Kurt Vonnegut is an Indianapolis hero, the author of Slaughterhouse-Five, of one of the twentieth century’s greatest novels. Join us on Monday, February 13, as we honor this masterpiece.

The events of February 13, 1945 are the catalyst and cataclysm for Slaughterhouse-Five. Vonnegut was a prisoner of war in Dresden, Germany, and imprisoned in a slaughterhouse when the town was firebombed and decimated by American and British bombers. Though the Nazi-occupied city was burned alive, Vonnegut lived to tell the tale—and that is the basis of Slaughterhouse-Five.

For the last three years, I have been part of a community that honors this novel by gathering publicly on February 13. We decided to call this now-annual event Slaughterhouse-Five Day. Each year, we gather on this date to tell this complicated history and remember this potent novel, in the spirt of Vonnegut. He is Indy’s secular saint, and we want to honor him and this date with humor, spirituality, art, and some truth-telling about war and injustice.

This year, we wanted to change things up a bit—and decided to mashup two of the greatest sci-fi franchises of all time, Star Wars and the works of Vonnegut.

Vonnegut would have made an awesome Jedi.

Join us on Monday Night at 7:00 PM to hear songs, create art, participate in improv comedy, and listen to the legacy of Slaughterhouse-Five, and the importance of science-fiction. 

Mike Oles III
Community Ministry Coordinator, Union Chapel
Organizing Director, Hoosier Interfaith Power & Light