Steve Bivans

Steve Bivans is a Viking scholar by training. He holds a master's degree in history, and when not writing a 500 page book on 'being a Hobbit,' is working on a dissertation on Viking Warfare to obtain his Ph.D. in history.

At some point or another, he's worked about every job known to man. More recently he's been a special education assistant, and an instructor of history and graduate assistant at the University of Minnesota. In the past he's been a working sous-chef, a burger-flipper, a landscaper, a pizza delivery driver, a rock-god guitar player, a concert promoter, a window washer, and a Salvation Army Christmas Kettle bell-ringer.

These days? Mostly he's a writer, a freelance blogger, a BBQ expert, the best cook he knows, and a Hobbit, though he looks more like Theoden and is grumpier than Gollum, at least before second breakfast.

When he's not dreaming of building his own Hobbit-hole, or traveling the Earth, you might find him preaching sustainability in a bar with 'a splash of cola in his bourbon,' researching Viking battle-axes (throwing them at stumps in the back yard), writing, cooking, reading, partying, watching Buffy, mindlessly playing WOW or LOTRO, and/or eating. Always eating. "Pass the butter, please. And while you're at it the bacon. And he's as dusty as the desert and as dry as the road through Mordor, so pass the beer too!"

Steve is available for conferences, lectures, camps, school talks! Hire him to come speak to your school, civic group, or TED Talk (hint, hint). He loves speaking in public! Getting him to shut up might be the hard part. Send him an email and find out what he can do for your next gathering of Hobbits! If you have any spare food lying around, you might twist his arm to cook you dinner, or second breakfast.

Find Steve everywhere online!