The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library Presents “Conversations with Rodney Allen”

William “Rodney” Allen, scholar and author of “Conversations with Kurt Vonnegut,” will be traveling from Louisiana to Indianapolis to share his insights into Vonnegut’s life and works. After speaking to 9th Grade students at Shortridge High School earlier in the day, Allen will deliver a speech tailored for adults to supporters of the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library at the historic Athenaeum at 7 p.m. on February 18th.

Allen earned his Ph.D. in English at Duke University and taught at the University of Mississippi until he and his wife moved to Natchitoches, LA in 1983. They both work at the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, a state-run residential program for gifted students from all over the state They have two daughters. Allen’s publications include his first book, Walker Percy: A Southern Wayfarer, and two books on Kurt Vonnegut, Conversations with Kurt Vonnegut (interviews) and Understanding Kurt Vonnegut. Allen’s latest book is The Coen Brothers: Interviews, and his next will be on the writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson, whose most recent film was There Will Be Blood. Allen is a member of the Board of Directors of the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library.

This event is sponsored by the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library, a public benefit, nonprofit organization championing the literary, artistic, and cultural contributions of the late writer, artist and Indiana native Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. The Library Foundation is creating a library that will also serve as a cultural and educational resource center, functioning as a museum, art gallery, and reading room for readers, writers, and students. In addition, the library will support language and visual arts education for the local community. This free event is open to the public, but anyone interested in attending must RSVP by contacting Julia Whitehead at Julia@vonnegutlibrary.org.

Join the Vonnegut Library Book Club – The Last Thursday of Each Month – February’s Book: Player Piano.

The Vonnegut Library Book Club began in January with a reading and discussion of Slaughterhouse Five, along with a viewing of the film. Come join the group led by Sylvia Halladay. February’s book will be Player Piano. The book for March is Sirens of TItan. To RSVP, please e-mail bookclub@vonnegutlibrary.org.

1st Annual Meeting – November 14th, 2009

The Vonnegut Library Board of Directors kicked off the first Annual
Meeting on November 14th at the office of Krieg DeVault Law Firm in
Indianapolis. Nonprofit consultant Jessica White facilitated a
strategic planning discussion in which participants shared new ideas
for the library, and each attendee left with an understanding of how
he or she fits into the organization. The group decided to focus on
three major areas in 2010. These include:

(1) The library (determining its location, collection, programs)
(2) fundraising
(3) visibility

Some of the new ideas that came out of the discussions include an
Indianapolis book fair, dramatic readings and plays, a video of Kurt’s
life and interviews with those who knew him, a digital archive when we
have documents and other personal items, and Facebook and other social
media (facebook.com/Vonnegut library). The group is especially
interested in partnering with arts and literary organizations to help
raise the cultural tide in Indianapolis and to promote Kurt’s works in
high schools and universities.

The GermanFest – October 10th, 2009

The first annual Indianapolis GermanFest, our public debut, was a
great success for the Vonnegut Library. It was a gorgeous day, and
Corey Dalton and Julia Whitehead were happy to discover that we were
setting up our booth right next to one of the food vendors. This was
great as folks had to walk by us to get to their sausages. Corey and
Julia were later joined by Kip Tew, K.C. Norwalk, Keri Young, Diana
Brown, Kelli Norwalk, and Rebeccah Glass, who volunteered to staff the
booth and share information about the library. We were also very close
to the stage, which meant that we were in a great spot to take in the
yodeling contest and the waltzing couples. We regret that we missed out on seeing the wiener dog race, as apparently
there were dozens of dachshunds entering the competition.

We met many, many folks that day who were either huge Vonnegut fans or
completely unfamiliar with him and his work, people of all ages. It
was a delight to speak with both types of individuals as some left the
table with their curiosity piqued and others left excited about the
library plans.

Attendees generously donated to the library, and we were grateful for
each contribution, whether it was $5 or $100.

If you haven’t visited us on Facebook yet, please check us out at
facebook.com/Vonnegutlibrary to see photos of the GermanFest. There
was one gentleman at the GermanFest with “So It Goes” tattooed on his
arm. We loved it!

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For media inquiries, please contact Terry Burns at (317) 437-7857 or e-mail Terry at