Special Event Saturday, September 21

Don’t miss this unique event honoring one of Nebraska’s most distinguished authors, Willa Cather. The reception will feature remarks by Ashley Olson, Executive Director of the National Willa Cather Center, and a talk by Cather scholar Steve Shively on her connection to Lincoln. Plus, a special dialogue with artist Littleton Alston, creator of the Willa Cather sculpture in the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall, will precede the reveal of the library’s own Cather statuette, a generous gift from Glenda Pierce and Jeff Kirkpatrick. This beautiful statuette will be on permanent display at Gere Branch Library. Free to attend!

Willa Cather, born in Virginia in 1873, moved to Nebraska at age 9, and later attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her experiences on the Nebraska frontier, with its diverse immigrant communities, shaped much of her iconic literary work. Today, Cather is celebrated for her timeless novels, such as "My Ántonia" and "O Pioneers!", which capture the spirit of the American West. Although she spent her later years in New York, her roots in Nebraska remain a defining element of her legacy.

The event will also feature a dialogue with artist Littleton Alston, creator of the Willa Cather sculpture in the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall. As part of the celebration, Gere Branch Library will reveal its own Willa Cather statuette, a generous gift from Glenda Pierce and Jeff Kirkpatrick. This beautiful work of art will be on permanent display for library patrons to enjoy.

"I'm so pleased that Gere Library is celebrating Willa Cather, and that my sculpture portraying her will be on display for library patrons to enjoy," said Littleton Alston. "I cannot think of any place more fitting to feature Willa than at a public library. This is a terrific opportunity to share her literary legacy with our fellow Nebraskans."

Ashley Olson also expressed excitement about the event, noting, “Willa Cather's depiction of place and the human spirit has made her literature endure for more than a century. We look forward to celebrating Cather in Lincoln, a place where she honed her writing skills in the early years."

Learn more about the National Willa Cather Center.