May 14–16, 2027
The 2027 Maryland Jane Austen Fest is seeking presenters for our Saturday lectures and workshops.
The Saturday presentations are the core of our fabulous Jane Austen weekend, which takes place on May 14, 15 and 16, 2027 at Oldfields School, 1500 Glencoe Rd, Sparks-Glencoe, MD 21152.
Building on the successes and lessons learned from last year's Fest, we've tailored the celebration to be more user friendly (and less hill intensive). ALL the programming on Saturday will be in the Rodney Building (elevator) and on Rodney Quad. Participants can choose from either an immersive Pemberley Weekend experience or an expanded Saturday Day Pass. (Please note: the Pemberley Weekend — with the Ball on Friday night and special activities Saturday evening and Sunday morning — takes place throughout the Oldfields campus.)
We invite you to submit lively presentations geared toward our theme of Mansfield Park, Jane Austen and Her World. Presentations should be about 45 minutes long including time for Q&A, and will be offered twice (giving more attendees a chance to see your talk).
Presenters receive a FREE Saturday Day Pass and a discount on Emporium space.
This year we will also have a “Museum of Famous Women Biographies” — tri-fold displays of famous American women who were Austen contemporaries. We are looking for Janeites and history buffs who prefer to express themselves in written form. (Think Mother Mary Lange, Mary Pickersgill, Rosalie Calvert, Betsy Bonaparte… bonus points if they lived in Maryland, Virginia or Pennsylvania.)
Biographies will be 250–300 words. We will supply the tri-fold and take care of the design. Museum contributors will be recognized at the event.
Deadline for proposals: November 15
