Ayers has written and edited 11 books including “The Promise of the New South: Life after Reconstruction,” which was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. “In the Presence of Mine Enemies: Civil War in the Heart of America, 1859-1863” won the Bancroft Prize for distinguished writing in American history .

A pioneer in digital history, Ayers’ website, “The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War,” has attracted millions of users and has won major prizes in teaching of history.

He is the co-editor of the Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States at the University of Richmond and is co-host for “BackStory with the American History Guys,” a nationally syndicated public radio program.

In 2013, Ayers received the National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama.

His talk is sponsored by the Digital Humanities Committee and funded through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.