Lain Shakespeare was 23 years old and working as a summer league swim coach when he was tapped to become the new executive director of the Wren's Nest, the house museum and former home of "Uncle Remus" author Joel Chandler Harris.
Shakespeare was a natural choice: Articulate, young -- plus, he might say, he was willing to work cheap. A direct descendant of Harris, Shakespeare reinvigorated the programming at the slightly shabby but elegant West End house and brought a contemporary critical eye to the retelling of the Aesopian fables that were Harris' fame and burden.
After five years in his post, Shakespeare is stepping down.
Shakespeare, 28, who will be leaving the job in September, said the museum is better off now than it was five years ago. He ticked off a few of its accomplishments: a well-designed website, a roster of volunteer docents, less debt, a packed schedule of performances and writer's workshops for young people who published their own literary magazines.
He said that while many still associate Uncle Remus with the sometimes-demeaning images from Disney's "Song of the South," the Wren's Nest also has done a better job of letting Harris' subversive stories speak for themselves.
"It is a complicated legacy, one that I'm gratified to be interpreting," he said.
Shakespeare said he plans to seek work in the nonprofit arena, but that he also will continue to be a part of the Wren's Nest.
"It's not bland," he said, "and there's not many house museums you can say that about."
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