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Home , Willa Cather Foundation

Volume 1, Issue 3

October 2011

T HE NEWS FROM CATHERLANDC V IRTUAL H OUSEWARMING FOR THE INSIDE THIS ISSUE: C ATHER S ECOND H OME Letter from the 2 In anticipation of restoration Executive Director the grand opening of at a special the Cather Second reception on Looking ahead to 2 Home, the Willa December the 57th annual Cather Foundation is 10, 2011. Spring Conference holding a virtual When fully & Symposium housewarming party in furnished, order to furnish the the home Portraits of the 3 home with linens, will be avail- Prairie: The Land china, cookware, and able to that Inspired other basic house house schol- Willa Cather is on wares. Please join us in ars, artists in display now celebrating this grand residence, occasion by purchas- and other visitors to North Webster Street, 5th annual Prairie 3 Writers’ ing an item from one Red Cloud, . Red Cloud, Nebraska Workshop with of the Foundation's Visit our website to 68970. Please include a Mary K. Stillwell gift registries. All con- view the gift registries or copy of the receipt in tributors will have the contact us at 866-731- order to receive an ac- Join us for our 4 opportunity to catch a 7304. Registry items knowledgment for tax- upcoming events sneak peek of the may be mailed to the deduction purposes. Cather Second Home Foundation office at 413 Thank you!

S IGMA T AU D ELTA H IGH P LAINS F ALL G ATHERING H ELD AT THE O PERA H OUSE

Sigma Tau Delta, the Alpha Psi Chapter at tor of the Willa Cather national English honor Hastings College, and the Archive; tours of the society, held a confer- Willa Cather Foundation. Cather historic sites; and ence at the Red Cloud Events included: panels of service-learning projects. Opera House September student critical papers on The conference con- 23-24. The event was co the work of Willa Cather; cluded with a poetry eve- -hosted by the Rho Psi presentations of creative ning featuring Matt Ma- Chapter of Sigma Tau responses to the work of son‟s Poetry Out Loud Delta at Fort Hays State Willa Cather; a discussion and student readings. University, the Alpha led by Andrew Jewell, edi- Pa ge 2 Volume 1, Issue 3

L ETTER F ROM T HE E XECUTIVE D IRECTOR L ESLIE C . L EVY Willa Cather said, the world? The mercantile with family and friends; meet- first years of one‟s life its varied staples and sun- ing current residents and make the deepest impres- dries? Maybe it was one of their families—their sto- sion. There is no dispute the beautiful churches or ries and histories are as that Red Cloud, Nebraska, perhaps it was the wild, free varied and colorful as they made a deep impression on prairie? are intriguing. her. It was the prototype If I had to guess, I And, I am not alone— for the towns in several of would say it was the people 3,700 other people who her novels. It is Hanover of of Red Cloud that made the wanted to experience O Pioneers!, Moonstone of deepest impression. The Catherland made the trip , Black same remains true today. to Red Cloud this sum- C Hawk of My Ántonia, Since August 1, I have had mer. And, while Ms. Frankfort of , the good fortune to call Red Cather‟s legacy is the Sweetwater of , Cloud my second home. I common thread that in- and Haverford of Lucy Gay- love driving down Webster spired each visitor, some- heart. It is the village of Street with its 94-year-old thing unique was taken “What was it “” and of bricks, old fashioned light- away by everyone. about Red Cloud the stories in Obscure Desti- ing and quaint flower boxes. Call it by any name nies. I love the façades of the you want, but the town of that made it so What was it about Red buildings…but the people Red Cloud is a gem to impressionable? Cloud that made it so im- inside those buildings define visit in this beautiful Re- pressionable? Was it the Red Cloud. I am having a publican River Valley. Was it the hub hub of activity surrounding great time absorbing the Take a look at your of activity the train depot? The Opera history of Red Cloud and schedule… isn‟t it time House that was Ms. Webster County; learning you were inspired to visit surrounding the Cather‟s window to the more about Ms. Cather‟s too? train depot? The Opera House that 57TH ANNUAL W ILLA C ATHER S PRING was Ms. Cather’s C ONFERENCE & S YMPOSIUM window to “Willa Cather, Poet: sharp presentation of herself of poets and poetry on the Making Herself Born” will as prairie poet with "Prairie Great Plains with readings the world?” be the theme Spring" at the begin- and performances, discus- of the 57th ning of her "real" sions, and a "Passing Show" annual Willa first novel, O Pio- panel devoted to Cather as a Cather Spring neers!, yet her actual writer who began as a poet Conference & first book, April Twi- and then established herself Symposium lights (1903), and its as a writer of prose both scheduled for contexts, have re- luminous and poetic. The May 31-June 2, ceived much less one-day scholarly sympo- 2012. The con- critical attention. In sium preceding the confer- ference and much the same way, ence will focus on Cather as the one-day the scholarly edi- an engaged fin de siècle poet- scholarly sym- Willa Cather ca. 1902 tion of Cather's aesthete intent on making posium preceding it will be Poems, now in preparation, will her mark in literature. Pro- focused on Cather the poet, be among the last volumes posals, inquiries, and ex- on poetry, and on today's published in that series by the pressions of interest should poets from the Great Plains University of Nebraska Press. be sent by February 15, region. Cather's close read- The 2012 Spring Confer- 2012 to Robert Thacker at ers have long noted her ence will be a lively celebration [email protected]. The News From Catherland Pa ge 3

