UNL to celebrate new book featuring Willa Cather's letters at April 16 event

Released on 04/02/2013, at 2:00 AM
Office of University Communications
University of Nebraska–Lincoln

WHEN: Tuesday, Apr. 16, 2013

WHERE: Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center, 313 N. 13th Street

Lincoln, Neb., April 2nd, 2013 —
Dust cover of
Dust cover of "The Selected Letters of Willa Cather"
Andrew Jewell
Andrew Jewell
Janis Stout
Janis Stout

            The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will commemorate the international release of the new book "The Selected Letters of Willa Cather," co-edited by UNL's Andrew Jewell, with a special event on April 16.

            Jewell and the book's co-editor, Janis Stout, will provide remarks and read from the new volume, which publishes the renowned Nebraska author's private correspondence for the first time. The celebration is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center, 313 N. 13th St.

            Sixty-five years after Cather's death, her former publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, is publishing a selection of the author's personal letters -- more than 500 in all. The letters introduce readers to Cather's vibrant, funny, loving, sometimes cantankerous but always fascinating personality.

            Jewell, associate professor in the UNL Libraries and editor of the Willa Cather Archive, and Stout worked five years on the project, examining more than 3,000 of Cather's letters in the process. The book presents the letters chronologically, the first from when she was 14 in Red Cloud and the last written about a week before her death in 1947.

            "Whether she was pleased with a personal triumph, worrying over her latest novel or annoyed at a sibling, she was always emotionally direct. You can feel her vigorous personality on the page," Jewell said.

            The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Those wishing to attend should RSVP to 402-472-6987 or by email. To view a live video stream of the event on April 16, go to http://libraries.unl.edu/catherletters.

            Jewell also appears in a new series of short videos, launched today, that provide an entertaining look at several of the letters. The first two installments in the video series, "Discovering Willa Cather's Letters," are at http://go.unl.edu/catherletters. New videos featuring more letters will appear through April 12.

Writer: Steve Smith, University Communications, 402-472-4226

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