National Willa Cather Center News
Visit this page often for the latest Cather-related news as well as information about the Willa Cather Foundation's programs, collections, and events.
Winter Greetings from the Cather Foundation
The Willa Cather Foundation Board of Governors and staff wish you all the joys of the season. This year's holiday card was reproduced from an undated Christmas card Willa Cather sent to her lifelong friend, Anna Sadilek Pavelka, the Webster County woman who inspired Cather's beloved character Ántonia. In the card, Cather wrote "Wishing Annie a Happy Christmas."
Happy Birthday Willa Cather
On December 7, we celebrated Willa Cather's birthday complete with a festive cake and an open house at the National Willa Cather Center. Visitors from near and far attended the events, with afternoon tours of Cather's Childhood Home and the National Willa Cather Center. Executive Director, Ashley Olson, discussed the spring 2018 passage of Nebraska legislative bills LB 379 and LB 807 and how these bills will contribute to a busy and important year ahead.
Marking the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice
As the world remembers the end of the Great War, we at the Willa Cather Foundation would like to share—again—Telling War Stories: The Rhetoric of the Great War, an exhibit that was created in conjunction with our 61st annual Spring Conference.
Willa Cather Foundation Receives Governor's Arts Award
The Willa Cather Foundation was honored to receive a Governor’s Arts Award for Organizational Achievement at the Nebraska Arts Council’s celebratory event on May 8th. The biennial Governor's Arts Awards is Nebraska's premier event in recognizing individuals and organizations that shape Nebraska’s artistic landscape. The impact of the arts, and the honorees, is felt in the classroom, the economy and in the community.
Remembering Ántonia
As we commemorate the centennial of My Ántonia, the Willa Cather Foundation would like to announce a special project that examines the life of the woman behind Cather’s beloved character, Ántonia Shimerda. We are pleased to introduce Anna Pavelka through the tender memories of her descendants, Paula Hempel Daharsh, Kent Pavelka, and Antonette Willa Skupa Turner. Each interview allows the viewer to gain a small, but significant look into the life of a strong, hardworking, and loving woman.
Call for Submissions: Creative Works Inspired by My Ántonia
Sarah Orne Jewett once wrote to Willa Cather that “the thing that teases the mind over and over for years, and at last gets itself put down rightly on paper—whether little or great, it belongs to Literature.”
