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Willa Cather

Cather Sesquicentennial

Celebrating 150 Years

We are commemorating acclaimed novelist Willa Cather’s 150th year with a host of special events throughout 2023 and 2024.

December 7, 2023 marked the 150th anniversary of Willa Cather's birth. The year also marked the 100th anniversary of her Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours, as well as publication centenaries of A Lost Lady and April Twilights and Other Poems.

Willa Cather’s prolific writing career and contributions to American letters were honored nationally in 2023 when her statue was unveiled as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection in the U.S. Capitol on June 7. Cather is the first Pulitzer Prize-winner and the twelfth woman represented in the collection. Sculptor Littleton Alston is the first African American artist to be represented in the National Statuary Hall Collection.

On December 7, the Willa Cather Childhood Home was reopened to visitors after an extensive sixteen-month restoration—its first in more than fifty years. This National Historic Landmark was Cather’s residence between the ages of ten to sixteen and is notable for its preserved vernacular style and original wallpaper in Cather’s attic bedroom. The restoration was made possible in part by a Save America’s Treasures grant from the National Park Service, with matching funds provided by the Willa Cather Foundation’s Campaign for the Future

Book clubs and teachers around the country are encouraged to explore discussion questions and curriculum support resources at www.willacather.org or to download the National Willa Cather Center app for virtual tours. Organizations or communities that would like to request a speaker or are interested in hosting a Cather event are encouraged to contact the National Willa Cather Center at 402-746-2653 or info@willacather.org.

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Cather 150 — 2024 Schedule of Events

Ongoing Events

  • The National Endowment for the Humanities Big Read of My Ántonia: September 1, 2024-June 30, 2025 — Programs and exhibits offered to communities and organizations through this grant-funded initiative.

Upcoming Events

Past Events

2023 Events

Cather 150 — 2023 Schedule of Events