Events from October 8 – November 7 – Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library

October 2026
Banned Books Week: Life on Delay with John Hendrickson

October 8 @ 6:00 pm

Journalist and author John Hendrickson will join KVML for an intimate live interview about his book, Life on Delay, which chronicles his experience living with a stutter.

$12
Banned Books Week: Forgiveness, Tolerance, and the Freedom to Read

October 9 @ 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library 543 Indiana Avenue, Indianapolis, IN, United States

KVML & Museum of Tolerance will discuss the intersection of the three works discussed throughout Banned Books week: The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal; The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones, and Kurt Vonnegut’s short story D.P.
November 2026
Night of Vonnegut 2026 | Annual Fundraiser featuring Jordan Klepper | Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library

Featured November 7 @ 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Indianapolis Public Library - Central Library 40 E St Clair St, Indianapolis, United States

Celebrate the life and legacy of Kurt Vonnegut at KVML's signature annual gala honoring Jordan Klepper, recipient of the 2026 Kurt Vonnegut Humor Award. An inspiring evening supporting literature, free expression, and the next generation of storytellers.

$175

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.

October 2026

Banned Books Week: Life on Delay with John Hendrickson

Banned Books Week: Forgiveness, Tolerance, and the Freedom to Read

November 2026

Night of Vonnegut 2026 | Annual Fundraiser featuring Jordan Klepper | Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library

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Kathi Badertscher, PhD

Volunteer With KVML