P ORTRAITS OF THE P RAIRIE : T HE L AND T HAT I NSPRIRED W ILLA C ATHER Showing in the Art cal jewel of mixed-grass ships, chronicled his ad- Gallery from October 15 prairie which is being re- ventures in his book, Wa- through December 15 is stored to its pre-1900 con- tercolor Journeys. He has an exhibit entitled dition; and the "the been an artist-in-residence Portraits of the Prairie: The Divide," in Isle Land that Inspired Willa the high Royale and Cather. It is often called prairie Mesa Verde "Catherland"-Webster land be- national County, Nebraska, where tween the parks and the quintessential Ameri- Little currently can novelist Willa Cather Blue lives in spent her childhood and River to Loveland, found inspiration for her the north Colorado. C stories of European im- and the Ted migrants on the prairie. Republican River to the Kooser, U.S. Poet Lau- Richard Schilling, with south. Each evocative reate (2004-6) and 2005 “Richard his watercolor paintings original watercolor is winner of the Pulitzer and ink sketches, con- paired with an excerpt Prize in Poetry, a Uni- Schilling, with ducts us to that land, to from Cather's work and versity of Nebraska his watercolor scenes that might have with the artist's own mus- Presidential Professor, influenced Cather, but as ings on the history, geogra- wrote the forward to paintings and ink they appear today. Schil- phy, and ecology of the the Schilling book Portraits sketches, conducts ling's images take us to landscape. of the Prairie: The Land That Red Cloud, Cather's Richard Schilling, who Inspired Willa Cather. The us to that land, to childhood home; to the traveled the world as a book is available online at scenes that might Willa Cather Memorial missionary dentist and part www.WillaCather.org or Prairie, a 608-acre botani- -time officer aboard cruise by calling 866-731-7304. have influenced Cather, but as TH ANNUAL RAIRIE RITERS 5 P W ’ they appear W ORKSHOP , M AY 17- 20 , 2 0 1 2 today.” This 4-day workshop, ing, including the Willa on identifying the themes titled “Exploring Your Cather Memorial Prai- and motifs that may al- „Gift of Song,‟” offers 14 rie, will be available to ready appear in their own hours of poetry-writing workshop participants. writing, discovering their classes under the instruc- An early reviewer of inspiration, capturing sig- tion of Mary K. Stillwell, Willa Cather's collec- nificant detail, practicing artist in residence. The tion of poems, April forms with which they workshop will take place Twilights, described its are comfortable, and ex- in Red Cloud, Nebraska; author as having "the perimenting with new the childhood home of gift of song," with the methods of expression. Pulitzer Prize-winning "true poet's eye for the Workshop registration author Willa Cather. concrete and the true will open in March 2012. Guided tours of Cather's novelist's interest in Visit us online at childhood home and men and women." In www.WillaCather.org to other historic sites relat- this writing workshop, view the full schedule. ing to her life and writ- participants will focus Willa Cather Foundation Nonprofit Org. 413 North Webster Street Red Cloud, Nebraska 68970 U.S. Postage Phone: 402.746.2653 P A I D Toll-Free: 866-731-7304 Fax: 402-746-2652 Red Cloud, NE [email protected] Permit No. 10 www.WillaCather.org

