What a wonderful interview! As with the works of Shakespeare, the closer we get to a specific, individual story, the closer we get to the universal. The mystery of that process continues to intrigue me.

We can all relate to one or another facet of Alexa's story. As a non-Ph.D. who loves to write about Shakespeare, for example, I can identify with her past sense of being an outsider.

Alexa does such important work in helping us appreciate global aspects of Shakespeare. Today, as we honor the memory of Maya Angelou, I think of her comment that she "met and fell in love with Shakespeare," even though he was a white man-- from the 16th century. When she felt he understood her, she recognized his universality.