Last weekend I had the opportunity to volunteer for the Willa Cather Foundation (WCF). The WCF’s headquarters is located in Red Cloud, Nebraska. I live in Connecticut. If I lived closer I’d regularly volunteer in some capacity, so when the call came out for volunteers in the Greater New York City area, I jumped on it.
Why was the WCF in New York? The Empire State Center for the Book is sponsoring a pop-up location on Governors Island, which is just off the tip of Manhattan. Each weekend a different author organization or literary group has set up shop to talk with visitors about their mission.
Willa Cather is so deeply associated with Nebraska that many people don’t know that she lived most of her adult life in New York City. In 2011 Cather was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame (which was established in 2010 by the Empire State Center for the Book) and so the WCF was invited to host a weekend at the pop-up.
I had such a fun time meeting folks from the WCF and talking with them and all the visitors who stopped by. Here are some photos from the weekend.
I hope you enjoyed this brief recap of Cather Weekend on Governors Island. It’s an amazing place to visit and I hope you have a chance to make it there. I also hope you check out Cather’s work.
Great event, thanks for taking us along! Maybe some day the Foundation will come to Jaffrey (20 minutes from me)… where Cather vacationed, wrote, and is buried.
I didn’t realize you lived so close to Jaffrey! I made a pilgrimage there when we first moved to CT. There was tons of snow on the ground then and I’ve been thinking about visiting again this fall.
Thank you for your sharing your day – and introducing us to the Centre for the Book. Such an interesting events program. Wish we had one of those here in Sydney (Australia). Cather is a big favourite of mine.
Thanks for checking out my post. Is Cather relatively well known in Australia? Did you come across her in school? I have cousins in Sydney — a visit is definitely on my “bucket list.”
Great photos! Looks like it was a fun trip. I need to read more of Willa Cather’s work. I read My Antonia over a decade ago but nothing by her since then.
Thanks! I (obviously) adore Cather. Next year is the 100th anniversary of My Antonia’s publication, so there’ll be lots of celebration. I like all of her novels, but A Lost Lady is high on many people’s lists.
that sounds a great initiative to bring authors to people’s attention. Loved seeing your diary of the day
It really is. I hope to make it back one more time this season.
What wonderful photos!! Thanks for sharing!!
Great event, thanks for taking us along! Maybe some day the Foundation will come to Jaffrey (20 minutes from me)… where Cather vacationed, wrote, and is buried.
I didn’t realize you lived so close to Jaffrey! I made a pilgrimage there when we first moved to CT. There was tons of snow on the ground then and I’ve been thinking about visiting again this fall.
Let me know if you do! It will look quite different in fall. 🙂
Jaffrey is definitely on our list! If you ever hear of programming opportunities or events, we’d love to make the trip!
Thank you for your sharing your day – and introducing us to the Centre for the Book. Such an interesting events program. Wish we had one of those here in Sydney (Australia). Cather is a big favourite of mine.
Thanks for checking out my post. Is Cather relatively well known in Australia? Did you come across her in school? I have cousins in Sydney — a visit is definitely on my “bucket list.”
Chris, thank you so much for your help! It was great to see you!
Thanks, Tracy, it was a pleasure! Hope our paths cross again soon on another Cather adventure.
Such a great informational post. Nice text and photos. Good on you for volunteering for something like this!
Great photos! Looks like it was a fun trip. I need to read more of Willa Cather’s work. I read My Antonia over a decade ago but nothing by her since then.
Thanks! I (obviously) adore Cather. Next year is the 100th anniversary of My Antonia’s publication, so there’ll be lots of celebration. I like all of her novels, but A Lost Lady is high on many people’s lists.