Blog

Musician Charlie Ballantine

Join us as we talk to musician Charlie Ballantine. We discuss capturing the mood of Vonnegut’s work through music, retaining childlike wonder, chicken wings in …

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Bite-Sized Vonnegut: Some Short Works

Kurt Vonnegut was nothing if not prolific: 14 novels, 3 collections of short stories (only 1 of which was published during his lifetime), a number …

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The Sirens of Titan: Emma Reacts

The Sirens of Titan is the fourth book in Rachel’s Suggested Vonnegut Reading Order. Player Piano is Kurt Vonnegut’s first novel, but I’d argue that The …

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Common Decency in Friendships with Mark Vonnegut and Madeline Zielinski

Trigger Warning: This blog addresses suicide and other mental health issues. One of our employees remembers attending a speech on mental health given by an …

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Cat’s Cradle: Emma Reacts

Cat’s Cradle is the fifth book in Rachel’s Suggested Vonnegut Reading Order. Do you know who James Thurber is? I hope you do. He wrote …

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Comparing Vonnegut Adaptations: Harrison Bergeron

Hi! It’s Emma the Intern once again. In this episode of “Comparing Vonnegut Adaptations,” I’ll be looking at the 1995 Canadian made-for-TV film Harrison Bergeron. …

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Kurt on Indianapolis

This is the first in a planned series in which I, Emma the Intern, report Kurt Vonnegut’s opinion on a certain topic, drawing mostly on his published …

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Museum Hacks: Tricks and Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Museum Experience

Do you want to visit KVML or have a friend that would like to visit? Check out these “museum hacks” that will help you get …

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Galápagos: Emma Reacts

Galápagos is the sixth book in Rachel’s Best Vonnegut Reading Order. Well . . . okay. That was my reaction upon finishing Galápagos. I wish I …

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Slapstick: Emma Reacts

Slapstick is the seventh book in Rachel’s Suggested Vonnegut Reading Order. I braced myself for Slapstick before picking it up. I was told scary things. Things like, …

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Comparing Vonnegut Adaptations: 2081

Greetings! Emma the Intern here. I’ll be comparing movie and TV adaptations of Vonnegut’s work, starting with “Harrison Bergeron” in this post. I found two …

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Comparing Vonnegut Adaptations: Slaughterhouse-Five

Hi! It’s Emma the Intern once again. In this episode of “Comparing Vonnegut Adaptations,” I’ll be looking at the 1972 film Slaughterhouse-Five. Out of all …

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Kurt on Marriage

This is part of a planned series in which I, Emma the Intern, report Kurt Vonnegut’s opinion on a certain topic, drawing mostly on his published works. Please …

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Deadeye Dick: Emma Reacts

Deadeye Dick is the eighth book in Rachel’s Best Vonnegut Reading Order. I promised myself, and all of you, a certain something when I tried and …

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Summer Reading 2018: An Update

Our staff is reading its way through the summer! Take a look at what we’ve accomplished so far. Matthew (Chief Operating Officer): Still slogging through …

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Vonnegut by the Numbers

As all English majors know, there are dozens of different ways to analyze literature. You can pick apart a book based on when it was …

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Bluebeard: Emma Reacts

Bluebeard is the ninth book in Rachel’s Best Vonnegut Reading Order. I’ve been wanting to read Bluebeard for weeks. I was excited to finally get to …

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Mother Night: Emma Reacts

Mother Night is the twelfth book in Rachel’s Best Vonnegut Reading Order. I am reading it tenth for reasons I will explain below. I’m breaking the …

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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.

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