Supporting Community Through Reading
Virginia Yerxa Community Read
Colusa County Free Library, Story Time
A Most Clever Girl, How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice
Thursday, April 3, 6:00-7:00 pm
Families brought their littlest ones for tales of wonder and adventure, guided by the library’s most esteemed narrator Ms. Gaby.
Colusa County Free Library, Film Friday
Morse Conference Room, 738 Market Street, Colusa
Friday, April 4, 10:00 am-3:30 pm
Patrons binge-watched the beloved classic brought to life on the screen.
5 APRIL 2025
Virginia Read Day
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 642 5th Street, Colusa
10:00am, The Acting Company, The Proposal Scene
10:30am, Keynote with Dr. Elizabeth Miller
Professor of English and Chair of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at the University of California, Davis, Dr. Miller reflected on the beloved Lizzy Bennet, and the concepts of love, class, and individual agency espoused in the novel. With her engaging and thoughtful perspective, Dr. Miller left all in attendance with a deeper understanding of Austen’s brilliance.
Dr. Miller's work, Extraction Ecologies and the Literature of the Long Exhaustion (Princeton University Press, 2021), has garnered high praise, and distinguished honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, confirm her eminent position in her field.
11:30am, Classical Regency piano with Cynthia White
Noon-2:00pm
Families partook in a delightful suite of Regency-inspired activities that transported us back to the elegant and refined days of our novel’s characters. A taste of high tea was served, accompanied by an array of fine scones. For those of artistic bent, teacup-painting and silhouette portraits, a tradition beloved by the Regency and Victorian eras, created lovely mementos of the day. The Garden Club of Colusa County hosted a lesson on the art of teacup arrangements, and was a crowd favorite.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
First published in 1813, Pride and Prejudice remains a timeless exploration of love, class, and societal expectations. The novel follows the spirited Elizabeth Bennet and the
enigmatic Mr. Darcy as they navigate the complex terrain of 19th-century England.
Whether you “ardently admire” Austen’s biting cultural discourse or are simply captivated by the romantic escapades of Lizzy Bennet and her sisters, the novel offers something for everyone.
Austen's keen observations of human nature, wit, and insight into social dynamics make this novel a perfect text for sparking conversations that are still incredibly relevant in today’s world.
Family Day at CCAC: "Jane Austen Costume Design"
Saturday, March 1st, 11:00 am-12:30 pm
Local artist Juliann Cheney led a costume design activity inspired by the characters from Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. Participants worked together collectively to create life-sized cardboard characters in costume.
Salmon Bend Art Studios, 3606 Brown Road, Colusa
Live Lit in Colusa
Thursday, April 3, 6:00-7:30 pm
The Arts Council hosted an evening of literary illumination. Local writers performed short readings of poems, stories and nonfiction, inspired by the work of Jane Austen.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
Friends of the Library, Book Club
Caffeinated, 538 Market St, Colusa
Thursday, March 27th, 6:00-7:30 pm
The Friends of the Library monthly book club had a lively discussion of Pride and Prejudice over tea and scones!
VIRGINIA READ DAY EVENTS
4 APRIL 2025
Book Club with a Twist
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 642 5th Street, Colusa
6:30-8:00pm
The fourth annual Book Club with a Twist, hosted a small group of readers in a speed-dating style discussion of the Virginia Read selection. We paid tribute to the ridiculous Mr. Collins and imbibed on a most excellent cocktail in his honor.