VonnegutFest returns, gifts board game honoring author’s legacy

VonnegutFest 2024 returns with a weekend of events celebrating the Hoosier author’s life and literary legacy.

The festival honoring Indianapolis writer Kurt Vonnegut features three days of literary themed events and activities at The Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library Nov. 9-11. 

The festival kicks off on Nov. 9 with a Youth Writing Center’s Storytelling Salon from 1-3 p.m. and Vonnegut Sessions: Dwight Simmons & Friends Comedy Night takes place later that evening from 7:30-9 p.m. The storytelling salon is free to attend; tickets for the comedy night are $25.

The Night of Vonnegut Gala takes place from 7-10 p.m. on Nov. 10 at the Fishers Art Center in Fishers. The gala is the museum’s annual fundraising event that directly supports the mission and programs of the Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library. Tickets to the gala start at $150, and the theme is black-tie-optional birthday cocktail party.

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On Nov. 11, the Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library will host the Breakfast of Champions: Vonnegut Birthday Celebration from 10 a.m. to noon, featuring a casual continental breakfast catered by Illinois Street Food Emporium followed by Reclaiming Armistice Day Exhibition Unveiling & Talk from noon to 1 p.m. Both events are free to attend, but guests are encouraged to RSVP.

This year’s festival also presents a unique occasion for The Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library as it will gift sets of Vonnegut’s board game “General Headquarters” (GHQ) to Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) libraries.

GHQ, which is a two-player strategic battle game, was originally created by Vonnegut in the 1950s, but the author was unsuccessful in selling it to gaming companies. His notes on the game were thought to be lost to time until now.

Board game designer Geoff Engelstein recently released GHQ and the Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library will present wrapped gift sets of the GHQ games to IPS students during the opening of the Youth Writing Center’s Storytelling Salon. 

The contribution is inspired by Mark Vonnegut’s personal memories of the game’s creation and aims to foster engagement and creativity among students. The GHQ games will be distributed alongside lesson plans and display ideas within the following months, culminating in a GHQ Tournament of Champions in 2025. 

For more information about VonnegutFest 2024 or to purchase tickets to one of the events, visit vonnegutlibrary.org/vonnegutfest.

Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.

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