Public Presentations

Since 1999, over 100 lectures delivered in English, Italian, or Latin at universities, conferences, medical schools, and learned societies in the USA, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, China, Egypt, England, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Romania, and Switzerland. I stopped updating this list in 2018, but it does include a few events from recent years on topics which are inherently interesting or which I plan to publish, or if the talk was recorded.

Major endowed lectures and keynote addresses are preceded with a dagger [†]; regular invited presentations are preceded by an asterisk [*]; all other papers were accepted by competitive abstract. Unless otherwise noted, presentations at universities were to a department of Classics lecture series.

On Greek and Roman Comedy

*2023. Universidad Panamericana. (Mexico City). “How to Make a Joke Without Getting Cancelled: Plutarch’s Survival Guide to Jesting Safely.” May. Online here.
*2023. University of Genoa. (Italy). “Verba Genuina: Genuine and Cheeky Words in Plautus.” (In Italian, despite the title.) April.
*2021. Lake Como (Italy). Conference on Plautus Revisited. Problemstellungen und Perspektiven der Plautusforschung. “Ut Pictura Poesis? Wine, Women, and Song in Plautus’ Curculio.” July.
†2018. Würzburg University (Germany). ‘Camerarius camelarius: Or, a new Salt Road to the Modern World.’ (On Joachim Camerarius‘ work on Plautus). June.
*2017. Mississippi State University. ‘Title IX Problems: Rape and Responsibility at UVA and classical Athens.’ (On Plautus’ Aulularia). September
*2017. Oberlin College. ‘Before Pussy Riot: Free Speech and Censorship in the Age of Plautus.’ (On Sotades in Plautus’ Miles Gloriosus). April.
2016. University of Patras (Greece), Morbid Laughter conference. ‘A Cute Illness in Epidaurus: Morbus hepatiarius and other sick jokes in Plautus’ Gorgylio (Curculio).’ September (by Skype)
*2016. The Paideia Institute (Rome, Italy), Living Latin in Rome. “What’s so Funny about Roman Comedy?” June.
2016. Williamsburg, CAMWS meeting: ‘A Cute Illness in Epidaurus: Morbus hepatiarius and other sick jokes in Plautus’ Gorgylio (Curculio).’ March.
*2014 University of Pisa (Italy). “È la storia biblica di Susanna e dei vecchioni basata su una commedia nuova greca?” June
*2014. Thessaloniki (Greece), Roman Drama and its Contexts conference: ‘Is the Biblical Story of Susanna based on Diphilus’ Kleroumenoi? The Evidence of Plautus’ Casina and Burmeister’s Susanna’. May (read in absentia);
*2014. Columbia University, ‘Is the Biblical Story of Susanna based on Diphilus’ Kleroumenoi? The Evidence of Plautus’ Casina and Burmeister’s Susanna’. March
†2015 Alexandria (Egypt), Bibliotheca Alexandrina. ‘How the Library of Alexandria Shaped Roman Comedy in Antiquity: The Case of Terence (166-160 BC),’, April; by Skype
*2012 University of Freiburg (Germany), Kommentierung der Fragmente der griechischen Komoedie. ‘From Athens to Rome: From Greek to Latin Comedy,’ workshop paper, July
*2012 Binghamton University. ‘Knocks on Both Your Houses! Why Mostellaria is a terrible title for this play,’ May
†2011 University of Buenos Aires (Argentina), JOCOSA conference. ‘Who was in the Audience of Roman Comedy?’ December
*2011 Rutgers University. ‘Terence: Roman Menander or Neoteric Poet?’, October
*2011 San Antonio, American Philological Association meeting: ‘Who’s out there? History, Irony, and Jokes as Evidence for the Composition of Plautus’ Audience,’ a workshop (seminar) paper, January
†2010 Sarsina (Italy), Lectura Plautina Sarsinatis: ‘Tale padre, tale figlia: alcune ambiguità nel Persa.’ September
2010 Brno (Czech), Literary Crossroads conference, ‘Dynamics of Appropriation in Roman Comedy: Menander’s Kolax in Three Roman Receptions (Naevius, Plautus, and Terence’s Eunuchus)’ September (invitation declined)
*2010 Brown University, ‘Dynamics of Appropriation in Roman Comedy: Menander’s Kolax in Three Roman Receptions (Naevius, Plautus, and Terence’s Eunuchus).’ April
2009 Philadelphia, American Philological Association annual meeting: ‘Phryne on the Roman Stage (Plautus’ Truculentus).’ January
*2009 Northwestern University. ‘What’s in a Name? Two Mistaken Identities in Plautine Comedy.’ January
*2006 Haverford College. ‘Funny Words in Roman Comedy.’ September
2005 Cornell University. ‘Freudian Slips in Plautus.’ May;
2005 University of Reading, Classical Association meeting, ‘Freudian Slips in Plautus.’ April
2004 San Francisco, American Philological Association meeting: ‘‘Soft c’ Jokes and the Biography of Plautus.’ January
2003. University of Calgary, Classical Association of the Canadian West annual meeting: ‘‘Soft c’ Jokes and the Biography of Plautus.’ March.
*2003 University of Texas, Unextinguished Laughter Conference: ‘The Opening Scene of Plautus’ Curculio.’
2003 New Orleans, American Philological Association meeting: ‘The Sophisticated Para Prosdokian in the Poenulus.’ January

