The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life

by Dani Jansen

  Thank you for your consideration.

  Acknowledgments

  One of my favorite moments during a curtain call is when the cast gestures to the crew, orchestra, and director. This portion of the applause is for the people who do all the behind-the-scenes work, even though the audience still can’t see them. It’s a salute to the million little things directors, producers, and crews do to make the magic happen. It’s a chance to acknowledge all the work, tears, laughter, and support of people who are usually invisible to the audience. Let me take this moment to recognize the people in my life who have made The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life possible.

  Thank you to Matthew and Brannon Flanagan for their love, support, and terrible senses of humour. (Brannon has the excuse of being a toddler. Matthew is just an unapologetic punster, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.) Thank you for the tea, the squish hugs, the games of monster, and the many, many pep talks.

  Thank you to one of my earliest readers, Beatrice Glickman. She started out as a student and over time has become a good friend. She took time out of her university studies to give me feedback, to correct me on how “the youth” (my phrase, not hers) talk these days, and to make sure Alison won some measure of happiness at the end of the story. I hope to repay the favor someday soon when she writes her first brilliant book.

  Thank you to my colleagues for their encouragement, as well as their expertise. I work with many wonderful teachers, but I would like to thank two in particular. Donna Gold cried tears of joy when she learned my book was being published, and has been a thoughtful collaborator and a generous friend for over a decade now. Steph Blum read an early draft and asked to keep a copy because she was certain it would become a real book. Thank you.

  Thank you to everyone I know who is in, or has been in, theatre arts. Many smart people let me ask them stupid questions and if there’s anything in the book that doesn’t seem believable, the fault is mine. (Or Shakespeare’s. Probably Shakespeare’s.) I’d like to especially acknowledge Romy Suliteanu, Candace Grynol, Julian Stamboulieh, and Adam Koren. I’ll also be forever grateful to the students, faculty, and staff who let me join them onstage for glee. There’s nothing quite so humbling as asking students to teach you how to reach that high note or how to make that last turn in the choreo. I loved every minute with G Major!

  Lastly, thank you to my family and friends. Kathryn, thanks for keeping me from taking things too seriously. Tanya, thanks for plotting with me. Karen, thanks for the belly laughs. Christie, thanks for always believing in my writing. Mark and Mark, thanks for the pugs. Aaron, thanks for the music. Melissa, thanks for being a hugger. Mom, thanks for my love of books and for letting me borrow the car to get to all the extracurriculars I signed up for in high school. Dad, thanks for the gift of gab and the knack for spelling. Thanks, finally, to my grandmother, who was also a teacher and who loved words as much as I do.

  About the Author

  Dani Jansen is a high-school teacher. She should probably be embarrassed to admit that she has performed as part of her school’s Glee Club for eight years. She should probably also be ashamed to tell people that she named her cats after punctuation symbols…Ampersand and Em-Dash, in case you’re curious. She lives with her family in Montreal.

  Copyright

  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

  Title: The year Shakespeare ruined my life / Dani Jansen.

  Names: Jansen, Dani, 1980- author.

  Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20200208756 | Canadiana (ebook) 20200208764 |

  ISBN 9781772601213 (softcover) | ISBN 9781772601220 (EPUB)

  Classification: LCC PS8619.A67826 Y43 2020 | DDC jC813/.6—dc23

  Copyright © 2020 by Dani Jansen

  Cover by Liz Parkes

  Edited by Kathy White

  Design by Melissa Kaita

  Printed and bound in Canada

  Second Story Press gratefully acknowledges the support of the

  Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts for our

  publishing program. We acknowledge the financial support of the

  Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund.

  Published by

  Second Story Press

  20 Maud Street, Suite 401

  Toronto, ON M5V 2M5

  www.secondstorypress.ca