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Show Sunday, September 11, 1988 Timelv news, columns. today f Anfiirpc anil capjoI iccnoc concerning tne culture. i it Willa CatHier: to UiigBiligCit; Cieir roots By JEAN MARSHALL Herald Staff Writer V Willa Cather, eminent American author, reveals through her novels, short stories and poetry strong family bonds and an abiding love of the land and the communities where she has lived. Scholars from across the United States and some from Europe will gather at Brigham Young University Wednesday for a conference on Cather, her work, her values and her roots. Gather's work is read and loved by people in all walks of life, and novels like My Antonia and Oh! Pioneers touch on experiences that parallel the challenges of many of our community's pioneer ancestors. This conference is designed to appeal to the general reader as well as to the scholar, according to Marilyn Arnold, dean of Graduate Studies at BYU and a recognized Cather scholar herself. Arnold said that Cather enthusiasts from the community are encouraged to attend any of the sessions of the conference. They are all free except for the Friday banquet and the four-da- y . ia I) ; Saturday luncheon for which reservations must be made and tickets purchased in advance. Arrangements can be made through Danette Paul, care of the Center for Family and Community History, 335 KMB, BYU, Provo, UT 84603. Those interested may register at the BYU Conference Center from 5 p.m. Wednesday or they may attend any sessions or events they care to without formal Left: Willa Cather's literary works will be explored in the context of family and community at Brigham Young University Wednesday through Saturday. Above: The author is shown reading to two of her sisters. Below: An exhibit of photographs by Lucia Woods in the WUkinsori Center Gallery will focus on sites from Cather's novels. The sessions are free and open to the public. A recital of music "mentioned in her work will be presented in the Madsen Recital Hall Thursday at 7:30 p.m. 2-- registration. I , (See CATHER page 34) yn- - mmff Jf&f -- ' 5 jJ m l Y f 'two J 10 ft Arnold pursues Cather research m By JEAN MARSHALL Herald Staff Writer 1 Marilyn Arnold's almost lifelong interest in Willa Cather probably started with the des- ert. Arnold's love of hiking, of desert landscapes and breathtaking canyons connected with Cather's own attraction to the American southwest, the space and simple verticle and horiand to Cather's zontal lines clean prose. In addition, Arnold shares Cather's love of music and of art. Arnold, dean of Graduate studies at Brigham Young University and a participant in the Cather Symposium starting Wednesday, has published numerous articles, read papers and written two books on Willa Cather. THE HERALD, Provo, Utah, She has two more projects in process. She is editing an encyclopedia of Cather's work and annotating many of her letters. Although Cather's will forbids their publication, may obtain permission from various libraries and private collections to study them. According to Arnold, Cather's love of family and place make her an ideal subject for a conference sponsored by the Center for Family History. A Renaissance woman who loved both nature and art and who enjoyed music and literature, - KJ I? I Cather wrote strong, clear prose noted for its lyricism. Her ties to the midwest community where she grew up and to the southwest which she later came to love are reflected in her novels and short stories. ' a . " 4 ,v,Sr X A I - , , 'i Page CyWj& 33 : |