Open Shakespeare Annotation Sprint

The following is a guest post by James Harriman-Smith who is coordinator of the Open Shakespeare project.

This weekend we’re holding the first Open Shakespeare Annotation Sprint — participate and help change criticism forever! We’ll be getting together online and in-person to collaborate on critically annotating a complete Shakespeare play with all our work being open.

All of Shakespeare’s texts are, of course, in the public domain, and therefore already open. However, most editions of Shakespeare people actually use (and purchase) are ‘critical’ editions, that is texts together with notes and annotations that explain or analyze the text, and, for these critical editions no open version yet exists. This weekend we’re aiming to change that!

Using the annotator tool we now have a way to work collaboratively online to add and develop these ‘critical’ additions and the aim of the sprint is to fully annotate one complete play. Anyone can get involved, from lay-Shakespeare-lover to English professor, all you’ll need is a web-browser and an interest in Bard, and even if you can’t make it, you can vote right now on which play we should work on!

When: Saturday Feb 5th 2011, 11am-6pm GMT
- May extend either side depending on location of participants
- May do a second day on Sunday (depending on coffee and enthusiasm)!
Where: online and in-person
- E.g. in-person meetup at University of Cambridge English Faculty
Planning etherpad: http://literature.okfnpad.org/annotation-sprint
- Please add your name here if you plan to participate so we can coordinate
- Facebook event
Event page: http://openshakespeare.org/2011/02/01/announcing-annotation-sprint
Requirements: a standards-compliant web browser (Firefox or Chrome recommended — not IE)
Vote for text to annotate (doodle)

Using specially-designed annotation software we intend to print an edition of Shakespeare unlike any other, incorporating glosses, textual notes and other information written by anyone able to connect to the Open Shakespeare website.

Work begins with a full-day annotation sprint on Saturday 5th February, which will take online as well as at in-person meetups. Anyone can organize a meetup and we’re organizing one at University of Cambridge English Faculty (if you’d like to hold your own please just add it to the etherpad linked above).