71st Annual Willa Cather Spring Conference
The National Willa Cather Center
413 N Webster St
Red Cloud, NE 68970
United States
The Willa Cather Spring Conference returns with the theme "Memory, Myth, and Meaning: Cather in Dialogue with America 250." This event invites readers, scholars, and artists to explore the enduring relevance of Willa Cather’s work. Centered on the publication centenary of her novella My Mortal Enemy, the program features keynote speaker Rebecca Romney, scholarly plenaries, and a mixed media exhibit by Susan Hart. Other highlights include the opening of All Aboard: West-Bound Trains in American Culture at the historic Burlington Depot and a special performance of The Bohemian by Harbor Stage Company. Set in Cather's hometown of Red Cloud, the conference offers a rich blend of scholarship, art, and place. Please join us for a celebration of Cather’s literature in dialogue with America’s past and present.
Funding was provided by Humanities Nebraska and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. The views expressed in spring conference programs do not necessarily reflect the view of Humanities Nebraska or the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.
The National Willa Cather Center is ADA accessible. We offer physical, visual, and audio accommodations for all attendees. If you require handicapped accessible seating, an ASL interpreter, or any other accommodations, please contact our Visitor Services Coordinator, Nick Powers, at npowers@willacather.org. Advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs.
Sponsorship Benefits
Spring Conference sponsors receive a range of benefits at varying gift levels. In addition to advertising in the program and recognition throughout the event, benefits include: complimentary registrations; tickets to the conference banquet and performance of The Bohemian by Harbor Stage Theater Company; VIP event with early entry to the opening of All Aboard: West-Bound Trains in American Culture exhibit; priority seating for conference events; a signed copy of Rebecca Romney’s Jane Austen's Bookshelf, plus a meet and greet after the keynote. Please consider supporting our biggest event of the year!
Schedule
| Thursday, June 4 | |
| 1:00 PM | Welcome & Opening Plenary with Heather Althoff |
| 2:15 PM | Session 1 |
| 3:45 PM | Plenary Two with Melissa Homestead “From Typescripts, to Magazine Novelette, to Book: The Writing and Publication of My Mortal Enemy” with Melissa Homestead |
| 5:30 PM | First-Class Passenger Service: A Depot Tour for Donors, Sponsors, & Community Advisors |
| 6:30 PM | All Aboard: West-Bound Trains and American Culture Opening Celebration |
| Friday, June 5 | |
| 9:00 AM | Scholarship Announcements and Reading of Award Winning Essays |
| 10:30 AM | “To Think of All that Was Remembered and Retold”: Educators Immersed in Cather’s Red Cloud |
| 11:30 AM | Lunch on your own |
| 1:00 PM | Session 2 |
| 1:00 PM | Archive Visits by Appointment Only Memory Station Interviews by Invitation |
| 3:00 PM | Session 3 |
| 5:00 PM | Gallery Artist Talk with Susan Hart |
| 5:30 PM | Donor & Sponsor Reception with Rebecca Romney |
| 7:00 PM | Invited Speaker Rebecca Romney, with book signing to follow |
| Saturday, June 6 | |
| 8:00 AM | Coffee & Kolache in the Art Gallery |
| 8:45 AM | Service at Grace Episcopal |
| 9:45 AM | Session 4 |
| 9:45 AM | Prairie Foraging with Adam Hintz Micro-Readers Theatre: A Mortal Enemy |
| 10:45 AM | Creative Panel Discussion with the Harbor Stage Company |
| 11:45 AM | Lunch on Your Own |
| 1:30 PM | The Passing Show with Bridget Barry, Brad Bigelow, Will Fellows, & Garrett Peck |
| 3:00 PM | Book signing with Brad Bigelow, Melissa Homestead, and Garrett Peck |
| 3:15 PM | Writing Workshop with Ana McCracken Collage Workshop with Susan Hart |
| 6:00 PM | Spring Conference Banquet |
| 8:00 PM | The Harbor Stage Company presents The Bohemian |
Lodging
There is a block of rooms reserved at the Hampton Inn in nearby Hastings until May 4. Please use this booking link.
Red Cloud Options
- Rooms at Green Acres Motel can be reserved by calling 402-746-2201.
Other Nearby Options
- Trouvaille Hunting Lodge 26071 60 Rd Lebanon, KS - 210-551-9113
- Bladen Countryside Hideaway, Bladen, NE
- Superior Victorian Inn, 1540 Idaho St, Superior, NE - 402-879-3245
Rebecca Romney
Rebecca Romney is a rare book dealer and author of three books, Jane Austen’s Bookshelf, Printer’s Error: Irreverent Stories from Book History), and The Romance Novel in English: A Survey in Rare Books. As a generalist rare book dealer, Romney handles work in all fields, from first editions of Jane Austen to science fiction paperbacks to Shakespeare Folios. Since 2011, Romney has appeared on the HISTORY Channel’s television show Pawn Stars as the rare book specialist. Romney was also featured in The Booksellers, a documentary about the rare book trade in New York that premiered at the New York Film Festival. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Forbes, Variety, The Paris Review, and more. With a passion for discussing the enduring power of literature, the relevance of book collecting, and the preservation of history, Romney weaves together her experience and knowledge in captivating talks.
Brenda Withers
Brenda Withers is a playwright, performer, and founding member of the Harbor Stage Company. Her plays include Off Peak, WESTMINSTER, Jordan, Matt & Ben (w/M. Kaling), The Ding Dongs, Northside Hollow (w/J. Fielding), and The Kritik and adaptations of Don Quixote, Ubu Roi, and Cyrano (w/J. O’Connell); they have been developed and presented at places like 59e59, Portland Stage, Urbanite Theatre, Northern Stage, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Amphibian Stage, and Two River. Onstage credits include Berkeley Rep, the Guthrie, Actors Theatre of Louisville, A.R.T., McCarter Theatre, and Hartford Stage. She is a lyricist with the BMI Musical Theatre Advanced Workshop, the recipient of the Clauder Prize and an Edgerton New Play Award, and has enjoyed residencies with New Georges, the Camargo Foundation, and the Huntington. Ms. Withers is a graduate of Dartmouth College, a beach person, and a Leo.
Jonathan Fielding
Jonathan Fielding is a theater artist who lives in Irvington, NY. He has performed on Broadway: The Play That Goes Wrong, Noises Off, The Seagull, Off-Broadway: The Ding Dongs (New Ohio), The Doctor (Park Avenue Armory) and Regionally: The Old Globe, Ford’s Theatre, Urbanite Theatre, Penguin Rep, & Katonah Classic Stage. He co-wrote the play Northside Hollow with Brenda Withers which has received full productions in Massachusetts, Texas, New York, and Florida. Jonathan also co-wrote The Ballad of Bobby Botswain with New Hampshire theater artist Jason Lambert which premiered at the Harbor Stage Company in 2022. Film/Television: Boston Strangler, Dindin, Love Story, Law and Order: SVU, FBI: Most Wanted, Daredevil, and Gotham. He holds a BFA from Texas Christian University and an MFA from Rutgers, Mason Gross School of the Arts.