About Lona Manning I am, of course, a Jane Austen fan. Now my latest rabbit hole is the world of forgotten 18th-century novels. You will find a lot of research and commentary on my blog which I hope will be useful for other researchers of the novel. I have a Masters degree (by research, 2024) from the University of York. My dissertation is about the novelistic tropes which Austen parodies and modifies in her novel Emma.
Non-fiction writing
I research and write about whatever grabs my interest. My other avocation is researching and exposing frauds and hoaxes. I uncovered the ways a prominent provincial politician had embellished his biography, a story that led to the collapse of his bid for political party leadership. Some of my research into the many biographical falsehoods of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter appeared in the online magazine Quillette. Click here for a list of my academic articles and other research articles
Public speaking
I love sharing what I have learned with other Janeites--or anyone who will listen! I was a speaker at the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) AGMs. I recently had the opportunity to speak in beautiful Victoria, BC, at a Jane Austen conference organized by the friendly and dedicated Victoria chapter. I've also spoken at my "home" chapter, Vancouver chapter of JASNA discussing the material I've been posting at my blog--putting Jane Austen's novels in the context of her times. Contact me (below) if you are interested in having me speak to your group, in person or virtually. 
My background
I was born in South Korea a few years after the Korean War. My parents served as missionaries in Seoul. My father taught library science at Yonsei University. And--being from the South, he also taught his students how to do the Virginia Reel. My mother fostered Korean war orphan babies in addition to raising her own children in a country that was struggling to recover from four decades of Japanese occupation and the devastating civil war that has left the country divided to this day. When my parents moved back to the United States, they became active in the civil rights movement and protesting against the Vietnam War. (I've visited Vietnam twice, my thoughts here). Our home was filled with books and magazines and stimulating conversation. Our family moved to Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, in 1967. By then we numbered six kids. I put myself through university, earning scholarships and working part-time. My husband Ross and I raised two sons; one is a computer programmer and the other works as a researcher for the provincial government. I live in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. I've been a legal secretary and a market researcher, but chiefly I worked in non-profit administration. Clean Sweep
After working in the non-profit sector for most of my life, I decided (in my late fifties) that it was time to start a new chapter and make a clean sweep. When I worked at a private ESL college, it was a privilege to watch the owners/teachers, Moni and Susan, at work in the classroom. The example they set was a big factor in my decision to return to school and obtain my TESL certificate at Okanagan College. Since then, I've had the pleasure of teaching English to all age groups and proficiency levels in a wide variety of settings. I currently teach classic English children's literature online to the children of Chinese immigrants. Their parents want their children to acquire cultural literacy in their adopted country. My China adventure
I spent four very rewarding years in Shandong Province, China, teaching English, travelling around, and meeting wonderful people. I'm so grateful that life threw me this curveball--and my husband came along for the ride and he loved the adventure as well There's a lot more about my life in China in the earliest posts on my blog. Feel free to get in touch with me below. No worries, you will not be placed on a mailing list!
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Me and my hubby
In Korea with a childhood friend
Dad at a civil rights meeting
Four years in China
In London's Chinatown
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