Department of English Professor Christina Jarvis is trying to achieve honorary Hoosier status. Her most recent visits to Bloomington and Indianapolis, Ind., just might put her one step closer to that goal.
Thanks to an Everett Helm Visiting Fellowship, Dr. Jarvis completed a nine-day research residency at Indiana University’s Lilly Library to work with several Kurt Vonnegut-related archival collections for her book project “Vonnegut’s Lessons in Planetary Thinking.” In addition to her extensive explorations of Mr. Vonnegut’s manuscripts, letters and other papers, Jarvis examined the publishing records of Vonnegut’s agent, Donald C. Farber, and key correspondence in the Dan Wakefield, Donald Fiene and Miller Harris collections.
Upon completion of her residency, Jarvis traveled to Indianapolis to participate in the 2017 Teaching Vonnegut Workshop hosted by the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library (KVML). Jarvis’s presentation, “Galápagos: Warnings and Hope from a Planetary Citizen,” focused on Vonnegut’s early, influential environmental experiences, the novel’s Anthropocene contexts and her own approaches to teaching Galápagos.
The three-day teacher workshop included presentations by renowned Vonnegut scholars Marc Leeds and Greg Sumner, Ray Bradbury Institute Director Jon Ellery and a host of innovative educators, filmmakers and community engagement experts. The Teaching Vonnegut Workshop is part of the KVML’s year-long programming to help celebrate Indianapolis’ official “Year of Vonnegut.”
Earlier in the summer Jarvis also presented her scholarship on Vonnegut’s writings at the 28th Annual American Literature Association (ALA) in Boston. Jarvis’s ALA presentation, “From ‘The Fur-Lined Bouillon Cup’ to Happy Birthday, Wanda June,” explored the key mid-1960s manuscript revisions in Vonnegut’s most famous play.
For more information about the KVML’s Teaching Vonnegut Workshop, please visit online.
