National Willa Cather Center News

When Jim and Angela Southwick came to Red Cloud for June's Spring Conference and Cather Foundation Board of Governors meeting, they came bearing gifts-very generous gifts. Perhaps the most exciting pieces in the collection are four of the original Benda illustrations to My Ántonia. These illustrations join two additional Benda originals that are part of the Foundation's collection. Willa Cather commissioned W. T. Benda to create these pen-and-ink drawings, eight of which were published in the novel when it was released in 1918.

On Friday, June 1, the Willa Cather Foundation had the pleasure of awarding four Norma Ross Walter Scholarships to female graduates of Nebraska high schools who intend to major in English in college. The recipients were Emily Simmons of Valentine High School, who received $ 2,000 as the first place recipient; Anna Stokely of Papillion La Vista South High School, who received $ 1,000 as first runner-up; and Hailey Hemenway and Emily Zysset, both of Hastings High School, received $ 500 each in a tie for second runner-up.

"We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it - for a little while."

The Willa Cather State Historic Site/Red Cloud Opera House is one of 80 attractions included in the 2012 Nebraska Passport. The program, created by the Department of Economic Development's Travel and Tourism Division, encourages travelers to explore Nebraska. Participants collect stamps from participating attractions and then redeem them for prizes.

The Willa Cather Foundation and Road Scholar are proud to invite you to Red Cloud, Nebraska, this summer. As a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting appreciation and understanding of the life and works of Willa Cather, we would like to offer you, as committed learners, the opportunity to enhance your travels using our educational resources and historic facilities. The Foundation offers a wide variety of educational activities and explorations designed to facilitate a better, more comprehensive understanding of Cather and her importance in America's rich cultural history.

The Red Cloud Opera House will host a day of events and a traveling exhibit on Saturday, March 3 as part of its 10^th season of events.

An exhibit on loan from Exhibits USA, a division of the Mid-America Arts Alliance, entitled, The Wartime Escape: Margret and H.A. Rey's Journey from France, will be on display in the gallery through March 10. The exhibit is about the true story of the journey that saved the storybook character Curious George.

Fragments from Willa Cather’s Lost Work Published for the First Time

At her death in 1947, famed author Willa Cather was working on a story -- or perhaps a novel -- set in medieval Avignon titled "Hard Punishments." By all surviving accounts, the writing Cather had completed was destroyed upon her death, the only known exception being a short fragment owned by the University of Virginia.

The Willa Cather Foundation is excited to promote continued reading of Cather's novels by encouraging participation in the Willa Cather 2012 Reading Challenge. To take part in the challenge, simply read all twelve of Willa Cather's novels in order of their publication, one per month, from January 2012 through December 2012.

The Reading List:

At her death in 1947, Willa Cather was working on a story -- or perhaps a novel -- set in medieval Avignon titled "Hard Punishments." By all surviving accounts, the writing Cather had completed was destroyed upon her death, the only known exception being a short fragment owned by the University of Virginia.