John Fea is a professor of history and chair of the history department at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. A scholar of early American history and American religious history, he is the author of several books, most notably Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?: A Historical Introduction (2011), which was one of three finalists for the George Washington Book Prize. He is also the author of the award-winning The Way of Improvement Leads Home: Philip Vickers Fithian and the Rural Enlightenment in Early America (2009). His most recent book is Why Study History?: Reflecting on the Importance of the Past (2013). His work has appeared in publications as wide-ranging as the Journal of American History and the Washington Post. He lectures at colleges and universities, historical societies, and religious organizations and is executive editor of Current.
This hands-on, practical lecture focuses on the many ways that historians can engage the larger public with their work through social media, op-eds in newspapers, public speaking, and writing for popular audiences. The lecture (or workshop) can be geared toward undergraduates, graduates students, established scholars, or a combination of all three groups. It draws from my parts of my book *Why Study History?* and my experience engaging public audiences.