Edward J. Cashin Memorial Woodrow Wilson Lecture, Morris Museum of Southern Art, Augusta, 2022. Keynote address, North Carolina State University Barbecue Camp, 2017 and 2018. Keynote address, Louisiana Folklore Society, New Iberia, 2017 Walter Lynwood Fleming Lectures in Southern History, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, 2011. Keats and Elizabeth Sparrow Keynote Address, North Carolina Literary and Historical Association, Raleigh, 2008. Toast to the Universities, Oxford and Cambridge Club of Washington, 2005. Calhoun Lecture, Clemson University, 2005. Keynote address, Society for the Study of Southern Literature, Lafayette, Louisiana, 2002. Olin Lecture, Institute of United States Studies, University of London, 2001. Keynote speaker, Southern Culture Festival, University of Tennessee at Martin, 2000. Freshman Convocation Speaker, University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill, 2000. Commencement Speaker, University of North Carolina—Wilmington, 2000. Keynote Speaker, United Daughters of the Confederacy, Tennessee State Convention, Kingsport, 1998. Keynote Speaker, National Institute on Social Work and Human Services in Rural Areas, Chapel Hill, 1998. Commencement Speaker, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, December 1997. Lee's Birthday Address, Old State House, Raleigh, 1996. Kemp Plummer Battle Lecture, Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1995. Keynote speaker, First International Elvis Conference, Oxford, Mississippi, 1995. Lamar Lectures, Mercer University, 1986 Lamar Lectures, Georgia Wesleyan College, 1984.
Other Lectures since 2010 Chapel Hill Historical Society (2013); Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library (2016); Chatham County Community College/Community Library (Pittsboro, 2023); Chattanooga Central High School (2011); The Chef's Academy (Morrisville, N.C., 2016); The Citadel (2012); Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference (Oxford, Miss., 2011); Flagler College (2013); Gentlemen's Book and Bottle Club (Chapel Hill, 2013); Hixson High School (Chattanooga, 2013); Kingsport (Tenn.) Public Library (2012); Le Petit Salon (New Orleans, 2013); Louisiana Book Festival (Baton Rouge, 2012); McNeese State University (2018); Morris Museum of Southern Art (Augusta, 2022); Museum of the Cape Fear (Fayetteville, 2023); National Humanities Center (2011); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2011, 2012, 2013); University of North Carolina at Greensboro (2013); Ogden Museum of Southern Art (New Orleans, 2012); Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society (New Orleans, 2012); Princeton University, James Madison Program (2011); St. Mary’s Church, Asheville (2014); St. Timothy’s Church, Winston-Salem (2018); Southeast Missouri State University (2011); Southern Conference of Bar Presidents (Asheville, 2012); Southern Festival of Books (Nashville, 2012); A Southern Season (Chapel Hill, 2016); Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival (2013); The Cardinal CCRC (Raleigh, 2023); Tulane University (2012); Upcountry History Museum (Greenville, S.C., 2011); Walker Percy Festival (St. Francisville, Louisiana, 2021); Word of South Festival (Tallahassee, 2017); Words and Music Festival (New Orleans, 2012); Yale University (2016).
