*** Same Place, Different Date! This event has been postponed to early June due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts. We will update this page with the new date soon. Thank you for understanding! ***

Calling all 2024 Grads! Gather your friends and families and join us at our Virtual Graduation Party in your honor with a commencement speech written by Kurt Vonnegut! 

In partnership with our friends at Seven Stories Press, hear from comedian and KVML Board Chair Lewis Black, fellow comedian and KVML Board Member Dwight Simmons, and other special guests. 

This year, we dedicate our Graduation Party to our dear friend and best-selling author Dan Wakefield. Wakefield was a novelist, journalist, screenwriter, Indianapolis native, and one of Vonnegut's longtime friends. He selected and wrote the introduction toIf This Isn't Nice, What Is? The Graduation Speeches and Other Words to Live By, a collection of Vonnegut's commencement speeches. 

Don't forget to purchase If This Isn't Nice, What Is? The Graduation Speeches and Other Words to Live By or Breaking Down Vonnegut from our museum shop for your graduate.

Congratulations 2024 Grads!

About our Speakers:

Lewis Black is a comic, an actor, and a writer. He has eight comedy albums, two Grammys, numerous specials, and is the longest-running contributor on The Daily Show. Black has also written three New York Times Best-Selling books, and his plays have been published and produced throughout the country. He has appeared in many films, but he is perhaps best known for his portrayal of "Anger" in Pixar's Inside Out. His newest comedy special, Thanks For Risking Your Life, is currently available for streaming. Lewis is the Chairman of the Board for the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library.

Dwight Simmons' debut comedy special, "Who's The Master" debuted on YouTube on July of 2023. In that same year, he was selected to the 10,000 Laughs, Milwaukee, Flyover and West-End Comedy Festivals. His self-produced album "Sip and Pass" reached #1 on the iTunes comedy charts, making it his second release to do so. He was listed as Indiana’s selection for Thrillist’s 50 Best Undiscovered Comics in the country. Dwight’s comedy has been featured on Kevin Hart’s LOL on Sirius XM and on the Bob and Tom show for which he is also a writer. He is a co-director of the Limestone Comedy Festival and the creator and host of the web series BrewTube Comedy. Be sure to check out his podcast Mat and Dwight Just might wherever music is available.

About the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library: 

Kurt Vonnegut was a soldier, writer, artist, humorist, teacher, and Indianapolis native. The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library (KVML) champions the literary, artistic, and cultural contributions of Vonnegut to improve the lives of students, teachers, veterans, readers, and our community through cultural and educational experiences. KVML continues Vonnegut’s fight against censorship and supports language and visual arts education through programs and educational engagements for all ages.