Rex Bowman and Carlos Santos, authors of Rot, Riot, and Rebellion: Mr. Jefferson’s Struggle to Save the University that Changed America, will be appearing at the Octagon House in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, October 3, at 7:00. Complete details may be found here. The authors will be signing and reading from their book, which describes the early days of the University of Virginia and how its founder, Thomas Jefferson, nearly failed in transforming an often unruly campus into one of the nation’s finest universities.

William Labov, author of Dialect Diversity in America: The Politics of Language Change, appeared recently on the David Pakman Show, where he discussed the misconception of an American accent, explaining that America can be divided into fifteen regions with distinct dialects. What’s more, many of these accents, or dialects, are still evolving.

May 2 is National Prayer Day. John Ragosta, author of Religious Freedom: Jefferson’s Legacy, America’s Creed, penned the following thoughts at the outset of the day and has shared them with us. Writes Ragosta, “I inevitably come back to the following question: What would Jefferson do? How would he react to a National Day of Prayer mandated by Congress and proclaimed by the President?”