Willa Cather (December 7, 1873-April 24, 1947) was American author and poet who wrote novels about life on the American Great Plains and the Southwest. A Pulitzer Prize winner for the novel One of Ours (1922), Cather was praised for her traditional values in her writing and for challenging social norms by creating strong female characters. The author of 12 novels, she also wrote poetry, short stories, and essays. Other classic novels include, O Pioneers! (1913); The Song of the Lark (1915); My Ántonia (1918); A Lost Lady (1923); Lucy Gayheart (1935); and Sapphira and the Slave Girl (1940).