Willa Cather Writes the Immigrant Experience in Rural Nebraska

Rachel Olsen, director of education and engagement, will present, “Willa Cather Writes the Immigrant Experience in Rural Nebraska,” on Wednesday, November 6 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Wilson Auditorium (814 N. Turner Avenue) at Hastings College. The event is free and open to the public.

The talk, hosted by the Hastings College Department of Languages and Literatures, will examine the immigrant experience in rural Nebraska through the lens of Cather’s distinct portrayals of foreign-born individuals and the varying degrees to which communities welcomed or excluded them.

In her 1923 essay “Nebraska: The End of the First Cycle,” Cather wrote, “It is in that great cosmopolitan country known as the Middle West that we may hope to see the hard molds of American provincialism broken up.” Many other Americans, however, worried that as a result of the 1862 Homestead Act, the influx of European immigrants to the United States would hurt the economy. Cather grew up around many different cultures and appreciated them.

This event is supported by the NEA Big Read an initiative of the NEA in partnership with Arts Midwest. The NEA Big Read supports community reading programs designed around a single NEA Big Read book. Cather’s My Ántonia was among the 50 titles selected for the 2024 NEA Big Read, which has a theme of “Where We Live” for the year. 

The aim of the program is to broaden the understanding of our world, communities and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. Managed by Arts Midwest, this initiative offers grants to support innovative community reading programs.