The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library (KVML) announced its official schedule for Banned Books Week, taking place from Oct. 4 – 9.
Registration for the week of events is available on the KVML website via QR code or web link.
“Banned Books Week, everyone’s favorite week at the KVML, highlights our commitment to free speech and common decency,” said Julia Whitehead, KVML founder and CEO. “This year, we invite our community to join us in championing and exploring free expression and the ways it shapes our shared cultural and social responsibilities.”
Program highlights and scheduled events
Oct. 4-9
Artist-in-Residence with Brian Leung
Award-winning author and Purdue University English professor Brian Leung is set to live inside the museum, throughout the week, surrounded by a wall of banned books, share his writing, participate in discussions, and advocate for free expression and common decency.
Sunday, Oct. 4
“Trois Ballades Hebraiques” performance and “The Sunflower” by Simon Wiesenthal discussion
3:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Admission: Free
Sonia Matheus is also set to guide a conversation on forgiveness focused on Simon Wiesenthal’s “The Sunflower.” She is also set to perform “Trois Ballades Hébraïques” by Roman Ryterband with harpist Claire Thai from the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
Film screening – “Sex Radical”
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Admission: $18
Filmmaker Andy Kirshner will present his film that examines the life of Ida Craddock and the history of the 1873 Comstock laws that shaped American censorship.
Monday, Oct. 5
Banned Books Week: “1619 Project” discussion
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Admission: Free
Dr. Lasana Kazembe (IU professor of Indianapolis Africana Studies) will lead a discussion on “The 1619 Project”, featuring guests Deborah Asante (Asante Art Institute) and Natalie Pipkin (Black Worldschoolers).
Thursday, Oct. 8
Exploring Self-Censorship with John Hendrickson:
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Admission: $12
Author John Hendrickson (Life on Delay: Making Peace with a Stutter) shares his personal journey with shame and fear, challenging societal attitudes toward this disability.
Partnering with the ACLU Banned Book Club, KVML will also host an in-depth conversation on Kurt Vonnegut’s frequently challenged novel, “Cat’s Cradle.”
KVML founder and CEO Julia Whitehead will explore Kurt Vonnegut’s short story, “D.P.” Whitehead will also welcome past and new volunteers for a reception for KVML’s new volunteer coordinator Becki Roach.
The KVML is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves as a resource that offers exhibitions, literary programs, youth education, veterans’ initiatives, public conversations, and experiences that seek to advance creativity, free expression, and common decency.
The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library is located at 543 Indiana Avenue.
For more information visit vonnegutlibrary.org.
Contact Staff Writer Malik Simon at 317-762-7847.
Malik Simon is a Staff Writer for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Memphis, TN, he graduated from Mississippi Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies concentrating on journalism. Before joining the Recorder, he wrote for the Devil’s Gazette newspaper at MVSU and served as a freelance content and video editor. He seeks to use media to help communities flourish through literacy and factual reporting.
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