna O'Neill