Be sure to visit our online collection of the Willa Cather Newsletter and Review. First issued in 1957, this publication is an essential contribution to Cather studies.

April Twilights	The Troll Garden	Alexander's Bridge	O Pioneers!	The Song of the Lark
My Antonia	The Old Beauty and Others	A Lost Lady	The Professor's House	Death Comes for the Archbishop
Shadows on the Rock	Obscure Destinies	Lucy Gayheart	Sapphira and the Slave Girl	Cather & Her Contemporaries
Cather and Self-promotion
April Twilights The Troll Garden Alexander's Bridge O Pioneers! The Song of the Lark My Antonia The Old Beauty and Others A Lost Lady The Professor's House Death Comes for the Archbishop Shadows on the Rock Obscure Destinies Lucy Gayheart Sapphira and the Slave Girl Cather & Her Contemporaries Cather and Self-promotion

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Why Study Willa Cather in High School?

As most Nebraska high schools teach at least one Cather novel, we think it's a great idea to enhance this experience through the Willa Cather Foundation. Here, students and teachers will benefit from a multitude of resources. Options include a writing workshop to incorporate Cather and individual style, a visit to the Prairie to witness first-hand the rare and beautiful ecology of Nebraska's native landscape, or a viewing of the informative PBS documentary The Road is All on our state-of-the-art projection system.

Cather's critical theories and modernist style informed the writers of the Lost Generation, such as Hemingway and Fitzgerald. In order to understand these writers fully, students should first have a solid grasp on Cather. We believe that studying her in this way will foster a more mature perspective toward literature and writing throughout students' academic careers and beyond.

Elementary/Middle School?

How students respond to material is heavily dependent on the way teachers present the subject.

As most Nebraska high schools teach at least one Cather novel, we think it's a great idea to introduce Cather's shorter works early in order to prepare students for her more challenging works. We recommend starting with short stories, or even her children's stories, such as "Wee Winkie's Wanderings."

Each of her children's stories is evidence of Cather's belief in the power of a child's imagination. They teach relevant lessons as well as encourage hope through adversity. She adored the potential wrapped up in youth, and offers didactic, yet entertaining stories designed especially for children.

As Mona Pers points out, Cather would hold children-only parties in Red Cloud when she visited, likely to ensure that their creativity not be stifled by adults. Let's join in Cather's commitment to combine learning and imagination.

Educational Tours

The Willa Cather Foundation is proud to invite you to Red Cloud, Nebraska. As a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting appreciation for and understanding of the life and works of Willa Cather, we would like to offer you, as committed educators, the opportunity to enhance your curriculum using our educational resources and historic facilities.

The Willa Cather Foundation features a wide variety of educational activities and tours designed to facilitate a better, more comprehensive understanding of Cather and her importance in America's history. Our historical sites have been thoughtfully preserved for the purpose of fostering learning at any age. Visitors will undoubtedly leave our Foundation with a better sense of one of our country's most celebrated writers.

Because we are dedicated to education, the Cather Foundation offers great prices to our visiting school groups. Please see the confirmation sheet for more details and be sure to send it back to us with all of your information at the Willa Cather Foundation, 413 North Webster Street, Red Cloud, NE 68970, or call us toll free at 866-731-7304.

17-minute Educational Short Film

Each tour begins with a screening of Nebraska Historic Shorts: Willa Cather, a film that highlights the beautiful countryside of southern Nebraska and features a montage of magnificent period pictures. Current footage of Red Cloud and its charming community completes the 17-minute short. Students glean important information about Willa Cather, and the film prepares them for the tour.

Town Tour

The town tour takes students to seven historic buildings and the Red Cloud Cemetery. Students will see the Willa Cather Childhood Home, the Red Cloud Opera House, the Harling House, the Farmers' & Mechants' Bank, the St. Juliana Falconieri Catholic Church, the Grace Episcopal Church, and the Burlington Depot. Read more about these historical treasures here.

Country Tour

The Country Tour features 21 notable sites including Anna Pavelka's farmstead, several cemeteries, the Charles Cather Homestead, the suicide grave from My Antonia, the Dane Church, the George Cather Home, and more. Tours take about three hours.

Willa Cather Memorial Prairie

Since our Spring 2006 acquisition of the Willa Cather Memorial Prairie, the Cather Foundation has made great efforts to restore the land to its pre-1900 conditions. Many non-native trees have been removed and natural springs are thriving. Walking trails are being established and signs created to identify native grasses and plants.

The Willa Cather Memorial Prairie has much to offer students of all subjects; teachers can utilize the Prairie for courses in agriculture, horticulture, biology, astronomy, ecology, and more. Interdisciplinary study is encouraged, and a member of the Willa Cather Foundation is available to integrate literature into your outings.

Shop the Bookstore

Our bookstore, located in the beautifully renovated 1885 Opera House, boasts an extensive collection of Cather books and scholarly books about Cather. You'll also find a clever selection of novelty items, like soy candles, stamps, t-shirts, cards, posters, and more.

Visit the Art Gallery

Discover new art at our Gallery, also located in the Opera House. Featuring rotating exhibits about every six weeks, the Gallery spotlights a variety of artists and themes. Call ahead to learn more about the exhibit on display during your group's visit.

Stay for Lunch

Red Cloud is home to some great dining spots, all within short walking distance from the Cather Foundation at the Opera House. The following are all sized to accommodate large groups, but we recommend calling for reservations well in advance so they can prepare for your group.

BRING YOUR OWN
Eat as a group in the city park just south of the Opera House.