Librarians Encouraged to Promote New NET Production “Yours, Willa Cather” on Radio, Television and Digital

Willa Cather wrote some of the most unforgettable fiction of the 20th century including the novels My Antonia and O Pioneers!  But the voice of the private Willa Cather tells a much more personal story. Until recently, many scholars believed that Nebraska author Willa Cather burned most of her letters before her death. Not so. In the new NET Television documentary and NET Radio series, the private person is revealed through letters that survived, hidden away in drawers, trunks and archives. The NET Television premiere is 9:00 – 9:30 p.m. CT, Monday, Sept. 21. The NET Radio series begins Saturday, Sept. 5 and runs through Sunday, Sept. 27.  Nebraskans can listen Saturdays at 9:35 a.m. CT (Sept. 5, 12, 19 and 26) and Sundays at 4:35 p.m. CT (Sept. 6, 13, 20 and 27) on NET Radio. Based on the 2013 book The Selected Letters of Willa Cather, co-edited by University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor Andrew Jewell and Texas scholar Janis Stout, the NET project has created original video, audio, photography, and commentary. New digital resources including a companion website and e-book will soon be launched. Visit catherletters.org later in September. The documentary was produced by NET’s Christine Lesiak who also contributed to the 2005 American Masters production of “Willa Cather – The Road is All,” which aired nationally on PBS. The voice of Willa Cather is read by actress Marg Helgenberger of Fremont, known for her Emmy-nominated role on the commercial television series “CSI.” “Yours, Willa Cather” is funded in part by the NET Foundation for Television, Humanities Nebraska and the National Endowment for the Humanities.