Sarah Maraniss Vander Schaaff, "Walt Whitman's American Dream"

Stu Levitan welcomes playwright Sarah Maraniss Vander Schaaff for a conversation about her new play, "Walt Whitman's American Dream," a featured presentation at the Capital Times Idea Fest on September 19. Presenting Whitman's life and poetry in the context of his time -- born while the Founders were still alive, he mourned Lincoln and died on the cusp of the Gilded Age --  the play invites audiences to reflect on what it means to be an American, and whether a divided people can reconnect.  And there's a good dose of Whitman's own words -- free and rhythmic, democratic and vast, sensual and erotic. (Thank you, Public Domain.) Sarah Maraniss Vander Schaff is a frequent contributor to the Washington Post, NY Times and other national media, focusing on parenting, education and health. A graduate of Northwestern University with an MFA in Acting from the University of Alabama, she also has a certificate in television news production, which she put to use as an assistant producer at the CBS News magazine 48 hours. She has also created and taught a series of courses on Shakespeare for older adults and been the managing editor for the leading provider of online cognitive assessments. She is the granddaughter of the late executive editor of the Capital Times Elliott Maraniss and Mary Maraniss, an editor at the University of Wisconsin Press, and the daughter of two-time Pulitzer Prize journalist/historian/biographer David Maraniss and his wife Linda.  Sarah's brother Andrew has also been a guest on Madison BookBeat, discussing his books on sports and society. "Walt Whitman's American Dream" is her third play. There will be a stage reading with soundscape of "Walt Whitman’s American Dream" at 5 PM on September 19 in the Memorial Union Play Circle on the UW campus. Registration for the free event is through captimesideafest.com.