Welcome! I'm Colleen Sehy, author of Finding Shakespeare in America, a guide to festivals, theaters, gardens, and other places across the United States and online where you can connect with the Bard.

I also write Eating British in America, a column for Anglotopia that highlights great places to find English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish food in the United States.

Author and Speaker

My special expertise is in English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, and Shakespearean history and culture in America.

I draw inspiration from my lifelong love of the British Isles, numerous visits to Great Britain and Ireland, and more than 30 years of traveling across the US and Canada exploring places with links to the British Isles.My passion for British history and culture goes back to my childhood, when I was introduced Alice in Wonderland, Mary Poppins, and many other classic British children’s books. When I was eight or nine, PBS aired The Six Wives of Henry VIII, which sparked my love of English history. It’s safe to say I was the only kid on my block who waited with bated breath for each episode! I took my first trip to England when I was fifteen, and in my early 20s I started my ongoing odyssey to discover England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland here in America.

Love of Shakespeare

My love of Shakespeare was nurtured at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I planned to major in political science, but I enrolled in a Shakespeare class my freshman year that ended up changing the course of my life.

It led to a part-time job at the university’s performing arts center and involvement in a university group that staged Renaissance plays. These experiences sparked an interest in theater management and a transfer to Columbia College Chicago, where I completed an internship at Chicago’s famed Goodman Theatre and earned a bachelor’s degree in the school’s trailblazing Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management program, one of the first undergraduate arts management programs in the country. I also hold master’s degrees in organizational behavior and business administration.After graduating from Columbia College, I spent five years at the Illinois Arts Council, a state grant-making agency that supports artists and arts organizations. Eventually, I managed the agency’s arts in education programs, which helped bring performing and visual artists to schools and communities across the state. My time at the Arts Council was followed by twenty-five years in higher education, much of it devoted to grant development and research administration.

Three months in London

In 2015, I had the unexpected opportunity to spend three wonderful months in England. I lived like a local in southeast London, volunteered two days a week at Benjamin Franklin House near Trafalgar Square, explored as many historic sites as possible, and enjoyed far too many cream teas.

While it’s not always possible to spend three months wandering the British Isles, I know from personal experience that the British Isles can be found all over America. When I returned from England, I set out to write a book about the best places to find England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Shakespeare in the United States, no passport or plane ticket required. What began as one book quickly turned into a series, and I spent more than four years conducting research and visiting museums, historic sites, gardens, libraries, theaters, and festivals across the country, looking for the best of the British Isles.The first book in the series, Finding Shakespeare in America, was published in 2020. I’m hard at work on Finding Scotland in America and Finding Ireland in America, which will be followed by Finding England in America. I also write a monthly column called Eating British in America for Anglotopia that highlights great places to find English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish food in the United States.

Finding Shakespeare in America is the perfect traveling companion and the perfect way to add more Shakespeare to your life, from the Atlantic to the Pacific and everywhere in between. It's also a fantastic way to discover lots of online Shakespeare resources and it's a great read for armchair travelers!A note to readers: I spent hundreds of hours conducting research for Finding Shakespeare in America. Nevertheless, I’m sure I missed some theater companies, festivals, museums, and other sites that would have been great additions to the book. And since the world is a dynamic place, information in the book is subject to change. Please feel free to contact me with suggestions and updates for the next edition.

Finding Shakespeare in America was released in 2020 and I’m hard at work on Finding Scotland in America and Finding Ireland in America. Finding England in America won’t be far behind.

Here’s a look at some of my other writing

Eating British in America

My monthly Anglotopia column, Eating British in America, highlights restaurants, pubs, shops, and other places across the United States where readers can enjoy authentic English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish food.Some column highlights include:

You’ll also find seasonal food celebrations, such as my columns on cider, British baking tips, hearty autumn fare, and favorite British Christmas foods.You can read all my Eating British in America columns at Anglotopia.net. Anglotopia is a great source for articles on British history and culture, travel information, and news from Great Britain. It reaches a global audience of thousands of readers each month, many of them based in the US.

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Are you looking for programs that bring the history and culture of the British Isles to life? Are you interested in learning how to explore England, Scotland, Ireland, and Shakespeare right here in the United States, no passport or plane ticket required? You’ve come to the right place!

I’ve made numerous visits to Great Britain and Ireland and I’ve spent more than 30 years traveling across the United States and Canada seeking out places with links to the British Isles. My presentations draw on this rich body of knowledge to help audiences learn more about the British Isles and discover the many rewarding encounters they can have with England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Shakespeare here in America.I’ve given presentations for dozens of non-profit and civic organizations, professional associations, and educational organizations over the past 30 years. The public speaking experience I’m most proud of is the architectural and historical tours I gave as a volunteer at Benjamin Franklin House in London in 2015.

Here’s a small sample of responses to my presentations:

I book in-person presentations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin year-round.
I also book Zoom presentations year-round.

Please feel free to contact me about giving a presentation in another part of the US. My research often takes me to other parts of the country, and I’m happy to schedule talks during those trips.A typical presentation lasts about 45 minutes, but I can modify it to meet your needs. In addition to the programs listed below, I also have a 15-20 minute Short Shakespeare program that’s perfect for pre-show talks at theaters and festivals.Please contact me for more information on my presentations and availability.

Programs:

In addition to these programs I also have a 15 minute Short Shakespeare program that’s perfect for pre-show talks at theaters and festivals.