Agent of Change: Kurt Vonnegut, the Civic-Minded, Darkly-Comic Writer

Soon after Slaughterhouse-Five became a best seller, an interviewer asked Vonnegut why he wrote. He answered, “My motives are political. I agree with Stalin and Hitler and Mussolini that the writer should serve his society. I differ with dictators as to how writers should serve.” Suzanne McConnell, author of Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style, will trace the passions that fueled Vonnegut’s writing, the ingredients that shaped his views, and the honing of his craft – especially his humor – that allowed him to realize his work. She’ll share anecdotes of him and his motives as a teacher at the Iowa Writer’s Workshop. Together, we might consider what he would be writing today.

ONLINE (RSVP here for link) and IN-PERSON 

Presented by The Bridgehampton Museum and Canio’s