Where We Live & My Ántonia—Connecting People and Place

Few books pack as much genuine life into their pages as the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read, My Ántonia—the classic novel of the American immigrant experience that pairs a sense of place with a compassionate and gripping narrative. Following a lecture, Rachel Olsen will lead the audience in conversation to discuss how community and place shape lives. Participants are not required to read My Án- tonia. This lecture is part of the Cather Sesquicentennial year celebrating Cather’s 150th year.

Rachel Olsen is the Director of Education and Engagement at the National Willa Cather Center located in Red Cloud, Nebraska. Olsen has a master’s degree in English from Kansas State University with a certificate in Women’s Studies and was a full-time faculty member and writing center director at Oklahoma City Community College before moving to Red Cloud.

Ana McCracken, founder of the Ames Writers Collective, received her MFA in Creative Writing from Iowa State University. Her writing and poetry are published in literary journals and anthologies. A certified Amherst Writers & Artists facilitator, she serves on Litquake’s advisory board and the Willa Cather Foundation board of governors.