Presented by City of Asylum Pittsburgh & International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | May 21 – 23
Bridges Creative Summit
The Bridges – City of Asylum Pittsburgh and ICORN Creative Summit brings together ICORN colleagues and artists from across the U.S. and European network, experts, and partner organizations. For three exciting days, participants will come together for panels, one-on-one conversations, plenaries, working sessions, cultural events, and peer-to-peer exchanges.
With our unique focus on community-building through global creative expression and solidarity, City of Asylum Pittsburgh is excited to host this international creative summit exploring and discussing issues such as the future of publishing and literature in translation, creative freedom of expression, literature, creative placemaking, philanthropy, and the role of the artist in a rapidly changing world.
Summit Preview
Below is a brief outline of some of the programs we have in store for participants. Additional events and details will be added soon!
In Conversation with Colum McCann, New York Times bestselling author of Apeirogon
In 2021, award-winning author Colum McCann released his based-on-a-true-story novel, Apeirogon. The novel follows two fathers, Palestinian Bassam Aramin, and Israeli Rami Elhanan. Both men have been raised to hate each other. Both men have lost their daughters. In their grief, they find points of connection and carve out space for peace. McCann met the real-life Bassam and Rami through his work with the non-profit organization Narrative 4, an empathy-driven organization that builds community through the power of storytelling. This wide-ranging conversation will delve into Colum’s work with Narrative 4, his masterwork of empathy, Apeirogon, and his forthcoming novel, Twist, which Salman Rushdie says has, “The spirit of Joseph Conrad hovers over the text, but here the heart of darkness lies at the bottom the ocean.”
A Conversation with Bassam Aramin & Rami Elhanan & Colum McCann
Colum McCann is joined by Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan to discuss the experience of having their life stories adapted into fiction. Bassam and Rami join Colum virtually, exploring topics of forgiveness, understanding, the process of creating the book, and their relationship to one another and to Apeirogon, and what the world looks like in the years since the book’s release and within the current context of the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Aleksandar Hemon: Language, Exile, & The Many Forms of Artistic Expression
Aleksandar Hemon is a Bosnian-American author, essayist, critic, television writer, screenwriter, and musician (through his alter ego, Cielo Hemon). He is best known for the novels Nowhere Man and The Lazarus Project, and his scriptwriting as a co-writer of The Matrix Resurrections. In this dynamic exploration of his life and work, Aleksandar discusses his experiences with language and exile, additionally sharing his own poetry and music with a late-night, combination poetry reading and DJ set at Alphabet City.
Translation Slam with Michael Reynolds
Renowned translators compete to see who can produce the best translation from the same source material. The source material is provided to the translators ahead of time, but the true battle of wits begins on stage at the slam, when the translators present and defend their work under the scrutiny of the author, the emcee, and the audience. The creative summit’s translation slam, emceed by Michael Reynolds, Editor-in-Chief of Europa Editions, will feature competitions in two languages.
The Future of Publishing & Literature in Translation
Translated works build bridges within the literary world and beyond. In this expert panel, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of New Directions Publishing Barbara Epler, Michael Reynolds Executive Publisher of Europa Editions, Executive Director of Words Without Borders Elisabeth Jaquette, and Chad Post, Director of the University of Rochester’s literary translation press Open Letter Books, discuss the scope of possibilities and realities in the future of publishing and literature in translation.
Understanding Exile: Essential Youth Connections with the LIGHT Foundation
City of Asylum writer-in-residence Rania Mamoun and Residency Manager Catherine Skolnicki join the LIGHT Foundation in a crucial discussion on how to inspire, prepare, and empower the next generation of humanitarians. The Leadership through Innovation in Genocide and Human rights Teaching (LIGHT) Foundation works with schools to help young people understand the importance of freedom of expression and the role exile plays in the lives of writers and artists who bravely speak truth to power every day.
Arab Voices in Exile
An evening of readings showcasing five distinct texts performed in Arabic and written during various residencies. Participants include City of Asylum writers-in-residence Rania Mamoun, Bo Mima, and Anouar Rahmani, as well as fellow ICORN network writer-in-residence Montaser Abdel Mawgoud. After the reading, the writers will dive deeper into a discussion of their experiences in exile with the audience, highlighting their respective and collective journeys and resilience.