Other Lectures (1996-2010) Advent Episcopal School, Birmingham (2); Alamance Community College; Alexandria (Va.) Library Company; Alleghany County (N.C.) Library; Anson County (N.C.) Library; Ashe County (N.C.) Public Library; Atlanta History Center; Auburn University; Averett College; Avery County (N.C.) Public Library; Big Apple Barbecue Block Party (New York City, 2009); Birmingham Southern University; Bishop Otter Center, Chichester; University of Bonn; Bread Loaf (Asheville, N.C., 2006); Brown Library (Washington, N.C.); Cabarrus County (N.C.) Public Library; Caldwell County (N.C.) Library; University of Cambridge (3); Cape Fear Museum (Wilmington, N.C.); Carolina Club (Chapel Hill); Catawba College; Catawba County (N.C.) Historical Association; Centennial Club, Nashville; Centre College (4); University of Central Arkansas; Chapel Hill Public Library; Chattanooga Historical Society; The Citadel (3); Clare College, University of Cambridge; Clare Hall, University of Cambridge; College of Charleston; Coastal Carolina University; Corolla (N.C.) Public Library; Council for Advance and Support of Education (Charlotte, 1999); Currituck (N.C.) Public Library; Davidson College; Duke University Hospital Department of Social Work; University of Dundee; Durham Public Library; Dyersburg (Tenn.) State University; University of East Anglia; East Tennessee Historical Society; East Tennessee State University (2); Edgefield (S.C.) Historical Society; University of Essex; Fayetteville Tech Community College (N.C.); Fellowship of Southern Writers (Chattanooga, 2003); Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference (White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., 2002); Fuqua School of Business, Duke University; Gardner-Webb College (2); University of Georgia; Georgia Historical Society (2); Georgia College and State University; Georgia Humanities Council; Gordon College; Greensboro (N.C.) Historical Museum; Hoover (Ala.) Public Library; Hospice of Wake County; International Visitors Council, Raleigh (2); Institute for United States Studies, University of London (2); John Locke Foundation; University of Keele; King's College, University of Cambridge; Kingsport (Tenn.) Public Library (3); Landfall Lecture Series (Wilmington, N.C.); Leadership North Carolina, (Boone); Leath Memorial Library (Rockingham, N.C.); Lee County (N.C.) Genealogical and Historical Society; Lenoir Rhyne College; Lindsey Wilson College; Louisiana State University; Loyola University, New Orleans; Mars Hill College; McElvey Center (York, S.C.); University of Memphis; Mesa County Medical Society (Grand Junction, Colo.); Methodist College (Fayetteville, N.C.); Middle Tennessee State University; Milligan College; Mississippi State University; Museum of the Confederacy; Museum of the New South; NC chapter, National Association of Catering Executives (Chapel Hill, 2008); National Conference of Editorial Writers (Little Rock, 2008); National Humanities Center; University of Newcastle; North Carolina Bankers Association (Myrtle Beach, 2000); North Carolina Department of History and Archives; North Carolina Governor's School (St Andrew's College); North Carolina Museum of History (2); North Carolina Power Squadron (Charlotte, 2001); North Carolina State University (2); University of North Carolina at Greensboro; University of North Carolina at Pembroke; University of North Carolina at Wilmington; University of Nottingham; "Our State" conference (Asheville, 2003); University of Pennsylvania; Presbyterian College; University of Reading; Rice University; Ripon College, Cuddesdon; Rotary District Convention (Myrtle Beach, 1998); Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford; St. Catharine's College, University of Cambridge (2); St. Catharine's Society, Wessex Branch (Andover, 2010); St, Matthew’s Church, Hillsborough; St. Stephen’s Church, Durham; University of San Francisco; Savannah Country Day School; Scholars’ Conference on American Jewish History, College of Charleston; Shepard-Pruden Library (Edenton, N.C.); Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge (2); Simon de Montfort University; Sons of Confederate Veterans (Wake Forest, Hillsborough, Burlington, Siler City, Charlotte, Jamestown); University of South Carolina, Aiken; University of South Carolina, Beaufort; University of South Carolina, Columbia; South Carolina Book Festival (2); South Carolina Historical Society; South Carolina Humanities Festival, Lander College; South Carolina Festival of the Book; University of South Florida; Southern Association for Public Opinion Research (Raleigh, N.C., 1997); Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Southern Economic Development Council (Jackson, 1999); Southern Festival of Books (2); Southern Foodways Alliance (Greensboro, 2001; Oxford, Miss., 2002); University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg; University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Park; Southern Newspaper Publishers Association (Boca Raton, 1998); Southern Pines (N.C.) Public Library; Southern University Conference (Miami, 2001); University of Southampton; Stanley County (N.C.) Community College; Stratford Academy (Macon, Ga.); University of Surrey; Tennessee Association of University Advancement Officers (Kingsport, 2000); University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; University of Tennessee at Knoxville; Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival; University of Tulsa; University of Ulster, Derry/Londonderry; Union County (N.C.) Public Library; United Daughters of the Confederacy (Raleigh); University College, London; U. S. Department of State Senior Seminar; Virginia Highlands Festival (Abingdon); Virginia Historical Society; Wake County (N.C.) Historical Society; Wake Forest University; University of Wales, Lampeter; Wallace Community College (Ala.); Wilkes County (N.C.) Public Library; Winthrop University; Yancey County (N.C.) Public Library.
