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Sonnet Reading Project Celebrates Shakespeare

To commemorate the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, Meredith students, faculty, staff, alumnae, and friends participated in the Meredith Sonnet Project.

For most of the month of April, Shakespeare fans as young as nine years old recorded themselves reading their favorite sonnets, contributing to a compilation video of 154 sonnet readings that was broadcast during an April 22, 2016, gathering on campus.

“As scholars of Shakespeare, Dr. Garry Walton and I wanted to do something with the Meredith community that would both commemorate the occasion and show the debt of gratitude we have for his influence on our lives,” said instructor of English Tina Romanelli “A major theme in our department this year has been building community and encouraging student engagement and enthusiasm.”

Incorporating video was a natural fit, Romanelli said, engaging students in the project in a unique way.

“The goal behind the project was to get people together thinking and laughing about Shakespeare, but the project has had so many other benefits,” she said. “Faculty, students, alumnae, and friends of the College have been thinking deeply and talking about sonnets for the last month. It’s been really fun to watch people think through what would make a good visual or backdrop for their videos and puzzling through language that’s unfamiliar or just long-forgotten.”

Watch the Meredith Sonnet Project video.

Melyssa Allen

News Director
316 Johnson Hall
(919) 760-8087
Fax: (919) 760-8330

allenme@meredith.edu