July 18, 2021 4:30 to 6:30 PM
Guild Hall of East Hampton - Gather: Conversations Led by Black & Indigenous Change-makers
IN-PERSON EVENT - REGISTER
July 11, 2021 2:00 to 2:30 PM
Wildsam Field Guides in Conversation with... Skip Finley - Talking and signing
IN-PERSON EVENT
July 10, 2021 2:30 to 5:00 PM
Narragansett House - Talking and signing
IN-PERSON EVENT
May 25, 2021 6:30-7:30 PM
Boston Public Library with the State Library of Massachusetts, Museum of African American History and the New England Historic Genealogical Society
VIRTUAL EVENT - REGISTER
May 13, 2021 7 PM
Historical Society of Old Yarmouth
VIRTUAL EVENT
May 7, 2021 7 PM
Provincetown Library
April 29, 2021 7-8 PM
The Atlantic Black Box Project - Speaker Series
VIRTUAL EVENT
February 21, 2021 Time 4 PM
Jack and Jill of America, Washington, DC Chapter, Washington, DC
February 25, 2021 4-5 PM
Martha’s Vineyard Museum, 151 Lagoon Pond Road, Vineyard Haven, MA
More information
February 25, 2021 Time 6:00 PM
Highfield Hall & Gardens Supper Club Series, Falmouth, Massachusetts
Virtual program
February 16, 2021 6:30 PM
The Army and Navy Club, Washington, DC
Virtual program
February 16, 2021 2:00 PM
National Labor Relations Board African
American History Month Program 2021
February 18, 2021 11:00 AM
Southampton History Museum, Southampton, New York
Virtual program
February 18, 2021 7:00 PM
Mystic Seaport, Mystic, Connecticut
Virtual program
February 9, 2021 7:30 PM
University of Connecticut Coastal Perspectives Lecture Series, Farmington, Connecticut
Virtual program: A Voyage of Discovery with Skip Finley
February 1, 2021 11:00 AM
OceanX - The Little Told History of the Black Mariner with Skip Finley
Virtual program
January 18, 2021 7:00 PM
Salem Athenaeum
Virtual program
December 9, 2020
Austin Preparatory School, Reading, Massachusetts
November 23, 2020
NEA Big Read Lakeshore / Herrick District Library, Holland, Michigan
Virtual program
November 11, 2020
NEA Big Read Lakeshore / Hope College, Holland, Michigan
Virtual program - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XBA-IDbTYw
November 10, 2020
New Bedford Whaling Museum
Zoomcast Voyage of Discovery
October 27, 2020
Food for Thought | The Green Space X MOFAD (Museum of Food and Drink) Presents Oyster Soiree: A Deep Dive into the Flavors, Climate Issues, and Societal History of Half Shells
Ticketed Virtual Event: https://www.mofad.org/events/2020/oystersoiree
October 7, 2020
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution - The stories we tell: Sea stories from ancient oral traditions to modern day pirates
Ocean Encounters (OE) on “Sea Stories”
VIRTUAL EVENT - https://youtu.be/liruKNXWJMM
August 6, 2020
Edgartown Public Library
Edgartown, MA
August 5, 2020
The Nantucket Book Festival
The Traditional Festival has been moved to VIRTUAL
Tune in for At Home with Authors: Skip Finley
Watch Here.
Read a review of Whaling Captains of Color from Alicia Carney, Nantucket Book Festival HERE
August 3, 2020
All Of It with Alison Stewart on WNYC, NY Public Radio
Tune in to WNYC to listen or click HERE
July 28, 2020
The Cottagers, Inc
VIRTUAL EVENT OPEN TO MEMBERS OF THE COTTAGERS ONLY - Reading & Discussion of Whaling Captains of Color – America’s First Meritocracy
July 30, 2020
Aquinnah Public Library
1 Church St, Aquinnah, MA
LIVE EVENT - Reading & Discussion of Whaling Captains of Color – America’s First Meritocracy
July 13, 2020
Martha’s Vineyard Museum
151 Lagoon Pond Road, Vineyard Haven, MA
IN PERSON EVENT - Skip will have his first public discussion since Whaling Captains of Color was published with Dawn Davis, Vice President and Publisher of 37Ink, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Dawn published Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge; the national bestseller Heart Talk Cleo Wade and several New York Times bestsellers, including Tough Love by Susan Rice; The Butler: A Witness to History by Wil Haygood; and The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae. Prior to joining, she had been at HarperCollins, directing the Amistad imprint, where she published numerous highly acclaimed bestselling authors, including Edward P. Jones’, Pulitzer Prize-winning The Known World and was named 2019 Editor of the Year by Poets & Writers. Book sales and signing will follow the discussion featuring guitarist John F.X. O’Toole playing sea-themed songs in the courtyard.
July 14, 2020
Oak Bluffs Public Library
56R School Street, Oak Bluffs, MA
VIRTUAL EVENT - Moderated by Carolina Cooney, Programming Coordinator, Skip and Matt Stackpole discuss Whaling Captains of Color. Matt Stackpole was born on Nantucket. He is the son of Edouard Stackpole, author of The Sea Hunters and The Charles W. Morgan: The Last Wooden Whaleship. A maritime historian and former Martha’s Vineyard Museum director, Matt is the Mystic Seaport Museum’s historian for the Charles W. Morgan, America’s second oldest ship and the last wooden whaleship.