Other Lectures (1970-1995) University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; University of Alabama in Birmingham; Alabama Historical Association (Auburn); Alabama Society of Landscape Architects (Birmingham); All Souls' College, Oxford; American Cultural Centers, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv; Amerika Haus, Frankfurt; Auburn University (4); Barton College; BellSouth Leadership Seminar (Callaway Gardens, Ga.-- 2); Berhampur University; Caldwell Community College; Cape Fear Museum (Wilmington, N.C.); Carolina Undergraduate Sociology Symposium (Florence, S.C.); Catawba College; Center for the Study of American Pluralism (Chicago); Center for the Study of Foreign Affairs, U.S. Department of State; University of Central Arkansas; Central Piedmont Community College; Centre College; The Citadel (2); College of Charleston; University of Chicago; University of Cincinnati; Clayton (Ga.) Junior College; Clemson University; Duke Institute for Learning in Retirement; Duke University; Duke University School of Law; Durham Arts Council; Durham Public Library (1995); East Carolina University and throughout eastern North Carolina; East Tennessee State University; Elon College; Emory University; Emory and Henry College; Family Health International; Francis Marion College; Fulbright House, New Delhi; Furman University (2); Georgia Southern University; Gettysburg College tour groups (2) (Chapel Hill); University of Guelph; Guilford College; Harvard University; Hobart and William Smith Colleges; Huntsville (Ala.) Historical Society; Indo‑American Association, Madras; James Sprunt Technical Institute (N.C.); University of Kentucky; Kenyon College; Kingsport (Tenn.) Public Library; Libera Universita degli Studi, Trento; London School of Economics; Loyola College, Madras; Madras University; University of Maryland, College Park; McDowell Technical Community College; McMurry College; Memphis State University; Meredith College; Miami University of Ohio; Middle Tennessee State University; Military Order of the Stars and Bars (Raleigh); Millsaps College; Mississippi College; University of Mississippi (3); Mississippi State University (2); Mississippi State University; Museum of the Confederacy; National Humanities Center (2); North Carolina Association of Arts Administrators; North Carolina Center for International Understanding (2); North Carolina Conference of Churches conferences, Asheville and Salisbury; North Carolina Department of Human Resources; North Carolina Institute of Architects (Wrightsville Beach); North Carolina School of the Arts; North Carolina State University (3); University of North Carolina at Charlotte (2); University of North Carolina at Charlotte adult education series, Durham, Charlotte, and Southern Pines, N.C., Greenville, Columbia, and Charleston, S.C.; University of North Carolina at Greensboro (4); University of North Carolina at Wilmington (4); Peace College; Pfeiffer College; Presbyterian College; Rama Krishna Cultural Institute, Calcutta; (1993); Raleigh Area Theological Society; Smithsonian Institution (1993); Richmond Community College; St. Antony's College, Oxford; St. Michael's College (Vermont); Sandhills Community College; Smithsonian Institution; Sons of Confederate Veterans (Durham, Greensboro, Garner, Roxboro); University of South Carolina, Columbia (2); University of South Carolina, Sumter; South Carolina Humanities Commission (Columbia, 1993); University of South Florida, Fort Myers (1994); Southeastern Association of Chief Academic Officers (Chapel Hill, 1994); Southeastern Booksellers Association (Nashville, 1992); University of Southampton; Southern Accents sales meeting (Charleston, 1993); Southern Festival of Books (Nashville--2); Southern Humanities Council (Chapel Hill); Southern Jewish Historical Society (Raleigh); Southern Regional Education Board conference, Columbia, S.C.; Stanford University; Stetson University; Sweet Briar College; Temple Beth Ahava (Richmond); U.S.Information Service, Bombay; University of Tennessee--Knoxville (3); University of Tennessee‑‑Martin; Turkish‑American Association, Ankara; United Daughters of the Confederacy (Raleigh); Utkal University, Bubaneshwar; Vance County (N.C.) Community Forum; Vanderbilt University (2); Veterans of Foreign Wars (Chapel Hill); University of Virginia; Wake Forest University (1991); University of Washington; Wellington College (England); University of West Virginia; Weymouth Center (Southern Pines, N.C.); Whittier College; Whitman College; Wildwood Center (Little Rock); elsewhere.