BOARD OF GOVERNORS President: Susan Maher, Duluth, MN Vice President: Thomas Reese Gallagher, New York, NY Secretary: Become a Facebook “fan” of the Willa Cather Foundation! Visit Glenda J. Pierce, Lincoln, NE www.facebook.com and search for Treasurer: the Willa Cather Foundation. David H. Porter, Saratoga Springs, NY Virgil Albertini, Kansas City, MO Sara Corless, Mission Hills, KS David B. Garwood, Red Cloud, NE Joel Geyer, Lincoln, NE Andrew Jewell, Lincoln, NE Ruth H. Keene, Omaha, NE Lynette Krieger, Hastings, NE Fritz Mountford, Hastings, NE John J. Murphy, Santa Fe, NM Charles A. Peek, Grand Island, NE Guy Reynolds, Lincoln, NE Visit us online at www.WillaCather.org to browse our bookstore or sign up for our e-Newsletter. Ann Romines, Alexandria, VA Nancy Sherwood, Omaha, NE The Willa Cather Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation made possible by generous grants, Steve Shively, Logan, UT sponsorships, and individual donations. Each year, the Foundation works to provide quality conferences, James P. Southwick, Heber City, UT performances, and exhibits for our audience members. We are honored to accept donations and sponsorships C. Kay Stahly, Kearney, NE via mail or through our website at www.WillaCather.org. Your support is greatly appreciated. Robert Thacker, Canton, NY Steven Trout, Hays, KS Lu Williams, Red Cloud, NE John A (Jay) Yost, New York, NY UPCOMING EVENTS ADVISORY BOARD October 15-December 15: Portraits of the Prairie by Richard Schilling—Free Bruce P. Baker II, Omaha, NE Laurie Smith Camp, Omaha, NE This traveling show of original artwork from Schilling‟s book, Portraits of the † Charles Cather, Long Beach, CA Prairie—The Land That Inspired Willa Cather, features 110 Carol Cope, Kearney, NE watercolor paintings and ink drawings. James Fitzgibbon, Red Cloud, NE Jane Renner Hood, Lincoln, NE Ron Hull, Lincoln, NE Saturday, December 10 at 2:00 pm: It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play—$10

Betty Kort, Hastings, NE Mellanee Kvasnicka, Omaha, NE Inspired by the classic American film starring Jimmy Stewart, It's a Wonderful Life: Lucia Woods Lindley, Evanston, IL & New York, NY A Live Radio Play will be presented at the Red Cloud Opera House as a 1940s live radio Dale McDole, Overland Park, KS broadcast in front of a studio audience. Five actors will perform dozens of characters in Gary L. Meyer, Red Cloud, NE the radio play as well as produce the sound effects. The rich and powerful Nancy S. Picchi, New York, NY holiday story is inspiring for all ages. Rhonda Seacrest, Lincoln, NE John N. Swift, Whittier, CA Gary W. Thompson, Red Cloud, NE Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 7:30 pm: Joseph Hall as Elvis—$15

Joseph R. Urgo, St. Mary’s City, MD In 2012 Joseph Hall returns to the Opera House stage in this special Valentine's event. Joseph was in the top ten of NBC's "America's Got Talent," has performed all over STAFF the , and now has his own successful show in Branson, MO Leslie C. Levy, Executive Director called "Elvis Rock N Remember Tribute." Ashley Olson, Associate Executive Director Stephany Thompson, Director of Programming Jennifer Pankoke, Office Manager May 17-20, 2012: Prairie Writers’ Workshop with Mary K. Stillwell

Cheryl Wilson, Buildings and Sites Curator The 4-day event will encourage participants to explore their "gift of song" under the Karin Prellwitz, Maintenance instruction of artist in residence, Mary K. Stillwell. Tours of the Cather historic sites and Priscilla Hollingshead, Tour Guide Angela Duca, Office Assistant/Tour Guide the Willa Cather Memorial Prairie will be available to workshop participants. Barb Kudrna, Tour Guide Sylvia Andersen, Tour Guide Kay Blackstone, Tour Guide