So the other day, I got to go back into the classroom to talk to a bunch of teenagers about why it’s still important to study Shakespeare. I love that question because I’m neither an educator nor a politician (nay, not even a pundit). Nobody’s setting policy based on what I say. All I’ve got is my opinion, and I’m happy to offer it. Here’s what I told them, more or less.

Chess is experiencing something of a resurgence right now, isn’t it? You’ve got Queen’s Gambit on Netflix a few years ago. You’ve got the cheating scandal. I know that all three of my kids play now. I think there are some of you here in the room that play. <nods>

So, here’s the thing. Chess has been around for how many hundreds of years? (I looked it up later — 1500 years.) Basically unchanged, from what I understand. So you can read book after book about the games of the great masters and stand on the shoulders of the giants that came before you.

Sure, it’s hard. There are people that spend their entire lives trying to master it. But at the same time, if somebody who’d never played before sat down at the board next to you and asked to play, you could teach them, right? Or maybe you’re the student sitting across from the teacher.

Chess is played all over the world. (172 countries, my research tells me.) So if you’re traveling, bring your board. Because chess is not bound by language. Think about it. If somebody from another country sat down at the board next to you, someone who didn’t speak your language … you could still play, couldn’t you?

It’s also not bound by age, is it? Because the rules have been the same for generations, that means you can sit down to a game with someone half your age or twice your age. It’s the reason why my children can all Facetime with their grandfather to play.

Chess is a great unifier (ironic, given the US/Russia history, but still). You can spend your life studying it and still learn something new on any given day. It is a gift that you can share wherever you go in the world, without even the obstacles of age or language getting in the way. That’s why chess has been so popular for so long, and why it will continue to be.

Now consider that everything I just said is true of Shakespeare. Shakespeare isn’t bound by time or space. I’ve met strangers in strange lands and bonded over our love of Shakespeare. I sang Shakespeare to my children and plan to do the same for my grandchildren. I hope that my children, and their children, will do the same.

That’s one of a million reasons why Shakespeare makes life better.

I greatly appreciate all of the people that have purchased Shakespeare Geek merchandise; I truly do. I hope you like it. It’s been a bit of a challenge to really optimize for that particular revenue stream since (a) I am not really much of a visual designer, and (b) that’s not the primary reason why I do this. I’m a blog that has merch, not a blog that exists to sell merch. There’s a difference.

Most of the Shakespeare Geek merchandise can be found on Amazon. They are, after all the gorilla of the space. They’ll get the most volume all around the world.

But the thing is, Amazon only really does apparel. T-Shirts, mostly, and some hoodies thrown in. During the pandemic in particular people started asking about face masks. And people always want stickers.

Enter Shakespeare Geek merchandise on Redbubble. Thus far I’ve loved their product selection, even if stickers and face masks are by far my best sellers. They’ve got mugs and phone cases … they’ve even got socks and leggings. So, yes, I did make Malvolio’s yellow cross garters. They’re a big hit.

But … there’s a problem.

Redbubble just announced a new fee structure for small artists like me that, quite frankly, is going to destroy all of us. According to their fee table (which has not yet gone into effect), if I made $20 in commission in a month, they’d charge me almost $9 – practically half. That’s ridiculous.

So, I don’t plan on staying on Redbubble for long. I’m putting the word out now. If you see this, and you wanted to buy your own Malvolio yellow socks or a “Shakespeare makes life better” sticker or a “Do you quarrel, sir?” t-shirt, now’s the time to grab them. Because as soon as I find another option I’m out of there. I don’t know when that will be, but I know it’s coming. I also know that the fee structure they’re imposing starts on May 1, so seriously, if you do want to buy something please keep that in mind because starting May 1 I’m going to make about half as much as I used to.

Thanks again for all the support! Onward and upward!

I think that many Shakespeare geeks out there probably have the same Shakespeare cookie cutter I do. It’s huge, right? It’s fun to have such a thing but it’s tricky to actually make them because half the time they break or warp or just end up a big, unrecognizable blob.

Well, we can change that. Recently I had the opportunity to go into my son’s high school class to talk about why Shakespeare is fun and exciting, Did I mention I own a 3d printer? So one of the things I made sure to do was bring a bag of takeaways for the kids to…ummm…take away.

One of the things that I made was a new Shakespeare cookie cutter! I found a new pattern on Printables.com by user KingOfTheCouch. Check it out!

He’s kind of cute, even if he does look a little more like Shakespeare’s uncle than Shakespeare. The beard needs to be less bushy, and there has to be some hint of a beard. Of course the real question is what does he look like after he’s cooked?

As you can see, I’m pretty amateur when it comes to frosting. And green is the only color I had for the eyes (other than red). Still, though, I’ll call it a win. Glad I made him.

Here’s the funny part of the story. I made a bunch of cookie cutters to give out during my classroom visit. I promptly ran out of time and forgot to do so. I gave one to the teacher afterward, but it was too late to make the kids stay around just so I could give out something they may not even have wanted.

Which means I’ve got a bunch of these, already printed and just sitting downstairs in my office. In the interest of putting them to use and getting some more Shakespeare out into the world, I’m happy to ship them to any Shakespeare geeks out there who would like one – I’d just ask that you Venmo me something for shipping cost. Just drop me a note, either via email or Twitter. I’m not trying to sell something that’s not mine — the link to the original print is up there and if you’ve got access to a 3d printer you can totally print your own. It’s just considered proper etiquette in the maker space to not sell other people’s work.

When a new toy like ChatGPT comes online, one of the first things I do is start asking it Shakespeare questions. In this case, that resulted in almost immediate failure. Having proved what I wanted to prove I stopped experimenting. When I had a chance to talk to high school students about the dangers of using ChatGPT to do your homework, I told the story of home ChatGPT will just flat out make stuff up, and you’d never know the difference.

I recently discovered that you can do more dynamic things with it. For instance you can give it a web site address and ask it to summarize the site. Well, you know what I had to do next. I asked it to tell me what https://www.shakespearegeek.com is about.

For those in the back, what it said was, “Sure! Shakespeare Geek is a popular blog dedicated to Shakespeare’s works, offering insightful analysis, reviews, and commentary for enthusiasts, scholars, and students. The blog covers various Shakespeare-related topics, including play analysis, production reviews, and discussions of the playwright’s life and legacy. Written by a knowledgeable and passionate Shakespeare fan, the site provides valuable resources and engaging conversations about the enduring legacy of the greatest playwright in English literature. For those interested in exploring Shakespeare’s works in-depth and staying up-to-date on the latest news and insights in the Shakespeare community, Shakespeare Geek is a must-read blog.“

Well gosh, I’m blushing! Knowledgeable and passionate? A must-read? Thank you, ChatGPT! I shall sing thy praises from now on! ChatGPT speaks nothing but gospel!