Spring Conference

Our 69th Annual Willa Cather Spring Conference, "Willa Cather and the Readerly Imagination," will examine Willa Cather's bookish interests. Cather was an avid reader; she enjoyed sharing her book recommendations with friends, and she was pleased by hearing the comments from her own readers. From an early age, she established her “library,” with her books labeled and sometimes numbered. As our conference explores the many facets of Cather’s interactions with both her books and her readers, we hope attendees will be inspired to examine their own relationship to Cather's writing.

This short film chronicles Cather’s pursuit of literary acclaim alongside the creation and unveiling of her statue in Washington, D.C. Using archival imagery, Cather’s own words, and observations from contemporary readers and scholars, this documentary invites viewers to revisit and reexamine Cather’s importance to American literature and encourages exploration of her life more fully through literary pilgrimage.

We are pleased to welcome acclaimed author Kali Fajardo-Anstine, who will join us for an invited lecture, "From Bookshelf to Dreamworld: Cather and the Underground Stream." Part of the 69th Annual Willa Cather Spring Conference, this event will be presented from the Red Cloud Opera House, and will also be available digitally.

Join panelists Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Pat Leach, Arielle Zibrak, and Kari Ronning as they explore our Spring Conference topic, "Pleasures and Disruptions: Reading Cather Collectively."

Beginning at a young age, Willa Cather was a voracious reader. Her life-long love of reading will be highlighted as actors share curated selections from her letters and published works. Follow along as we explore Cather’s own bookish interests and revisit the joy her characters find in reading.