WE CHAMPION THE LEGACY OF KURT VONNEGUT AND THE PRINCIPLES OF FREE EXPRESSION AND COMMON DECENCY.

Welcome to kvml

The KVML started with an idea in 2008 to commemorate Vonnegut’s legacy and a generous donation by Katz and Korin, P.C. In 2019, through the generosity of donors and supporters, KVML was able to move to 543 Indiana Ave – also dubbed as “Our Forever Home.”

Upcoming Events

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Our sponsors

Vonnegut USA

Help us bring Vonnegut to your state. Starting in 2022, KVML has been traveling the United States bringing programming, books, and Vonnegut’s message of free expression and common decency. Through this initiative, we hope to partner with schools and libraries as well as new and old Vonnegutians to further Kurt’s legacy. Visit our Events page to find out more about 2022 events in your state.

What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.

The Vonnecast

In 2022, acclaimed American author, Kurt Vonnegut, turns 100 years old. From the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, The Vonnecast explores ways Vonnegut’s legacy has shaped the lives of others and continues to make souls grow. 

Education Programs

Through Educational programs, the KVML is proud to inspire Kurt Vonnegut’s legacy of free expression and common decency in readers, writers, and thinkers of all ages across the globe.

Join us after work or school for evening discussions and webinars that connect themes in literature to current events and history. Visit the Events page to register for our 2022 events, including Stories of Banned Conflicts, and our annual Banned Books Week Celebration.

Youth Writing Program

The Youth Writing Program connects volunteers across the country with students at Kurt Vonnegut’s alma mater: Shortridge High School. In the summer of 2022, the KVML will offer virtual Social Justice Writing Workshops monthly that will feature a guest writer or activist.

Teaching Vonnegut

Every July, the KVML partners with educators across the country to offer the Teaching Vonnegut series. This virtual conference offers an array of sessions focused on Vonnegut’s life, works, legacy, and the causes he promoted. Classroom teachers and after-school educators will leave sessions inspired to create new lesson plans. Participants who are not traditional educators will enjoy learning about Vonnegut, and broaden their world view. Teaching Vonnegut 2022 is scheduled and open for registration!

THE VETERANS WRITING PROGRAM

Writing In Peace, offers veterans a monthly opportunity to engage in a 4-hour writing workshop in the company of other military veterans. A collection of their work is presented annually at Vonnegut Fest, our celebration of Kurt’s Birthday, Veterans Day, and Armistice Day.

Kurt Vonnegut served in WWII and was captured during his first day of combat at the Battle of the Bulge. His experience as a combat veteran and POW shaped his world view and creative endeavors. The KVML is honored to provide a space for veterans to explore their creativity, and build community. We are currently planning the 2022 Veterans Writing Program. Please check back for more information.

Kathi Badertscher, PhD

Director of Graduate Programs at the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
Kathi Badertscher, PhD, is Director of Graduate Programs at the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Dr. Badertscher teaches a variety of BA, MA, and doctoral courses, including Applying Ethics in Philanthropy and History of Philanthropy. She has participated in several Teaching Vonnegut workshops and is a member of the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library. Dr. Badertscher has been a guest speaker on ethics in philanthropy, including at the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners – Indianapolis Council; Association of Fundraising Professionals – Indiana Chapter; and Zhou Enlai School of Government, Nankai University, Tianjin, China. In 2019 she received IUPUI Office for Women, Women’s Leadership Award for Newcomer Faculty. In 2019 and 2020 she received the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Graduate Teaching Award.
Dr. Badertscher’s publications include “Fundraising for Advocacy and Social Change,” co-authored with Shariq Siddiqui in Achieving Excellence in Fundraising, 5th ed., 2022; “Insulin at 100: Indianapolis, Toronto, Woods Hole, and the ‘Insulin Road,’ co-authored with Christopher Rutty, Pharmacy in History (2020); and three articles in the Indiana Magazine of History: “A New Wishard Is on the Way,” “Evaline Holliday and the Work of Community Service,” and “Social Networks in Indianapolis during the Progressive Era.” Her chapters on social welfare history will appear in three upcoming edited volumes on the history of philanthropy, including “The Legacy of Edna Henry and Her Contributions to the IU School of Social Work,” Women at Indiana University: Views of the Past and the Future, edited by Andrea Walton, Indiana University Press, 2022 (forthcoming). Dr. Badertscher is also the Philanthropy and Nonprofits Consulting Editor for the forthcoming Digital Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, edited by David J. Bodenhamer and Elizabeth Van Allen, Indiana University Press, 2021. Dr. Badertscher is an active volunteer in the Indianapolis community. At present, she is a Coburn Place Safe Haven Board Member and a Children’s Bureau/Families First Brand and Marketing Advisor. Dr. Badertscher holds the MA in History from Indiana University and the MA and PhD in philanthropic studies from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Volunteer With KVML

Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library Volunteer Application

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions about this application’s content.

The Tralfamadorian Dictionary

Preorder KVML’s First Ever Book The Tralfamadorian Dictionary.

We’ve worked with Vonnegut experts and top linguists to create the official handbook for the languages of notable alien species in the Vonnegut Universe. 

Be sure to sign up for our special release party event with our Margo language expert on June 8th. This event is free. Tap shoes will not be provided, so please bring your own.