Folger Shakespeare Library Announces Paul Menzer Selected as Inaugural Folger Chair in Shakespeare Studies

The new Folger Chair position invites a Shakespeare scholar for a year of funded research and public programming

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Folger Shakespeare Library has announced Paul Menzer as the Folger Chair in Shakespeare Studies, a new fellowship sponsored by the Folger Institute providing research and programming opportunities for mid-career or well-established academics. During his time at the Folger, Menzer will be researching a project entitled 'Shakespeare's Enemies.'

"The Shakespeare Chair formalizes a long-standing custom at the Folger of working closely with and supporting the research of the most impactful Shakespeare scholars in the world," stated Director of the Folger Institute Patricia Akhimie. "Welcoming Paul Menzer, a seasoned scholar of Shakespeare studies and performance, an experienced mentor and administrator, and a kind and generous colleague is such a pleasure. We are very lucky to have this opportunity to work more closely with him during his fellowship."

Paul Menzer is Executive Director and professor of Shakespeare and Performance at Mary Baldwin University, where he served as the Dean of Arts and Sciences and as Provost. A renowned Shakespeare scholar, he has written several biographies of the playwright. He has also written several books about performance studies and theater history, scholarly editions of early modern plays, and written about the American Shakespeare Center at the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, Virginia, a repertory theater known for embracing Shakespearean theatrical practices. He is also an acclaimed educator, winning teaching awards at Mary Baldwin and serving as a visiting faculty member for the Folger's Teaching Shakespeare Institute.

During his residency at the Folger, he will be working on a new monograph, Shakespeare's Enemies, a cultural history that explores expressions of Shakespearean animus in theatrical and popular culture, and demonstrates how resistance, dislike, and even hatred of Shakespeare's works have been central to his canonization. Menzer argues that this animosity is also vital to the creative production of writers and thinkers as varied as Shakespeare's contemporary Robert Greene as well as Voltaire, Ludwig Wittgenstein, George Bernard Shaw, James Baldwin. He will also give presentations, lead workshops, and be deeply involved in the academic and theater community of the Folger.

The Folger Chair in Shakespeare Studies was conceived of by Folger Director Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper and Akhimie. "We see scholars take administrative roles as they move further in their careers, supporting the work of their younger peers and preserving spaces for inquiry, but often at the expense of their own research," said Dr. Karim-Cooper. "The Folger Chair in Shakespeare Studies holds space for the accomplished academics who have been building the research ecosystem and would like an opportunity to further their own academic pursuits."

The Folger Chair in Shakespeare Studies is an invited, 11-month fellowship intended to shape the future of Shakespeare studies by making use of the world's largest Shakespeare collection. As a senior scholar and central figure in the Folger's fellowship cohort, the Chair's sustained presence provides intellectual leadership and ongoing dialogue with Folger staff, public audiences, and fellow researchers through research initiatives and programming.

ABOUT FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY

The Folger Shakespeare Library showcases the utility of Shakespeare and the humanities in cultivating healthy civic life. Anchored by the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the Folger is also home to a world-renowned collection of books, manuscripts, and prints from the 1500s to the early 1700s. Visitors to the Folger can choose how they want to experience the arts and humanities, from interactive exhibitions to captivating performances, and from pathbreaking research to transformative educational programming. The Folger fosters curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking and welcomes visitors from Washington, DC and from across the globe. Learn more at www.folger.edu.

SOURCE Folger Shakespeare Library