Shakespeare Authorship Mystery at Library

November 17, 2011

The public is invited to learn about the fascinating Shakespeare Authorship Mystery at the Oceanside Public Library on Saturday, November 19, 2011. Who was William Shakespeare? Historians, writers, scientists, scholars – even the U.S. Supreme Court – have argued for more than three hundred years that "William Shakespeare" is the nom de plume of a man who chose, for various reasons, not to publish his poems and plays under his true name. Professor Jane Mushinsky outlines the argument against the man actually named William Shakespeare, an illiterate small-town merchant, being the writer; and makes the case for a brilliant but troubled aristocrat having written the works instead, in an hour-long presentation. This free event, sponsored by the Friends of the Oceanside Public Library, will take place in the Foundation Room on the second floor of the Civic Center Library at 10:30 am. The Library is located at 330 North Coast Highway in downtown Oceanside, with free parking in the Civic Center parking structure.

A native of Connecticut, Jane Mushinsky holds a BA degree in literature from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and an MA (also in literature) from the University of Virginia. She is a tenured professor at MiraCosta College and has taught literature, writing, research, and critical thinking for more than 20 years. Ms. Mushinsky is the faculty advisor for Phi Theta Kappa, an international honor society for two-year college students, and a member of the Community College Humanities Association and the Skeptics' Society. Because her position on the Shakespeare authorship question represents a minority of scholars, she can be considered a heretic (but not actually burned at a stake). For readers who wish to discover more on their own, the Oceanside Public Library has over 150 nonfiction works on Shakespeare, including several on this controversy.

Visit www.oceansidepubliclibrary.org for more information on Library programs and services or call (760) 435-5600.

( News Release )