We’re back For 2021!

Coming up — Sept. 13-18

Coming out of the tumultuous changes of last year, we’re looking ahead to what the future will look like here in Madison and Wisconsin. In the fifth year of Cap Times Idea Fest, our theme is focused on how we reckon with the change brought by pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement and other forces.

Reach A Better State

77 speakers. 26 sessions. 6 days. This year’s session lineup is now released! Our event this year will be a hybrid: Free virtual sessions will post starting on Monday, Sept. 13 and ticketed, in-person sessions will take place on Friday, Sept. 17 and Saturday, Sept. 18 at UW-Madison’s Memorial Union. Safety is our top priority, so masks are required and guests will be socially distanced. Not ready to join us in-person? Tickets will also get you livestream access to the Shannon Hall sessions in Memorial Union.

Featured
Sessions

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The bottom line is not a race to the bottom

Sept. 16, 1:00 p.m.

Zach Brandon, Jessica Cavazos and Carolyn Cawley

Business advocacy is changing because politics is changing. It is no longer easily defined by left or right. Increasingly it is right and wrong. In recent years, many companies have begun to make their public advocacy about more than taxes and regulation. Listen to a trio of commerce experts discuss the essential role business can play in improving our society.

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Title IX at 50: Issues for Women in Sports

Sept. 16, 3:00 p.m.

Simone Charley, Courtney M. Cox, Victoria Jackson, Andrew Maraniss and Kristi Oshiro

The landmark Title IX legislation that changed the course of women’s sports in the United States turns 50 in 2022. Join a panel of scholars, authors, and athletes for a wide-ranging discussion on the state of women’s sports today and changes to expect — and advocate for — in the future.

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Cooking with the Cap Times featuring Patience Clark

Sitka Salmon Shares, Kessenich’s and Shiner Bock

Sept. 16, 6:00 p.m.

Lindsay Christians and Patience Clark

Join us for the September edition of Cooking with the Cap Times as part of Idea Fest! Madison chef Patience Clark of Palate Pleasures will demonstrate how to make Southern-style cabbage stew in conversation with Cap Times food editor Lindsay Christians. Clark learned to cook from her great-grandmother Louise Dunlap, 98, who grew up in the South. From her, she learned Southern style dishes and how to use spices. From an aunt, Clark got a treasure trove of historic family recipes, and she’s been working on a cookbook.

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2021 Speakers

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Howard Bryant

In addition to his work at ESPN, Bryant has been the sports correspondent for NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday since 2006. He is the author of nine books, including two (“The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron” and “Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston”) that...

Gloria Ladson-Billings

The former Kellner Family Distinguished Chair of Urban Education in the university's School of Education, Ladson-Billings is the current president of the National Academy of Education and former president of the American Educational Research Association. She is a...

David Maraniss

Maraniss is a New York Times best-selling author, fellow of the Society of American Historians, and visiting distinguished professor at Vanderbilt University. He has been affiliated with the Washington Post for more than 40 years as an editor and writer, and twice won...

Jane Mayer

Mayer covers politics, culture, and national security for The New Yorker, where she has worked since 1995. Among other books, she is the author of the 2016 best-seller “Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right” and also...

Philip Rucker

Rucker leads the coverage of President Biden and his administration for the Washington Post. Rucker and a team of Post reporters won the Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for their coverage of Russian interference in the 2016 election. He is also a co-author of “I Alone Can Fix...

Rebecca Ryan

Ryan wakes up every day hell-bent on making the world better for future generations. She is a top-50 futurist, economist, best-selling author and keynote speaker. Ryan empowers bold and ambitious futures for her clients as she walks them through foresight experiences...