Miscellaneous Other Lectures, Papers, Readings, etc.
Lectures at Chapel Hill to Southern state legislators (1999): Russian entrepreneurs (1998, 1999, 2000); visiting foreign pharmacologists (1994); French teachers of English (1994); Swedish school teachers (1992, 1993); Bangladeshi parliamentarians (1993); Japanese municipal workers (1995); foreign journalists (1989, 1988, 1985), Fulbright scholars (1984), adult education classes (1989, 1987, 1986, 1985), librarians (1989), Chancellor's Club (1988), Carolina Alumni Association trustees (1992), Dean's Club (1992, 1996), "Second Sunday" (Friends of the Library, 1997).
Lectures and readings to UNC alumni groups in Charleston and Atlanta (1992), Winston-Salem and Washington, D.C. (1993), Atlanta, New Orleans, Elizabethtown, and Chattanooga (1995), Wilkesboro (1996), Avery Island, La. (1997), Raleigh (1998), Charlotte and Pensacola, Fla. (2000); miscellaneous community groups and bookstores in Chapel Hill and vicinity, Cary, Mount Airy, Raleigh, Rocky Mount, Spruce Pine, Wilmington, Birmingham, Knoxville, Charlotte, Memphis, New Orleans; Atlanta, Greensboro, Jackson and Oxford, Miss., and Blytheville, Ark.; "Carolina Speakers" program at various North Carolina civic groups and libraries.
Submitted papers read at meetings of American Sociological Association, Southern Sociological Society, Pacific Sociological Association, American Association for Public Opinion Research, Southern Association for Public Opinion Research; Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, elsewhere.
Speeches and invited papers at meetings including American Jewish Historical Society Conferences on Southern Jewry (Richmond, 1977; Charleston, 2008); Southern Studies Forum, European American Studies Association (Cambridge, 1995); Historical Society (Boston, 1999); Indian Association for American Studies (Rajgir, 1988); Mid‑South Sociological Association (Memphis, 1979); North Carolina Sociological Association (Greensboro, 1986); Southern Sociological Society (Knoxville, 1980; Charlotte, 1985; New Orleans, 1986; Nashville, 1988; Norfolk, 1989; New Orleans, 1992; Chattanooga, 1993); Southeastern Division, Association of American Geographers (Chapel Hill, 1986); North Carolina Literary and Historical Association (Raleigh, 1982); Southern Association for Public Opinion Research (Raleigh, 1992); Southern Foodways Alliance (Oxford, Miss., 2002); Southern Living Editorial Conferences (Sawgrass, Fla., 1981; Oxford, Miss., 1991); Southern Historical Association (Atlanta, 1979; Louisville, 1981; Atlanta, 1997; Fort Worth, 1999); Southern Intellectual History Circle (Chapel Hill, 1990); Thomas Wolfe Society (Gettysburg, Pa., 1996).
Radio and television broadcasts on National Humanities Center "Soundings" (1989, 1988, 1986, 1992, 1996); Voice of America "Forum" (1977); Voice of America "Magazine" (1992); "All Things Considered" (National Public Radio, 1993); "To the Best of Our Knowledge" (National Public Radio, 1993); UNC‑Chapel Hill "Tar Heel Voices" (several occasions); "Carolina People" (North Carolina Public Television, 1994); "Today" (NBC, 1996); "Morning Edition" (National Public Radio, 1996); "Word on Words" (syndicated, 1996); "You Is What You Eats" (BBC Radio 3, 1997); "The State of Things" (WUNC radio, 1998, 1999, 2006, 2016 [2]); "The Michael Graham Show" (WBT radio, Charlotte, 1998); "Whad'Ya Know?" (National Public Radio, 1999); "Talk of the Nation" (National Public Radio, 1999); "North Carolina Bookwatch" (WUNC-TV 2004, 2006, 2009, 2016); elsewhere.
Profiles in Chronicle of Higher Education, Sunday New York Times, Spectator (Raleigh, N.C.), Southern Partisan, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Carolina Alumni Review, Writing Sociology, Campus Voice, Raleigh News and Observer, The State (Charlotte, N.C.), Southern Living, Our State, The American Enterprise.