On Classical Greek and Latin Literature and Society

2017. Toronto (Canada), Society for Classical Studies meeting: “Classics and Public Information & Media Relations: How to do it better.” January (summary here)
†2016. Alexandria (Egypt), Bibliotheca Alexandrina. ‘Secrets of the Great Library of Alexandria: New Sources of the Roman Enlightenment.’ October (online here)
*2016 Cornell University, Department of Horticulture seminar: ‘Faking Wine and Making Millions: Wine Counterfeiting Through The Ages’ (with Justine Vanden Heuvel, Cornell Dept. of Horticulture). April (online here)
†2015 Temple University, The Matyskiela Lecture: ‘Aeneas in Palestine: How the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Makes Sense of Virgil’s Aeneid.’ October
*2015 Houston, The 5th International Conference on the Ancient Novel: ‘Schizophrenia in the Golden Ass.’ October.
*2014 Geneva (Switzerland), Les Mots sous les textes conference: ‘Virgil the Psycholinguist.’ November
2014. Bordeaux (France): Fédération internationale des associations d’études classiques meeting: ‘Virgil the Psycholinguist.’ August (invitation declined)
*2014 Johns Hopkins University: ‘Freudian Bullseyes in Classical Perspective—The Psycholinguistics of Guilt in Virgil’s Aeneid.’ November
2008 Chicago, American Philological Association meeting: ‘Catachresis, Fictitious Words, and bomolochia in Plautus’ Stichus.’ January
*2007 Cornell University: ‘Allegory and Allusion in the Servian Commentary on the Aeneid.’ March
2007 Birmingham (UK), Classical Association Meeting: ‘The Lesbia Code: Backmasking, Pillow Talk, and Cacemphaton in Catullus 5 and 16’. April
*2007 Bryn Mawr College: ‘The Lesbia Code: Backmasking, Pillow Talk, and Cacemphaton in Catullus 5 and 16’. September
2008 Tucson, CAMWS meeting: ‘Plautus’ and Seneca’s Ulysses: Some Questions of Influence and Intertextuality.’ April
*2006 Cornell University: ‘Highlights of Latin Literature.’ July
*2005 Cornell University: ‘The Lesbia Code.’ October.
2002 Yale University, Graduate Student Conference: ‘An Allusion to the Poenulus in Ovid’s Ars Amatoria.’
1999 University of Pittsburgh, East Meets West Conference: ‘Divus Pompeius: Pompey Aiming at Godhood?’ March

