Shakespeare Saved My Life Read online

  Early drafts of this manuscript benefitted from the careful reading and editorial assistance of Sandra Grasis, Perle Raidonis, Mark Sodetz, Clinton Jackson, Joshua Akens, Andrew Collins, Amber Jones, Daynell Featherstone, and Ruth Fuller.

  With the exception of Larry Newton and David Bevington, all other names in this book have been changed.

  Some material and some photos were previously published in Performing New Lives (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2011).

  Special thanks to Wabash Valley Correctional Facility for permission to record conversations with prisoners in the Shakespeare Program. And to Larry Newton for sharing his story and for showing that Shakespeare really can save lives.

  Most especially to Allan, my partner in crime and everything else for the past thirty years.

  About the Author

  Dr. Laura Bates is an English professor at Indiana State University, where she has taught courses on Shakespeare for the past fifteen years to students on campus and in prison. She has a PhD from the University of Chicago with a focus on Shakespeare studies. Her work has been featured in national media, including MSNBC’s Lockup. She lives in Indiana.

  Dear Reader:

  If you’re interested in learning more about the works of William Shakespeare, I invite you to discover the Shakesperience, a hands-on experience with Shakespeare now available on the iBookstore. My publisher, Sourcebooks, created these multimedia, enhanced ebooks in order to help readers overcome some of the challenges presented by the language of the day and to more quickly get to the heart of these life-changing works.

  www.sourcebooks.com/shakesperience

  Sincerely,

  Laura Bates