Talking Blackbeard and pirates at the Smithsonian, July 14

I'm looking forward to presenting an evening seminar on the real Blackbeard at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. on July 14.

The talk, which kicks off at 6:45 pm is open to the public, but you do need to register and the Smithsonian Associates do charge for tickets.

My story on the last days of Blackbeard was the cover of the February issue of Smithsonian Magazine, and I researched the true story of his cohort of remarkable pirates in The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Him Down, which is itself the basis -- contractually speaking, at least -- of NBC's drama "Crossbones" with John Malkovich.

It's indeed a surprising story, one I think is more compelling than the fictionalized versions.