I am an unapologetic fan of Shakespeare, and have been since a high school teacher hinted that there were hidden meanings, bawdy humor, and creative ways to swear in most of the plays. I was mildly interested at that point, but when he added that only smart people took the time to find them – I knew I was going to take on that challenge. And while I’ve seen and read quite a few of the Bard’s plays in the 45+ years since, (and indeed found those things) I’m nowhere near having read all of them.

Enter Ian Doescher, who in November, proposed to read through the complete works of Shakespeare this year, in a Facebook reading group.  Its called Shakespeare 2020, and you can bet I signed up right then and there!

The thought of reading Shakespeare for some is daunting enough, let alone reading the complete works in a year. But in addition to sharing some general resources such as videos, artwork, and film recommendations, Ian has created a schedule that allots about a week for each piece, so that we’re all together.

In September of 2018, Downtown Dad and I traveled to England, and our first stop was Shakespeare’s home town of Stratford Upon Avon. We had discovered just a couple months before that an ancestor on my paternal great-grandmothers side owned a shop in Stratford, so maybe my interest in reading his entire works is rooted in some mystical genetic memory… or, maybe I’m just always up for a challenge.