Speaking

I am an expert on golden age piracy from the Caribbean and Latin America to New England and the Atlantic Provinces of Canada, modern piracy (including the Gulf of Mexico and Somalia), early modern tavern material culture, and early America in general. I am an experienced public speaker and presenter and I am skilled at engaging all kinds of audiences with history. I have spoken to scholarly audiences, public audiences, and everything in between.

As we all grapple with the COVID-19 crisis, I have also been involved with virtual events and I’m comfortable presenting and engaging audiences through all types of technology. If your are interested in a virtual event, please reach out and I’m happy to work with you to create something engaging for your group.

Please contact me if you would like me to speak with your school, group, or association! I am happy to provide a complete CV or references upon request and would welcome the opportunity to design an event that suits your organization’s needs. Below are some of the invited talks I have given.

Speaking Fee

Below are baseline rates and additional fees (Summer 2024). I am, however, willing to accept a higher fee if your organization can accommodate. Rates are subject to change.


Lecture Time		Fee
30 minute lecture:$450
60 minute lecture:$900
90 minute lecture:$1,350
Greater than 90 minutes: Contact me
Keynote lecture:$2,100
Q&A up to 15 minutes:$225
Fee for audiences greater than 100 participants:$275
Fee for distances less than 50 miles:$150
Fee for distances greater than 50 miles but less than 100 miles:$350
Fee for distances greater than 100 miles: Contact me

Please note: if you are a non-profit organization and these rates are out of your budget, I am willing to work with you to find a compromise that satisfies both parties.

Invited Lectures

  • “Profs and Pints DC: When Pirates Prowled the Chesapeake,” Profs and Pints – Crooked Run Fermentation, 10 March 2024.
  • “Profs and Pints DC: When Pirates Prowled the Chesapeake,” Profs and Pints – Penn Social, 9 January 2024.
  • “Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay,” George Washington Society D.C.C.A.R. (virtual), 22 October 2023.
  • “Pirates: Their Origins & the Chesapeake Bay,” Capitol Chapter DCDAR (virtual),  11 September 2023.
  • “Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay: The Oyster Wars,” Annapolis Maritime Museum’s Winter Lecture Series, 9 February 2023.
  • “Pirates of the Chesapeake,” Belair Mansion, 8 October 2022.
  • “Pirates: Separating Fact from Fiction,” One Day University (online), 16 September 2022.
  • “Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay: The Golden Age,” Harford County Public Library Online, 14 June 2022.
  • “Pirates: Their Origins & the Chesapeake Bay,” Colonial Dames of the 17th Century – Northern Virginia, 11 June 2022.
  • “Pirates of the Chesapeake: The Oyster Wars,” Talbot Historical Society – “A Date with History” Lecture Series, 10 June 2022.
  • “Virginia–The Colony, the Crown, and Pirates (1630-1700),” Hampton History Museum – Hampton Roads Blackbeard Pirate Festival, 4 June 2022. 
  • “Profs and Pints Annapolis: When Pirates Prowled the Chesapeake,” Profs and Pints – The Graduate Annapolis, 17 May 2022.
  • “Pirates: Their Origins & the Chesapeake Bay,” The Army and Navy Club, 26 April 2022.
  • “Inside Pirates’ Taverns,” Profs & Pints at Church Hall, 19 April 2022.
  • “Pirate Legacies and the Chesapeake,” Chesapeake Yacht Club, 31 March, 2022.
  • “Pirate Legacies and the Chesapeake,” Keynote Speaker, Queen City Colloquium, University of Cincinnati, 24 March 2022.
  • “Swashbucklers of the Colonial Chesapeake,” New England College Society of Antiquaries, 12 February 2022.
  • “Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay and the Oyster Wars,” The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum: D.C. Mondays, 7 February 2022.
  • “Drink Up Me Hearties: A History of Piracy and Rum,” Intoxicating Spaces Online Seminar Series, 8 December 2021.
  • “Privateers in the War of 1812,” Daughters of the War of 1812 Society: Eliza Monroe Chapter, 4 November 2021.
  • “Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay: The Oyster Wars,” Oxford Brookes University History Society, 20 October 2021.
  • “Pirates: Their Legacy & the Chesapeake Bay,” Caribbean History course, Dr. Carrie Glenn, Portland State University History Department, 5 October 2021.
  • “Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay: The Oyster Wars,” Havre de Grace Arts Collective Program, 22 August 2021.
  • “Pirates of the Golden Age,” Piracy and Irregular Threats course, Dr. Joshua Tallis, The George Washington University, 20 July 2021.
  • “The Chesapeake Bay Oyster Wars,” Historic Sotterley, 9 June 2021.
  • “The Chesapeake Bay Oyster Wars,” Virginia Beach Power and Sail, 9 June 2021.
  • “From Profit to Plunder: A Tale of Chesapeake Bay Piracy,” MA Naval History Program, University of Portsmouth, 20 May 2021
  • “Piracy Q & A,” Topics in Atlantic History: The Early Modern Pirate in Fact and Fiction course, Dr. Ignacio Gallup-Diaz, Bryn Mawr College, 29 April 2021.
  • “Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay: The Oyster Wars,” St. Mary’s County Historical Society’s Historically Speaking Series, 26 April 2021.
  • “When Pirates Prowled the Chesapeake,” Profs and Pints, 27 March 2021.
  • “Pirates: Their Legacy and the Chesapeake Bay,” Chesapeake Yacht Club, 25 March 2021.
  • “Piracy Q & A,” Honors Seminar: Pirates in History and Popular Culture, Dr. Mary Stout, San Diego State University, 17 March 2021.
  • “The Chesapeake Bay and the Oyster Wars,” Chesapeake Power and Sail, 12 February 2021.
  • “Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay: The Oyster Wars,” Historic Annapolis, 2 February 2021.
  • “Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay,” Phi Beta Kappa Event, 13 December 2020.
  • “The Chesapeake Bay Oyster Wars,” Daughters of the American Revolution: Judge Lynn Chapter, 19 November 2020.
  • Micro-Gallery Talks on Selling the Seven Seas: Piracy, Tastemaking, & Consumption in the Early Modern Caribbean World, 1650-1790, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, 18 July 2019.
  • “Selling the Seven Seas and Pedagogy,” Workshop, University of Essex, 15 July 2019.
  • “Selling the Seven Seas: Piracy, Tastemaking, & Consumption in the Early Modern Caribbean World,” University of East Anglia, 12 July 2019.
  • “Wreckers, Pirates, and Smugglers: From Salvage to Consumption,” Nottage Maritime Institute, Summer 2019.
  • “Wreckers, Pirates, and Smugglers: From Salvage to Consumption,” Coastal Carolina University, Spring Cultural Heritage Studies Speaker Series, 22 January 2019.
  • “Wreckers, Pirates, and Smugglers: From Salvage to Consumption,” Brookgreen Gardens Staff & Members, 23 January 2019.
  • “From Gold to Glass: Pirates as Tastemakers in the Early Modern Caribbean,” Bryn Mawr 2017-2018 Lecture Series, 9 November 2017.
  • “Embracing Change in the Classroom and Implementing Digital Assignments/Literacy into Course Design,” TEDx Talk, Stevenson University, 25 February 2017.