As an instructor of public writing I support writing that is freely available to the public, not locked behind a paywall or only found through a university library’s database or paper subscription service. I support writers who write with the intention of educating the public and sharing information quickly. I support academics who enjoy writing about “scholarly” and “popular” things–sometimes simultaneously. In other words, I support myself (if that is a thing one can do…)!

I give you my online article, “Sitting with Jane and Her Forgotten Peers,” which looks at one bench in the recently ended art trail, Sitting with Jane. This piece can be found in an online forum, ABO Public: An Interactive Forum for Women in the Arts, 1640-1830, which is sponsored by the Aphra Behn Society. Don’t know who the society is named after? Go here.

ABO Public is divided into a few sections, and my article is located in “The Eighteenth-Century in Popular Culture.” (See the opening image for other sections.) I encourage you to submit something to ABO Public!

I do not pretend that the piece I share with you today is written for everyone in the world (one version of the public). Rather, it is written for readers who are interested in “Women in the Arts” from 1640-1830. In this case, that is my public. Jane Austen fans are definitely included. Hopefully, so are you!

Click on the link above or go here to read my article. Below you see a screenshot of the feature.