So It Goes

Literary Journal

So It Goes is a unique literary journal — designed to bring together work from veterans and civilians, established authors and virtual unknowns, high school students and nonagenarians. It’s a journal that has been, in a way, unstuck in time.

So It Goes, A Labor of Love

True to Vonnegut’s ethos of kindness, common decency, and free-expression, as well as his passion for social justice, environmentalism, and peace, So It Goes is a literary journal with a conscience. Over twenty-five percent of each issue’s contents come from veteran artists and authors. Each issue revolves around a theme, such as War and Peace (I), Humor (II), Creativity (III), Social Justice (IV), Indiana (V), A Little More Common Decency (VI), Lonesome No More (VII), Slaughterhouse-Five (VIII), and Civic Engagement (IX).

Submissions 2023

Vonnegut spoke fondly of his education, especially of his time at Shortridge High School, where he developed his love of writing as co-editor of the school newspaper, The Shortridge Echo.

Vonnegut said, “High school is closer to the core of the American experience than anything else I can think of.”

So It Goes: Core of the American Experience recognizes the classroom (institutionally or otherwise) as an activation site for change and the formation of self through the power of curiosity and the freedom of knowledge. Though Vonnegut specifically said “American experience,” we invite work that stretches beyond the borders of the United States and educational experiences outside of high school.

Students can submit for free. Email us at [email protected] for the submission link.

Writing Prompt

“High School is closer to the American experience than anything else I can think of. We have all been there (and while) there, we saw nearly every sign of justice and injustice, kindness and meanness, intelligence and stupidity, which we are all likely to encounter later in life.”
Need inspiration? Here are some creatives who have explored education and learning to jump start your creativity!

Submission Requirments

Thank you in advance for your submissions to our twelfth issue of So It Goes. The journal will launch in Fall 2023. Selected contributors will receive one free hard copy. Previous issues of the So It Goes journal are available in the library’s online gift shop through kvmlshop.org.

If you have any questions, contact us at [email protected].

Eleventh Edition Contributors

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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Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library Volunteer Application

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