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| J. Thomas Looney, author of 'Shakespeare' Identified in Edward de Vere the Seventeenth Earl of Oxford (Cecil Palmer, 1920, London) |
Oberon is pleased to host guest blogger Steven Sabel, public relations director for the Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship, announcing the kick-off event for the centennial celebration of Shakespeare Identified by J. Thomas Looney.
by Steven Sabel
The Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship will present a symposium 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 4, 2020, in the First Amendment Lounge of the National Press Club (NPC), 529 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C., exactly 100 years after the original publication of the landmark book by British scholar John Thomas Looney, which identified Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford as the true author behind the pseudonym, William Shakespeare. Admission is free and open to the public with complimentary refreshments and ample opportunities for Q&A. Doors open at 12:30 p.m.
First published March 4, 1920, Looney’s book, ‘Shakespeare’ Identified in Edward de Vere the Seventeenth Earl of Oxford, assembled and analyzed a mass of evidence pointing to De Vere as the true author of the works published under the Shakespeare name. Over the past century, that book has persuaded some of the greatest minds of our time, from Sigmund Freud to U.S. Supreme Court justices across the ideological spectrum, along with many respected scholars, judges, attorneys, historians, professors, Shakespearean actors, and thousands of thoughtful people around the world of the true identity of the Shakespeare author.A group of leading scholars will reintroduce Looney and his thesis to the world. They will discuss the importance of his book and how it continues to be corroborated by newly discovered and analyzed evidence.
James A. Warren
Retired U.S. Foreign Service officer James A. Warren, editor and author of a series of books on Looney and his work, will explore how his insights have changed our understanding of the author Shakespeare and his works, as well as the Elizabethan era and theatre, and the nature of genius and literary creativity.
Tom Regnier
Attorney Tom Regnier will explain why the evidence supporting De Vere has persuaded judges with a lifetime of experience analyzing facts and logical arguments that the Earl of Oxford is the true author. He will point out key factual weaknesses in the traditional authorship claim made for businessman and actor William Shakspere of Stratford-upon-Avon.
Bonner Miller Cutting
Author Bonner Miller Cutting will explore Looney’s evidence-based methodology and how it led him to the deduction that the author was Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford.
Cheryl Eagan-Donovan
Filmmaker Cheryl Eagan-Donovan will discuss her recently-released documentary, ”Nothing Is Truer Than Truth,” and its exploration of how De Vere’s travels as a young man in continental Europe, especially Italy, influenced the Shakespearean plays and poems.
Roger Stritmatter
Professor Roger Stritmatter will survey the numerous connections between the works of Shakespeare and Edward de Vere’s life, private letters, early surviving poetry, and markings in his personal copy of the Geneva Bible. Much of this evidence was not even known to Looney in 1920, but it has provided powerful corroboration for his thesis over the past 100 years.
This symposium is an opportunity for anyone who loves the Shakespeare plays and poems to explore with fresh eyes the history and the evidence of the greatest literary mystery of all time.
The Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship (SOF) is a nonprofit educational association founded in 1957 with members across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and several other countries around the world. Among other activities, the SOF holds annual scholarly conferences and publishes an annual peer-reviewed scholarly journal, The Oxfordian. Its all-volunteer board of trustees includes two theatre professors, a law professor, a medical doctor, and leaders in government, business, the arts, and the nonprofit sector. For additional information, visit: ShakespeareOxfordFellowship.org.
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Resources Shakespeare Identified Centennial Edition edited by James Warren, available on Amazon.
Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship Shakespeare Identified Centennial webpage.
SOF blog post, "Celebrating the Oxfordian Centennial: 1920-2020"
National Press Club