The National Willa Cather Center is celebrating acclaimed American novelist Willa Cather’s 150th birthday with a series of special events to mark the occasion! 2023 also marks the 100th anniversary of the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours, along with the publication centenaries for A Lost Lady and April Twilights and Other Poems.

Willa Cather (1873–1947) was born in Virginia, moved with her family to Nebraska in 1883, and eventually settled in Red Cloud. After graduating from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1895, Cather returned to Red Cloud briefly before moving east to work on Home Monthly and eventually McClure’s. She is well known for her portrayals of frontier life on the American plains.

Check out the list of upcoming events in Nebraska below:

Through Nov 30 — Willa Cather and Material Culture: A Sesquicentennial Reflection, featuring photographs by Betty Kort, FREE • Grand Island Public Library, Grand Island, NE

Nov 28 — Willa Cather Phi Beta Kappa Induction, 4:00 p.m. • The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society and the Cather Project are partnering to induct the late Willa Cather as an honorary member of Phi Beta Kappa • Featured remarks from Carson Vaughan: freelance writer, UNL alum, and PBK member • UNL’s Love Library, Lincoln, NE

Dec 2, 9, 16, 23, & 30 (and Dec 7) — Celebrating Cather at 150: Guided Holiday Tours departing from the National Willa Cather Center each Saturday in December, and on Willa Cather’s 150th birthday on December 7 • Red Cloud, NE • Reservations required

Dec 7 — O Pie-and-Beers!, The Beer Hall, Zipline Brewing Company, Lincoln, NE • Sponsored by the Cather Archive

Dec 7 — Benjamin Taylor Book Launch & Reading for Chasing Bright Medusas: A Life of Willa Cather (to be published on November 14), 7:00 p.m. CT • Virtual ticketed event at the National Willa Cather Center, Red Cloud, NE

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To help celebrate Willa Cather’s sesquicentennial, grab a book from our Willa Cather Reading List or check out the Willa Cather Scholarly Edition Series and the Cather Studies Series.