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My Antonia: The Story of an “American Novel”

Jan 18, 1:30PM–2:30PM

THIS PROGRAM IS FULL and registration is closed; walk-ins accepted as space allows.

This free program is part of our A Week of Willa Cather series, Jan 15-19. See Tim Youd’s (American, b. 1967) Willa Cather’s My Ántonia, on view in the Hawks Pavilion, Mammel Gallery H8, and plan to attend a variety of special programs that celebrate the book and author.

Join us for a talk presented by Ashley Olson, executive director of the National Willa Cather Center. Heralded by critics following its publication and a novel that is part of today’s literary canon, My Ántonia’s worldwide appeal is demonstrated by its translation into more than thirty languages. This talk examines the novel’s inspirations and creation, as well as ways the book still speaks to modern readers through topics like immigration and assimilation, migration and colonialism, class divisions and labor, rural life and landscapes, and the #MeToo movement.

Olson’s program is offered through the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read program, which supports community reading programs centered around a single book.

About the Speaker
Ashley Olson has been a member of the National Willa Cather Center’s staff since 2008 and has served as the organization’s Executive Director since 2014. Olson administers the museum, arts center, ten historic sites, and a 612-acre native prairie that make up the largest collection of nationally designated historic sites dedicated to an American author. During her tenure, the Center’s assets have grown by more than $13 million. Notable organizational achievements under her leadership include the restoration of the historic Moon Block building into an award-winning museum and archive; the addition of a new permanent exhibit, American Bittersweet: The Life and Writing of Willa Cather, funded in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services; and the rehabilitation of the Willa Cather Childhood Home, a National Historic Landmark through a “Save America’s Treasures” grant from the National Park Service. More recent efforts have focused on expansion of staff and programs, as well as the creation of new visitor amenities, including the development of a downtown boutique hotel in Red Cloud through a collaboration with other community partners. Olson holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 

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