Vonnegut and Slaughterhouse-Five: Fifty Years On, and So It Goes

What do Midnight Cowboy, Hair, Jay-Z, and the Jennifers (Aniston and Lopez) have in common? They’re all turning 50 this year. You can add Kurt Vonnegut’s anti-war novel Slaughterhouse-Five to that list, too. The trippy story of hopeless American soldier Billy Pilgrim struck a nerve with a generation deeply impacted by the Vietnam War. To mark its anniversary, there’s a panel discussion of the book with Vonnegut’s daughter Nanette, biographer Ginger Strand, and novelist Rick Moody. There’s also a related exhibition of Vonnegut materials at the university library, running through March 31, with a satellite exhibition at the Rogers Free Library (525 Hope Street, Bristol).

Note: The keynote takes place at Roger Williams School of Law – Appellate Courtroom 283