Past Events

We’re excited to be hosting our second writers cohort in Red Cloud for their two-week intensive residency in October. You won’t want to miss the sharing of their work-in-progress with readings and conversation from our panel of five writers! This event is free and open to all.

Meet The Writers

Join us for a discussion of Svoboda’s answer to Willa Cather’s novel My Ántonia! Readers will delight in the story of Harriet as she searches for her father in the American West as we mark the conclusion of our fourth year of free programming with this last Virtual Author Series of 2024.

THIS SHOW IS ALMOST SOLD OUT! PLEASE CALL OUR BOX OFFICE AT 402-746-2653 TO INQUIRE ABOUT REMAINING TICKETS.

The National Willa Cather Center is excited to launch our series of NEA Big Read programs devoted to My Ántonia with a special fall kick-off! Please join us for a day packed with fun events, including the debut of a new seasonal tour and three new exhibits that celebrate Cather's 1918 novel. Most events taking place throughout the day are free and open to the public, but registration is required for the seasonal guided tours shown in bold. Senior citizen and student pricing is available for the tour.

Fans of true crime will not want to miss author Debora Harding's talk about Dancing with the Octopus, her memoir detailing her 1978 abduction at the age of fourteen. Please join us for what promises to be a gripping conversation. We are proud to showcase this 2024 One Book One Nebraska selection!

Join us for a sesquicentennial celebration of Willa Cather, one of the most singular and treasured American writers of the 20th century. Cather’s groundbreaking fiction (including O Pioneers!, My Ántonia, One of Ours, The Professor’s House, and Death Comes for the Archbishop) set a new standard in American literature.

Join us for a celebration of Willa Cather! This reception will feature remarks by Ashley Olson, Executive Director of the National Willa Cather Center, as well as a talk by Cather scholar Steve Shively on Willa's connection to Lincoln. A dialogue with artist Littleton Alston, creator of the Cather sculpture recently installed at the National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol Building, will precede the reveal of the Library's own Cather statuette that was donated by Lincoln residents Glenda Pierce and Jeff Kirkpatrick.

Get ready to take a musical tour through the regions of Mexico with Marimba Sol de Chiapas! These touring artists of the Mid-America Arts Alliance will be coming to our community to share their knowledge of the marimba, "the wood that sings" and will showcase their talent while four musicians play one instrument, together, at the same time! Admission is free for children and students through 12th grade!

The National Willa Cather Center is pleased to partner with The Mount, writer Edith Wharton's home in Lenox, Massachusetts, to launch a new series for the 2024 summer season! Join us at the Mount on the third Wednesday of June, July, and August for a sesquicentennial celebration of our beloved Willa Cather, who, along with Edith Wharton, is among the most treasured American writers of the 20th century.