OKAY the question is out there then. Let's answer it. But I'm not sure your dinner party would work out. Who do you think would be more cynical about the future of humanity, Douglas Adams or Kurt Vonnegut? I think Kenneth Koch would rather be around more positive people. He might not go.
You do require a guest list if you have numerous blood feuds on the go. The guest has a right to ask who else is coming. You would think inviting people from different centuries would avoid problems, but apparently not according to Eugenides:
“Tolstoy,” I answer. “I’m busy that night,” Shakespeare says.First I call Shakespeare. “Who else is coming?” Shakespeare asks.
These days, you email the list to everyone. You do not blindcopy. That gives all the attendees a chance to research all the other guests, so that at an opportune moment, one might say, "I see you own a walnut farm in Uttarakhand, India. I hear business is exploding." (At least that's what I do whenever possible.)
Maybe, but I think Koch was really curious about people and the human experience. I mean, why else write books on how to teach children how to write poems? I don't see a real contradiction between cynicism and positivity. I for one, have been characterized as an upbeat cynic on numerous occasions. Yes, we are burdened with the errors of our forefathers and ourselves and are lucky to have stumbled so far, but what luck and what incredible roller coasters we fall onto! All three deal with the particular weirdness of being a human being through a well-conveyed sense of humor and had remarkable insights on what it was to be human, not only in their time, but human, period. While they might not accept invitations to a dinner (especially one held by me) I think that if they were all in a room together, that there would at least be some interesting conversation. Vonnegut's The Sirens of Titan and Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy both contain elements explored in Koch's own work, notably One Train May Hide Another where the life reveals itself in unexpected and remarkable ways. I'm sure there are many other connections to be drawn as well and unless I am very mistaken, I'd guess that each are fairly familiar with at least the gist of the other's work.
I love Kenneth Koch - I've said this before in these posts. You are right about his wonderful book, Wishes, Lies, and Dreams. Are you familiar with his book about teaching senior citizens in a nursing home to write poetry. I believe the book is called I Never Told Anybody. (1978) I'd definitely like to have Homer (if he existed) to dinner. Just picked up a new copy of The Iliad to use as I make my way through mk's Odyssey. If you go to this link, start at the beginning.