Friday, October 25, 2013, 7:29pmJefferson Hall, Hotel C, University of Virginia

Marietta will participate in the Jefferson Society Distinguished Speaker Series hosted by the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society. Featuring a discussion of her work with child philosophers, the audience is also invited to chat with her about the art of conversation, the heartbeat of her work with children and adults. This event is open to the public.

Founded on July 14th, 1825, the Jefferson Society serves as the oldest literary and debating organization in the United States. Past members include Edgar Allen Poe; Presidents James Monroe, James Madison, and Woodrow Wilson; University of Virginia President John T. Casteen III; and former Virginia Governors Colgate Darden and Jim Gilmore. As the oldest student-run organization on Grounds, we strive to provide a stimulating and interactive setting for literature and oratory at the University. To help foster an atmosphere conducive to intellectual discourse and exchange, we run the weekly Speaker Series with distinguished individuals from a wide variety of disciplines and professions. Since 1837, the Society has convened every Friday evening in Jefferson Hall, one of the original structures of Thomas Jefferson's own Academical Village.

In recent semesters, our speaker rosters have included many decorated names: author Tom Clancy; Dr. Robert Solow, Nobel Laureate in Economics; Larry Sanger, Wikipedia Co-founder; Bill Emmott, former Editor of The Economist; Brent Scowcroft, former National Security Advisor; Francis Collins, Director of the Human Genome Project; Governor Howard Dean; Governor Gary Johnson; and Millard Fuller, Founder of Habitat for Humanity. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Jimmy Carter, Chief Justice William Rehnquist, and authors John Dos Passos and William Faulkner are likewise included in our past speakers series.