INDIANA (Part Two:) And So It Goes…A Trip to the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library

Weeks before flying to Indianapolis, there was only one location on my list of attractions I was absolutely confident I would visit during my one full day in the Crossroads of America city: the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library.  Kurt Vonnegut is an important American writer whose work I consider to be essential reading. As a fellow creator of stories, I hoped to soak in the ambience and learn something in the process.

And so it goes that on that Wednesday afternoon, I followed West Street north to the intersection of Indiana Ave where the impressive Walker Theater building stood proudly at the northwest corner while across the street, a very different iconic structure housed the museum and library celebrating the renowned author. But the museum provided much more than a historical celebration of the author, the museum promotes a forward looking mission to inspire future generations of writers, and readers and indeed, of all Americans. The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library’s focus is on First Amendment advocacy.

The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library from the corner of Indiana Ave and West Street, Indianapolis, IN

It seems a primary focus of the Vonnegut Museum and Library is to combat the scourge of book banning, the absurd and destructive action that is antithetical to the First Amendment of the Constitution. On the first floor, there is a framed letter Kurt Vonnegut wrote in response to a ban of his book. It is not only eloquent, it highlighted the fact that, as is so often the case, the “book banner” had not actually read his work. The act of book bannings is born from ignorance. The museum carries on the legacy of fierce First Amendment advocacy and the Vonnegut’s message rings as true today as it did back when his response letter was penned.

“Perhaps you will learn from this that books are sacred to free men for very good reasons, and that wars have been fought against nations which hate books and burn them. If you are an American, you must allow all ideas to circulate freely in your community, not merely your own.”

— from Kurt Vonnegut's letter to Charles McCarthy

The museum features reading areas, multiple locations for seating and a museum store and it appears to be a wonderful location for events, depending on the projected attendance size. Of course, the museum hosts exhibits on every floor. For aspiring writers everywhere, the selection of Vonnegut’s many rejection letters are hung proudly in the second floor. The third floor has what I believe to be the hallmark exhibit that emphasizes his seminal work, Slaughterhouse Five or The Children’’s Crusade: A Duty Dance with Death.

If one is a writer, if one is an avid reader, or indeed if one is inspired by the First Amendment and the rights protected therein, then The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library is an essential visit in any journey to Indianapolis. I was well justified in my initial hope that I would be inspired by a visit to the Museum. As I left and began my walk past the Canal, I resolved to have some portion of the upcoming Barnaby Druthers mystery story based in Indianapolis have some nod toward the Museum and its worthy message and mission.

Next week’s post: FORT WAYNE, INDIANA!

INDIANA (Part One: Indianapolis and The Morning Explorations)

When embarking on the journey of creating a syndicated audio theater program for radio, I long held the intention of visiting every radio station that airs the Barnaby Druthers program. It is a lofty aspiration and one that would provide great insight into the world of non-commercial community radio where Barnaby Druthers finds a home. By visiting each station, I can learn more about how each station operates and witness how each one reflects their community. But in the past three days, a greater concept that sat dormant in the recesses of my imagination found new life. Learning about each station is a good idea. Learning about each community where each station resides is better. Telling a unique story inspired by these communities is the mission of a lifetime. I intend to embrace that mission. The final chapter in this series of posts on Indiana will be the first of many Modern Druthers Indiana scripts. (continued below)

Indianapolis skyline

Indianapolis is ideally suited for conventions. Centrally located in the country as well as being a central hub to major metropolitan areas in the Midwest, the city is aptly described as “The Crossroads of America”. The streets are built on a foundation of grids making the city particularly pedestrian, bicycle and electric scooter friendly. Featuring a plethora of museums and cultural sites, my 15,000 steps on Wednesday took me to as many city attractions as my feet could take me, maximizing the opportunity of my visit.

My preference is to always visit the local historical societies, libraries and the art museums, especially if they showcase local artists, however with only one Wednesday to explore, and with the Indiana State Museum, Eiteljorg Museum, Indiana Historical Society and Newfields, all being important options whose time to properly take in would exclude time for others, they will have to be stops on my next visit to the Hoosier State. I charted a walking course from the hotel past the beautiful canal and in no time at all, visited the Indiana State Library.

The Indiana State Library is a cathedral to learning. The stained glass windows, the exquisite paintings adorning the walls and the exhibits in the display cases in various rooms all tell stories worth being told. In one entrance was a bookcase filled with free books on Indiana history, so I now have a 625 page “Readings in Indiana History” by Gayle Thornbrough and Dorothy Riker courtesy of the Indiana Historical Bureau to enjoy at my leisure. There was an “Indiana Authors” room featuring the works of celebrated local writers of note and although I am not an Indiana author, it was right here that I felt the itch to tell an Indiana story. Had I my ““druthers”, I would spend a day with my laptop or bristol board, pen and ink in the library in the ambience and simply create. In earlier days, when time seemed to be in vast supply, I would sit in at a desk amidst stacks of books and allow the imagination to find a voice on the page. I can not wait for that luxury of time to return before creating these stories because even back then, time was never truly in vast supply anyway.

Across from the Indiana State Library is the Indiana Statehouse. Under the extraordinary blue stained glass dome, the statehouse is replete with history, art and civic pride. Obviously the General Assembly, the Governor and  Lieutenant Governor’s offices, the state Supreme Court and other administrative offices are located here, but so are busts, plaques, and displays worthy of attention. The Supreme Court room is said to be “largely unchanged from the way it looked in 1888” (*self-guided tour brochure). The tour guides, security personnel, even those conducting business inside these walls were all knowledgeable, professional, and friendly. The tour professionals were extremely kind and generous with their time and if one’s own time allowed, a guided tour would provide greater depth and understanding to the experience.

My exploration of the Canal, Library and Statehouse took place before lunchtime. Walking past the iconic Monument Circle, I took note of the Hilbert Circle Theater before making my way to the famous City Market. There are catacombs underneath City Market that are accessed only through scheduled tour times and though the catacombs took hold of my imagination, at tour was not in the cards for me on this day. I followed a path that took me by the renowned Repertory Theater before returning to the hotel for lunch and to work on the radio program.

The great walk of the afternoon commenced up West Street to the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, which deserves its own post next week. Inspired, I took the long trek from the museum northeast to the Benjamin Harrison House and Presidential Site. The welcome center in the barn behind the main house had an exhibit in one room and a small gift shop on the other while the desk for sales, information and tour tickets was centrally located. The house is an important setting as Harrison was in his parlor when he heard the news he was nominated for President by his party. According to Jared Hay’s article in Indianapolis Monthly “Benjamin Harrison addressed more than 300,000 people in 80-plus speeches from his compact front porch” (1)

(1) Hay, Jared “Political Campaigning from 1888, Benjamin Harrison’s Front Porch Campaign" Indianapolis Monthly 2016, 11/6

The evening closed with a visit to the bottle district which was an enjoyable experience as I was able to visit with my sister , Dr. Maureen Manning, who was in Indiana for a conference she was attending in town.
As mentioned previously, my afternoon was planned to include The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library. That will be the story for the next post, which will feel slightly different than this one because I’d like to address what I believe to be the compelling mission of the Vonnegut Museum and Library: free speech and combatting the appalling past, present and future danger of book banning.

Until the next post, please continue to enjoy Barnaby Druthers and look forward to the Indiana stories coming soon!

The author, J. Timothy Quirk, in the bottle district of Indianapolis June 14th, 2023

Dr. Maureen Manning with J. Timothy Quirk in Indianapolis