Lonesome No More: The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library

The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library

In the heart of downtown, the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library stands as a beautiful homage to Vonnegut’s literary legacy. Without a doubt, Kurt Vonnegut is a pillar of the Indianapolis community. Vonnegut's career took him all over the world, however, he always expressed a fondness for his Indianapolis roots. Throughout much of Vonnegut's writing, he highlighted the importance of stable communities.

In many of his books, Vonnegut refers to loneliness as a disease - a disease which may only be cured through exposure to thriving local communities. This idea leads Vonnegut to promote a sort of neighborly campaign against isolation, based on the theory that through the enrichment of local communities a sense of belonging would be restored, and loneliness would be eradicated. Vonnegut understood that in a fast-paced world one needs the comfort of a friendly neighbor. This idea of local involvement and kindness expressed at a civic level is a key ingredient in the Kurt Vonnegut Museum's platform and is part of why their work is so important to the city of Indianapolis.

To see this come to life, one may look no further than the Museum’s Lonesome No More campaign. Lonesome No More is a series of programs dedicated to raising awareness of mental illness, while also promoting community involvement. The Kurt Vonnegut Museum's programs serve all facets of the Indianapolis community. There are various special programs for veterans suffering from PTSD, as well as over 70 arts and humanities events hosted throughout the year. Every event in this campaign is geared towards bringing the people of Indianapolis together. The Museum contends that through creativity and art, we all may take steps towards building a stronger society.

When I interviewed the Museum Staff, their passion for their work was inspiring. Each team member expressed great admiration for Vonnegut and all aspects of his work. They champion Kurt Vonnegut’s legacy and promote the ideas of free expression and common decency. Marissa Renaldi – Programs and Donor Relations Manager for the Library - said it best, “Vonnegut was able to address issues through multiple lenses so that people from all walks of life could understand. His writing creates a dialogue which allows all people to participate. He reminds us of the necessity of creativity and the arts, and how important they are to our community. The arts – literary and otherwise – bring people together.”

With all my heart I encourage everyone to attend these events, get to know people in the community, find a safe space to discuss issues, thrive off of new ideas. Stop by the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library and get the chance to be inspired by the wisdom and creativity of one of Indianapolis’ greatest treasures.

Above all else, remember to stop and notice the little things and appreciate your neighbor. If that isn't nice, then I don't know what is. Spread the love in our community, so that we all may be ‘Lonesome No More’.

“What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.”

― Kurt Vonnegut