After more deliberation than we had counted on, we had to pick the winner of our 20th anniversary t-shirt...and the winner is Heather Spear of Lynchburg, VA. Her entry was one of the more sober ones we received, but it elegantly captured the optimism and tragedy of Shakespeare's corpus of work sans cheese. We love the cheese around here, but Heather left it on the platter and served up her own fresh remix of Shakespeare.

Here's Heather's wining entry:

What’s in a name?
Death, that hath suck’d the honey of thy breath,
Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty:
Thou art not conquer’d.
All the world’s your stage.
Today he puts forth the tender leaves of hopes, tomorrow blossoms,
And bears his blushing honors thick upon him.

Pretty good, eh? Here are three more we really liked:

From Delilah Heck ("Lover of Shakespeare, the man, and his insults")

Why do I love thee,
Oh weaver of words,
Author of wondrous
Stories I've heard?

Perhaps the great tragedies,
The dying and tears?
Or the wit of the comedies,
The laughter and jears?

Maybe 'tis simply
That due to your pen,
I know the words
Hugger-mugger, pignut and fly-bitten.

From Susan Wheeler of Harrisonburg, VA

Will Shakespeare’s works are nothing like the sun;
Newsprint is far more read than his plays read;
If blunt be wise, why then his puns are dumb;
If plays be fakes, lies on his stage do tread.
I have heard poems lovely, read and sung,
Some imperfection hear I in his beats;
And in some phrasing is there more delight
Than in the breath that from Will Shakespeare bleats.
I love to hear his lines, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never sensed immortal go;
Will Shakespeare, when he walked, walked on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think Shakespeare as rare
As any bard belied with false compare.

From Alyssa Beda of Virginia Beach, VA

Films filled with horror paint my heart so dark,
Yet still I watch those deadly, scary things.
Sad stories leave their tearful sticky mark,
But I still love dear Will, who pulls heart's strings.

Congratulations to Heather and all our top picks, and thanks to all the writers who told us why they love Shakespeare. We hope to see everyone at the Blackfriars Playhouse soon, where Shakespeare lovers are always winners.