July 12, 2020 3:00 pm
Politics & Prose Bookstore
VIRTUAL - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXS39v1d7WU
VIRTUAL EVENT - Skip appears on Washington DC’s premier book store, Politics & Prose with his Whaling Captains of Color editor John H. Kennedy. John is a print journalist for more than four decades and a college instructor for the past 25 years in the U.S., Europe and east Africa. He is the author of A Course of Their Own: A History of African American Golfers, and is currently at work on a book about American war correspondents.
July 4, 2020 7:00 pm
Cousen Rose Gallery
71 Circuit Avenue, Oak Bluffs, MA
Reception and Signing of Whaling Captains of Color – America’s First Meritocracy
June 19, 2020
OCEANX Facebook Live Event
Juneteenth Discussion of Whaling Captains of Color
Vineyard Haven Public Library
200 Main Street, Vineyard Haven, MA
Tuesday, December 10, 2019 7:00 pm
Reading & Discussion of Historic Tales of Oak Bluffs
Edgartown Public Library
26 West Tisbury Road, Edgartown, MA
Thursday, August 22, 2019 7:00 pm
Reading & Discussion of Historic Tales of Oak Bluffs
Martha’s Vineyard Museum
151 Lagoon Pond Road, Vineyard Haven, MA
Saturday, August 24, 2019 10:00 am
Book club: MV History & Culture Between Two Covers Narragansett House “Inkwell Talks” Garden Reception
46 Narragansett Avenue, Oak Bluffs, MA
Sunday, August 18, 2019 3:00 – 5:00 pm
Reading and Signing for Historic Tales of Oak Bluffs
Cousen Rose Gallery
71 Circuit Avenue, Oak Bluffs, MA
Saturday, August 17, 2019 7:00
Book signing for Historic Tales of Oak Bluffs
Oyster Bar 02557
6 Circuit Avenue, Oak Bluffs, MA
Saturday, August 10, 2019 5:00 pm
Reception: Complimentary book for first 50 attendees, courtesy
of sponsor, the Vineyard Gazette.
Join us and meet Julia Wells, Editor, Vineyard Gazette
Oak Bluffs Public Library
56R School Street, Oak Bluffs, MA
Tuesday, August 6, 2019 6:30 pm
Reading & Discussion of Historic Tales of Oak Bluffs
Atria Restaurant - The Mooncussers Speakeasy
138 Main Street, Edgartown, MA
Monday, August 5, 2019 7:00 pm
MV Museum Fundraiser, $150 per person, complimentary book
Cousen Rose Gallery
71 Circuit Avenue, Oak Bluffs, MA
Saturday, August 3, 2019 7:00 pm
Premiere book signing for Historic Tales of Oak Bluffs
New Bedford Whaling Museum
18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA
May 18, 2019
Conference of the North American Society for Oceanic History (NASOH): Connecting the Global and Local: The Sea and Maritime Cities – Skip Finley presentation of Whaling Captains of Color – America’s First Meritocracy
MORE INFO
New Bedford Historical Society Black History Month Events
New Bedford Free Public Library, 613 Pleasant Street, New Bedford, MA
Feb. 2, 2019 2:30-4:30 pm
Author Skip Finley presents excerpts from his new book, Whaling Captains of Color-America’s First Meritocracy Talk and presentation. Light refreshments to follow.
MORE INFO
Annual Spriggs Lecture on Nantucket with Skip Finley
August 2, 2018 @ 2 pm
Join us for our annual Spriggs Lecture on Nantucket at the African Meeting House (29 York St., Five Corners, Nantucket, MA 02554) hear author, historian, and speaker Skip Finley discuss black whaling captains in anticipation of his new book on the same subject.
MORE INFO
Chilmark Library
Feb 28, 2018 @ 5 pm
Local writer and former radio broadcast executive Skip Finley will give a presentation titled “Voyage of Discovery – Vineyard Whaling Captains of Color.”
MORE INFO
Vineyard Gazette, Edgartown
Feb 20, 2018 @ 5:30 pm
Tuesdays in the Newsroom Presents - How We Got Here: What Drew African-American Families to the Vineyard
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Martha's Vineyard Regional High School
Feb 14, 2018 @ 6 pm
Author Skip Finley will speak about his book, Whaling Captains of Color for our Diversity Speaker Series
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Edgartown Library
Aug 24, 2017 @ 7pm
Author Skip Finley will speak on his book, Whaling Captains of Color: A Voyage of Discovery.
MORE INFO
Oak Bluffs Library
Aug 5, 2017 @ 10:45 am – 11:45 am
Author, journalist, and entrepreneur Skip Finley will address the exciting subject of “Black Whaling Captains.”
MORE INFO
Martha's Vineyard Museum
Mar 28, 2017 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Whaling made southern New England the Middle East of its day because of all the oil the industry brought in. Over 90% of the people who went whaling only went once due to its lack of comfort, mind-numbing boredom, and potential for danger. But to African Americans, whaling was better than slavery. In conjunction with our exhibit In the Giant’s Shadow, join Oak Bluffs resident Skip Finley as he depicts the 65 black men who became whaling captains. Finley will demonstrate how if you could kill whales and get the crew home safely, race didn't matter.
MORE INFO
Sail MV
Jan 2017
Skip was the guest speaker for the January 2017 Sail MV Dinner where he gave a talk about five of Martha’s Vineyard’s black whaling captains: heretofore it has been believed that William A. Martin was the only one. Over 75 were at the sold-out mid-winter event. An ensuing newspaper article about the event received wide attention and several instructive comments.