Max has given lectures at a number of places. On the strength of his novel about Thomas Jefferson, he was invited to speak at Monticello. In Paris, at the Sorbonne, he has talked about rhetoric and style in modern fiction. Yale University invited him to talk about historical fiction. He was the Bliss Carnochan Lecturer in the Humanities at Stanford in the spring of 2007 and gave a talk there on the nature of the historical novel. He has been a commentator on The American Experience (PBS) and on National Public Radio. For many years he has given talks on the craft of writing at the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, an annual writers' conference where he is a past President of the Board. He welcomes invitations and especially enjoys speaking at book clubs and libraries.
2019 Appearances
August 29, 7–8 p.m. Alameda, CA
Book Launch/Talk/Reading/Signing Books Inc.
1344 Park Street
September 14, 4–5 p.m. Corte Madera, CA
Talk/Reading/Signing Book Passage
51 Tamal Vista Boulevard
October 4, 7:30–8:30 p.m. Davis, CA
Talk/Reading/Signing The Avid Reader
617 2nd Street
Max presented "Rhetoric for Writers" during the summer of 2015 at the Squaw Valley Community of Writers Conference. He also ran the fiction-writing workshops for the Surprise Valley Writers Conference in September of 2015.