National Willa Cather Center News

As has been noted so often before, there exists within Willa Cather so many interesting dualities. She was intensely engaged with her small hometown, even as she became a traveler of the world; she was down-to-earth and plain spoken, but she enjoyed the niceties that her career afforded her—the fine clothes, the fascinating company. The Willa Cather Pioneer Memorial Collection contains even more evidence of these dichotomies in Cather's nature.

Creating a culture of reading on the frontier wasn't easy! With days-long travel between towns, getting supplies of any kind—food, lumber, clothing, medicine—could be difficult and costly; it only stands to reason that reading materials like books and magazines might be considered a luxury. 

On Friday, June 2, we awarded and celebrated our 2023 recipients of the Norma Ross Walter, Ántonia, Antonette Willa Skupa Turner, and National Willa Cather Center scholarships. Six students presented their winning essays at the 68th annual Willa Cather Spring Conference, followed by a Q&A session with conference participants.