photo of Dr. Smith in Ireland

The Long Room Library, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

This photo was taken during our first trip to Ireland, where we explored Ireland’s Ancient East and visited historic and cultural sites, including Newgrange. The experience connected directly to my teaching of Neolithic sites and the historical and literary traditions surrounding the Táin Bó Cúailnge, including the stories of Cú Chulainn and Medb.

Speaking & Consulting

I welcome collaboration on educational writing, assessment design, scholarly conversation, and public-facing literary and intellectual programming.

Areas of Collaboration

  • Curriculum and assessment development, including document-based question (DBQ) design and historical inquiry

  • Educational writing and content development

  • Teacher professional learning

  • Critical and inclusive pedagogy

  • Foucauldian and post-qualitative approaches to educational research

  • Moderation of author talks, panels, and public literary discussions

Current and Recent Educational Work

  • Currently engaged in assessment writing with a national educational publishing and assessment partner, alongside upcoming social studies content development for the State of Delaware, including potential work in inclusive curriculum design, LGBTQIA+ historical content, and inquiry-based assessments such as DBQs.

  • Led curriculum and instructional development for North Carolina Virtual Public Schools (NCVPS), serving as primary writer for AP World History curriculum. Managed collaborative development and implementation processes while teaching both existing and newly developed course versions throughout the transition period.

Public Literary and Cultural Programming

  • I have moderated panels and led public conversations at the Bookmarks Festival of Books and Authors, the largest book festival in North Carolina, for several years, alongside community book discussions and other author talks.

Selected appearances:

  • Bookmarks Festival panel, "Southern Identity, Memory, and Cultural History," featuring John T. Edge and Jeremy B. Jones (Fall 2025)

  • Bookmarks Festival panel, "Hell of a Panel," featuring Brando Skyhorse, R. Eric Thomas, and Jason Mott (Fall 2023)

  • Bookmarks Festival panel, "Real Life Reimagined: Historical Fiction," featuring Téa Obreht, Michael Parker, and Mary Doria Russell (Fall 2019)

  • Bookmarks Book Club discussions, including Tommy Orange's There There (following his keynote at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity), Jason Reynolds's young adult adaptation of Stamped, and an author conversation with Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah on Chain-Gang All-Stars

  • Aperture Cinema, host and curator of an international film series (Summer 2019)

Inquiries