The Future of Philanthropy & Funding: Arts & Culture in Unprecedented Times
Across the globe, we are experiencing a shift in policy. Arts funding cuts leave us with the question: How can arts organizations sustainably uphold our missions in a shifting landscape? How do we adapt to meet the needs of those people and practices we have dedicated our resources to protect and support? This half-day program features workshops and panel discussions with leaders of a number of important foundations and corporations doing interesting philanthropic work from the U.S. and Europe.
Meet the Cities of Asylum U.S. Network
Pittsburgh. Detroit. Ithaca. These three cities make up the City of Asylum network in the United States. This panel presents an opportunity to get to know the founders and leaders of our sister organizations, as well as their residents, as they discuss the challenges and triumphs of beginning and maintaining a City of Asylum artist sanctuary.
Frazé-Frazénko & The Happy Lovers
City of Asylum writer-in-residence Oleksandr Frazé-Frazénko is a talented artist with passions across genres and mediums. His rock band, The Happy Lovers, which features Mari Frazé-Frazénko on vocals, has been described as “The White Stripes meet Nick Cave in Ukraine with PJ Harvey on vocals.” Their 2023 project Ukrainian Poetry Songs, encapsulates four centuries of Ukrainian art, exploring the roots of Ukrainian poetry with a modern twist. This evening’s performance from The Happy Lovers will accompany readings from other City of Asylum writers-in-residence.
Jazz Poetry with James Brandon Lewis
James Brandon Lewis is one of the most exciting jazz musicians of today and has headlined City of Asylum’s decades-in-the-making Jazz Poetry Festival for the past four years. Keeping with tradition, James returns to the Alphabet City stage on May 22nd to give audiences a preview of his next project: a suite of songs in tribute to American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and bandleader Eric Dolphy. Joining James are Kirk Knuffke (cornet), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Chris Lightcap (bass), and Chad Taylor (drums).
Plan Your Trip
Flight Information
At this time, Pittsburgh has only 2 direct international flights – Reykjavik, Iceland, and London, UK. While these flights will be the easiest in terms of customs as you should only need to go through it once when arriving at Pittsburgh International Airport, which will be briefed of the event ahead of time, these are often not the cheapest flights available. Please find a culmination below of a range of prices for May 20 – 25, 2025, for flights departing from European Capitals. (Prices are subject to change.)
Flights from European Capitals show an average of around $650 per ticket round
trip.
Bolded selections show trips where Pittsburgh would be the first
place in the US travelers would arrive in and therefore go through
customs.
● Amsterdam – $657 round trip, through Boston
● Barcelona – $635 round trip, through Dulles
● Berlin – $597 round trip, through London
● Brussels – $645 round trip, through London
● Copenhagen – $457 round trip, through Toronto
● Helsinki – $889 round trip, through Chicago
● Ljubljana – $946 round trip, through Paris and Detroit
● London – $664 round trip, through Keflavik
● Oslo – $458 round trip, through Keflavik
● Paris – $515 round trip, through Keflavik
● Stockholm – $433 round trip, through London
● Warsaw – $757 round trip, through Frankfurt and Montreal
While we understand that everyone’s travel plans and arrangements will differ, our
suggestions for taking the non-direct flights above are as follows:
Avoid these airports for layovers in the US, as their customs times rank among
the worst in the country per this report;
■ JFK (New York)
■ O’Hare (Chicago)
Standard suggestions for flying into the US include leaving AT LEAST one and a
half hours to pass through customs and border control. If you have a layover in
the US before arriving in Pittsburgh, please be sure to take this into
consideration.
Travel together when possible, especially coordinators attending with residents.
Hotel Information
We will be sharing details about hotel accommodation options in the coming days.
Ground Transportation
Pittsburgh Regional Transit offers bus service from Pittsburgh International Airport via the 28X Airport Flyer. This ride costs $2.75 and must be paid in cash with exact change.
Ride-share apps Uber and Lyft can provide transportation to and from the airport. This ride costs an average of $48 before tip but can cost more during busy times.
The Pittsburgh International Airport is located 19 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. Travel by car from the airport to the city can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour.
