Michelle Obama Also Hearts The Young Shakespeare Workshop

In our rush to tell you about the recognition that the local non-profit youth organization 826 Seattle received at the 2011 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards -- which were given out by First Lady Michelle Obama herself -- we neglected to inform you of our region's other recipent of the award: The Young Shakespeare Workshop.

The Workshop, which has been around for over 20 years, gathers young people from all walks of life and introduces them to the plays, monologues and sonnets written by one of the canonical masters of Western literature.

Like 826 Seattle, this is a tuition-free program, whose participants often come to the bard without any previous exposure. The students' first summer in the program is dedicated to getting them to comprehend and become familiar with Shakespeare's language; they usually return in the years after to further practice the work, often leading to productions that tour around Seattle.

The NAHYP is a prestigious award given to only 12 organizations nationwide; so it's notable that our region is host to two of this year's recipients of the award.

Congratulations, YSW!