Scandia Village discusses My Ántonia
From Washington Island to Forestville, Door County has been immersed in 1880's frontier Nebraska as residents all over the county read and discuss My Ántonia by Willa Cather. Twenty-three teens ate pizza and participated in the discussion at Sonny's Pizzeria in Sturgeon Bay. Up north in Sister Bay, a room full of seniors joined in the discussion, with two of those seniors reading the book on a Kindle! As The Big Read Door County 2010 winds down, everyone anxiously awaits the announcement of next year's book choice. Will it be Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, or For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway?
Door County Library director, Becca Berger, joins Scandia Village residents in a discussion of Willa Cather's My Ántonia
Nebraska Pioneer Photographer - Solomon D. Butcher
When the Shimerdas, the Bohemian immigrant family in Willa Cather's My Ántonia first arrived in Nebraska, they lived on the prairie in a sod house. Resourceful prairie residents, lacking access to wood from trees, turned to the use of sod as an early form of shelter. The sod house in My Ántonia was little more than a hole in the ground. But some sod houses built in Nebraska at the end of the last century were fairly elaborate and included multiple floors and glass windows. Many of these sod houses were photographed, along with their inhabitants and their prized possesions, by Solomon D. Butcher. The Nebraska State Historical Society has a remarkable collection of his photographs, The Solomon Butcher Collection.
Books about Solomon D. Butcher and his photographs are also available through the library catalog:
Solomon D. Butcher : photographing the American dream by John Carter
Prairie visions : the life and times of Solomon Butcher by Pam Conrad
- Laura, Sturgeon Bay Library
The Big Read Kickoff
The Big Read begins Monday, January 11 at 6:30 pm at the Door County Auditorium in Fish Creek. Highlights include Miss Door County Katie Sawyer speaking on literacy, Dr. Estella Lauter discussing several compelling themes and unique aspects of the book, an opportunity to learn an authentic American Folk Dance presented by Door County Folk Alliance, the unveiling of a commissioned artwork depicting Willa Cather and Big Read Producer Alan Kopischke previewing events. A full list of events is available at the NEA Big Read website.
Willa Cather on Film
The Big Read in Door County this year will focus on Willa Cather's My Ántonia. A film of the novel will be shown at the Third Avenue Playhouse in Sturgeon Bay on January 23 at 7:00 pm. This film and other films of Willa Cather's works are available through InfoSoup.org, the library catalog.
