Barber, Leahy and Nelson meet in London April 30, 2014

Actor and poet Alain English

by Linda Theil

The Central London Debating Society will host a debate on the Shakespeare authorship question at 7:30 p.m. April 30, 2014 at the The Olde Cock Tavern Pub, 22 Fleet Street, London. The event is being organized by London-based actor and poet, Alain English, who is an associate of the society. English said:

This will be an open panel debate with the motion "Does the Shakespeare Authorship Question Matter?". All the speakers will talk for five minutes before taking questions from the floor. The Central London Debating Society, of which I am a member, is cautious about approaching this subject matter having never really done so before but I am hoping if it is successful it will pave the way for a proper debate on the matter. We are looking for an extra speaker on the Stratfordian side just to balance things out a little but if not I will speak myself in addition to Alan Nelson, Ros Barber and William Leahy and I will introduce the topic.

The speakers are:

William Leahy, PhD, author of Shakespeare and his Authors

Ros Barber, PhD, author of The Marlowe Papers and Shakespeare: The Evidence

Alan H. Nelson, PhD, author of Monstrous Adversary

According to their webpage, The Central London Debating Society is open to anyone with an active interest in current affairs who would also like to improve their public speaking skills. Joining the society is free, and open to all. Join by sending an email to i nfo@clds.org.uk. Members are eligible to speak at a debate or chair an event.

Update 03/03/14: English announced yesterday that Alexander Waugh will join the panel of speakers and that the event will be filmed and made available on the Internet.

Update 05/04/14: See post-debate reports by Kevin Gilvary and Heward Wilkinson on the SOF website at http://www.shakespeareoxfordfellowship.org/london-debate-does-the-authorship-question-matter/
also see a report in The Spectator May 1, 2014,
"The Great Shakespeare Authorship Question" by Steerpike (including hundreds of comments by readers)

Update 05/20/14:
Debate organizer Alain English has made a video of the entire April 30, 2014 Central London Debating Society debate "Does the Shakespeare authorship question matter?" at the Olde Cock Tavern on Fleet Street, London, available on YouTube at :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEgCuQJQ6oY

Kevin Gilvary and Ros Barber at Olde Cock Tavern April 30, 2014

"Ros Barber's new Shakespeare book out November 24, 2013"

"Poet Ros Barber publishes authorship novel in verse"

Resources:

http://debating-london.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.taylor-walker.co.uk/pub/ye-olde-cock-tavern-holborn/c1188/

http://goo.gl/maps/c66TQ

https://www.facebook.com/alain.english.7

https://www.facebook.com/groups/86014951647/

https://www.facebook.com/events/509741549144377/
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/steerpike/2014/05/was-william-shakespeare-william-shakespeare/
http://www.shakespeareoxfordfellowship.org/london-debate-does-the-authorship-question-matter/

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