On Psychiatry and Mental Illness in Antiquity

*2018. Ole Miss, Department of Classics. ‘On Being Sane in an Insane Place.’
*2018 Syracuse, SUNY Upstate Medical School Department of Psychiatry, grand rounds: ‘’Psychiatry in the Sistine Chapel: Greek Mythology and Psychiatric Mythology.’ February.
*2017. Millsaps College, Friday Forum. ‘On Being Sane in an Insane Place.’
*2017 Lexington, The University of Kentucky, Conventus XIV Academiae Latinitati Fovendae. ‘De Fuga Schizophrenica Ovidii Poetae.’ (In Latin). July.
2017 Bucharest (Romania), “Close, far away, everywhere, nowhere. Perpetual glosses on the exile theme” conference. ‘The Myth of Ovid’s Exile.’ University of Bucharest. (read in absentia)
2017 Shanghai (China), ‘Globalizing Ovid’ conference. Shanghai Normal University. ‘The Myth of Ovid’s Exile.’ June.
*2016 Rome (Italy), The Paideia Institute internship program. ‘The World’s First Paranoid Schizophrenic? A Psychiatric Look at Aeschylus’ Orestes.’ June
*2016 Syracuse, SUNY Upstate Medical School Department of Psychiatry, grand rounds: ‘Schizophrenia in Antiquity.’ April
*2015 New York, Weill Cornell Medical College, The Richardson History of Psychiatry Research Seminar: ‘The World’s First Paranoid Schizophrenic? A Psychiatric Look at Aeschylus’ Orestes.’ October
†2015 Würzburg University (Germany), The Josef-Martin-Vorlesung and keynote address of the Camerarius Polyhistor conference: ‘Camerarius on Witches, Witchcraft, and Criminal Responsibility; Or, How to Philologize with a Witches’ Hammer.’ July
2014 New York, American Psychiatric Association annual meeting: ‘On Religious and Psychiatric Atheism: the success of Epicurus, the failure of Thomas Szasz.’ May
†2013 Calvin College, Department of Classics and Biduum Latinum Calvinianum: ‘On Being Sane in an Insane Place: The Rosenhan Experiment in the Laboratory of Plautus’ Epidamnus.’ September
*2014 Syracuse, SUNY Upstate Medical School Department of Psychiatry, grand rounds: ‘On Being Sane in an Insane Place: The Rosenhan Experiment in the Laboratory of Plautus’ Epidamnus.’ September
2012 Berlin (Germany), Homo Patiens conference: ‘On Being Sane in an Insane Place: The Rosenhan Experiment in the Laboratory of Epidamnus.’ with Dr. Mark Hochberg of NYU Medical School, July

On Neo-Latin

2019. Leuven (Belgium), University of Leuven. “The Twisted Tale of the Pugna Porcorum: a parable of privilege, ‘ppression, and pent-up passions.’ December.
2014 New York City, Renaissance Society of America Annual Meeting: ‘The Intercalary Scenes in the Aulularia Inversa of Joannes Burmeister (1629).’ March
2012 Münster (Germany), Triennial Congress of the International Association for Neo-Latin Studies: ‘The Intercalary Scenes in the Aulularia Inversa of Joannes Burmeister (1629).’ August
2011 Warsaw (Poland), Mousa Paizei conference: ‘The Aulularia Inversa of Joannes Burmeister.’ May
*2011 Brown University: ‘The Aulularia Inversa of Joannes Burmeister: a response to the performance.’ March

Outreach presentations and media appearances

2020. “Consolatio: Coping with a Collapsing World.” Pop-up webinar for the National Humanities Center. Co-hosted by Richard Fontaine. (online here.)
2020. eCornell Keynote: “Timeless Odyssey: What the Ancient Greek Epic Teaches Us About Modern Mentoring.” February. (online here.)
2019. Cornell Political Union. “Resolved; Classical Notions of Virtue should be Cultivated Today.” (On Cicero’s On Duties). November. (The resolution passed.)
2019. eCornell Keynote: “How to Make a Tough Call: Classical Lessons in Decision Making from the Ancient World.” October. (online here). (On Cicero’s treatise On Duties)
2019. “Binge drinking: Where does it come from, why do we do it, and what does it look like?” Cornell University, Flora Rose House. Kendal Ithaca.
2018. “From Democracy to Authoritarianism: The Death of the Roman Republic.” America in Class webinar, the National Humanities Center.
2017. “Critical Thinking, Authority, and Censorship.” Hao Hai Consulting（浩海咨询）Hangzhou, China.
2017. The Warrior-Scholar project. Cornell University.
2016. Cornell University. “What is Living Latin?”
2014-6. The Peter Breggin Radio Hour featured guest: ‘Elvis, the Bacchae, and other thoughts,’ November 11, 2016. ‘Schizophrenia in the Libation Bearers of Aeschylus,’ February 24, 2016; ‘Insanity in Plautus’ The Menaechmus Brothers’ (December 3, 2014; rerun March 2015)
2016. Society for Classics Studies Roundtable, leader: ‘Vox Populo.’ SCS meeting (San Francisco); CAMWS (Williamsburg) (paper here)
2014. Oral history of Ron Leifer, M.D., host (December 5, 2014)
2009. Clash of the Gods, a 10-part series on Greek mythology for The History Channel, On-screen commentator in five episodes