Denver, Colorado

Peter McGuire

Public Historian & Educator

I turn artifacts, archives, and the occasional ghost into memorable learning experiences.

Current Exhibits

Corner installation of the Built to Protect exhibit, showing framed panels and firefighter gear on display
Denver Firefighters Museum, 2026

Built to Protect

Why does safety gear change over time?

An object-based experience allowing visitors to feel, smell, touch, and try on real firefighting history. Built to spark conversation between visitors, and with the objects themselves.

Role
Concept, content, design, install
Audience
Families, K–8 school groups, general visitors
Timeframe
Jan–June 2026, educational internship
Platform
Object-based, interactive, family-centered
Universal Design for Learning Object-Based Learning EDGE
View the case study →
Title card over a 1920s séance photograph: eight people sit around a table in a darkened room, hands touching at its center, as a medium in white looks upward mid-trance.
ArcGIS StoryMaps, CU Denver, 2026

Speaking Through the Dead

What is feminist about ghosts?

A digital exhibit tracing Spiritualism's role in the 1848 origins of American feminism, from Amy Post's parlor to its later erasure from that history.

Role
Research, concept, design, build
Audience
Classmates, museum partners
Timeframe
Spring 2026, Survey of Feminist Thought
Platform
ArcGIS StoryMaps + custom Flourish embeds
Universal Design for Learning Object-Based Learning EDGE
Launch the exhibit →

Sixteen years of getting the story across

Through technical, copy, content, and history writing, I've spent my career making complex ideas clear to broad audiences online.

Now 2025 2022 2019 2016 2013 2010 2007 MA Candidate, Public History CU Denver · Fall 2025–present Historical Studies Journal—Editor, then Chief Editor CU Denver History Department · 2026–present Teaching Assistant, CU Denver Fall 2025–present Educational Intern, Denver Firefighters Museum Jan–May 2026 Freelance Content Manager/Creator 2018–2025 Unlikely Explanations History podcast & blog · 2019–2025 "Lou was a Butterfly" published KayTell Ink Publishing · Nov 2024 "Leafy Waters" published Eunoia Review · Nov 2023 Content Marketing Manager, Netgain Solutions 2021–2022 Certified Interpretive Guide National Association for Interpretation · 2022 "Hot to Trot" published We Cryptids: An Urban Fantasy Anthology · 2021 Integer Group—Technical Copywriter, then Copywriter 2014–2019 Technical Writer, Transaction Network Services 2011–2013 BA, English & History University of Colorado · 2007–2010
Education Museums & Public History Practice Writing
  1. Teaching Assistant, CU Denver Fall 2025–present

    Supporting undergraduate history education. Providing feedback on student writing. Teaching Intro Writing Composition to undergrads in the fall.

  2. MA Candidate, Public History CU Denver · Fall 2025–present

    Learning professional history and museum studies. I believe in the museum as a decentralized learning space that can help combat disinformation in a deeply partisan media landscape.

  3. Historical Studies Journal—Editor, then Chief Editor CU Denver History Department · 2026–present

    Reviewing and editing submissions for CU Denver's student-run, peer-reviewed history journal. Leading the graduate editorial board as chief editor for the 2027 issue.

  4. Educational Intern, Denver Firefighters Museum Jan–May 2026

    Contributed to education programming including storytimes for younger children, STEM education for older children, and outreach programs. Designed and installed the exhibit "Built to Protect," an object-based learning experience.

  5. Unlikely Explanations History podcast & blog · 2019–2025

    My passion for history went unfulfilled in my professional work, so in 2019 I started the podcast "Unlikely Explanations." It let me exercise my skills as a historian and content creator in a popular format.

  6. Freelance Content Manager/Creator 2018–2025

    Executed long-term content strategies with digital marketing agencies and their clients, including high-tech, B2B, and real estate clients. Used search data to identify audience opportunities and creating targeted content for search niches.

  7. "Lou was a Butterfly" published KayTell Ink Publishing · Nov 2024

    Flash fiction. A take on a Taoist tale.

  8. "Leafy Waters" published Eunoia Review · Nov 2023

    Short fiction. An old man is helped to the afterlife in this magical realist tale.

  9. Certified Interpretive Guide National Association for Interpretation · 2022

    Learned to communicate succinctly to audiences in museum and national park environments. Obtained as a first step toward transitioning into public history.

  10. Content Marketing Manager, Netgain Solutions 2021–2022

    Led 50+ subject matter experts to create weekly articles that drove inbound traffic, leads, and conversion. Developed product pages, email campaigns, videos, guides, and webinars for quarterly product releases.

  11. "Hot to Trot" published We Cryptids: An Urban Fantasy Anthology · 2021

    Short fiction, urban fantasy. A fantasy of love and llamas.

  12. Integer Group—Technical Copywriter, then Copywriter 2014–2019

    Developed e-commerce content for national and multinational clients, including Starbucks, P&G, and Mars/Wrigley. Created product pages, landing pages, case studies, e-storefronts, videos, social posts, email campaigns, and banner ads. Managed freelance writers and studio designers.

  13. Technical Writer, Transaction Network Services 2011–2013

    Managed 500+ page manuals for telecommunication software. Worked with software engineers to keep documentation up to date.

  14. BA, English & History University of Colorado · 2007–2010

    Started on my dream of writing the next great American novel. Ended up in marketing. Discovered my love of historical research.