Bridges – City of Asylum Pittsburgh Creative Summit
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | May 20 – 23
Bridges – City of Asylum Pittsburgh Creative Summit invites all those who enjoy the beauty of free expression to four days of critical discussions about the literary arts, the power of music, exile, translation, community building, and the future of philanthropy. Through conversations with award-winning authors, captivating performances, and impactful panels with artistic and literary leaders from around the world, we’ll explore and celebrate global creative expression and solidarity.
The Summit will be based at Alphabet City, City of Asylum’s home on the Northside, with some programs at Community College of Allegheny County’s Allegheny Campus (also on the Northside). All programs are free and open to the public, as well as livestreaming, but advance registration is requested.
Summit Funding provided by:
Tuesday, May 20
3:30 – 4:30 PM
Understanding Exile: Essential Youth Connections with the LIGHT Education Initiative
City of Asylum writer-in-residence Rania Mamoun and the Residency Manager for City of Asylum join the LIGHT Education Initiative 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) Education Initiative 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.
5:00 – 6:00 PM
The Role of Music, Art & Journalism in Political Dissent
Mai Khôi is a musician from Vietnam and former resident of City of Asylum Pittsburgh. Her avant-garde trio Mai Khôi Chém Gió released their debut album “Dissent” in 2018, working at the interface of art and activism. Yasmine El Baramawy is an Egyptian musician and women’s rights activist in residence in Sweden. Nazeeha Saeed is a Bahraini journalist, human rights defender, and women’s rights advocate and a former ICORN resident in Paris who is currently based in Berlin. Khalid Albaih is a Sudanese political cartoonist, human rights advocate and freelance journalist based in Norway. Khaled Harara is a Palestinian hip-hop artist and activist currently living in Sweden. Together they’ll discuss how they use their creative practices to advocate for human rights and creative freedom of expression.
6:30 – 7:30 PM
TWIST: Building Empathy Through Literature with Colum McCann in Conversation with Tess Barry
Don’t miss this wide-ranging conversation with award-winning Irish novelist, Colum McCann and Tess Barry, poet and Program Director of Carlow University’s MFA program. Together, they will talk about Colum’s work as co-founder of the empathy-building not-for-profit Narrative 4 which has built bridges between fractured communities in Connecticut, New York, Illinois, Kentucky, Ireland, Haiti, Israel, South Africa, Mexico and Rwanda. They will also discuss his masterwork of empathy, Apeirogon, and his latest novel, Twist, of which Salman Rushdie remarked, “The spirit of Joseph Conrad hovers over the text, but here the heart of darkness lies at the bottom of the ocean.”
8:00 – 9:30 PM
Jazz Poetry with Jerome Jennings & iLL Philosophy
Jerome Jennings is a drummer, activist, and Emmy Award–winning composer. His debut album, The Beast, is a reflection of the everyday joys and traumas of Black life in the USA, and was named one of the top three jazz releases by NPR in addition to receiving a four-star rating in Downbeat Magazine. Jerome’s sophomore recording, Solidarity, focuses on the experiences of African American women, examining their lives through the prisms of the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements. Jerome comes to City of Asylum with his new musical group, Jerome Jennings & iLL Philosophy. This sextet—drums, trumpet, sax, keys, bass, and turntables (courtesy of DJ Oooh Child)—performs Jerome’s original compositions, which fuse jazz with blues, bebop, Afrobeat, and hip hop. Keeping with decades of tradition and experimentation, this performance is a collaboration and improvisation with talented poets from all over the world, including residents from European ICORN cities.
Wednesday, May 21
10:00 – 11:30 AM
Bridges Creative Summit Welcome Ceremony
The spirit of collaboration, hospitality, and community is alive in Pittsburgh! To officially kick off the Bridges – City of Asylum 2025 Creative Summit, we’ll welcome guests from across the globe to Alphabet City for a morning of performances, readings, and special presentations from guest speakers from Pittsburgh and all over the world. Stay tuned for more details!
2:00 – 3:00 PM
Guantánamo: Mohamedou Ould Slahi & Larry Siems in Conversation with Adriana E. Ramirez
In 2015, when Mohamedou Ould Slahi was in his 13th year of detention in Guantánamo, City of Asylum hosted journalist and human rights advocate Larry Siems, editor of Mohamedou’s recently published and internationally-acclaimed Guantánamo Diary—a book which recounted his “endless world tour” of detention and interrogation. Mohamedou has been a free man for eight years. He’s the recipient of many international honors and human rights awards, he travels and collaborates with arts and rights organizations throughout Europe, and he’s a brand new citizen of the Netherlands…but he’s still barred from traveling to the United States. Undeterred, he joins us live from Amsterdam for a discussion with Larry Siems which will be moderated by award-winning nonfiction writer, storyteller, critic, and performance poet, Adriana E. Ramírez. The discussion will focus on creativity, resistance, the ongoing dark legacy of the prison camp in Guantánamo, and our never-finished, collective journey to freedom.
3:30 – 4:30 PM
An Interview with Bassam Aramin & Rami Elhanan, Co-Directors of the Parents Circle-Family Forum
In 2021, award-winning author Colum McCann released his novel, Apeirogon, which was in part based on the real lives of two fathers, Palestinian Bassam Aramin, and Israeli Rami Elhanan. Both men had been raised to hate each other. Both men had lost their daughters. Despite their pain and enormous grief, they somehow found points of connection and were able to carve out space for peace, formed the Parents Circle-Family Forum and have traveled the world together sharing their message of forgiveness. McCann met 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. Colum McCann, who joins us in person, will be joined virtually by Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan to discuss forgiveness, understanding, and their deep friendships. They will also talk about their work with the Parents Circle-Family Forum and the current climate in Israel and Palestine.
4:45 – 5:30 PM
Meet the Cities of Asylum Network
Pittsburgh. Detroit. Ithaca. These three ICORN member 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.
5:30 – 6:30 PM
The Future of Publishing & Literature in Translation
Translated works build bridges within the literary world and beyond. Hear experts in publishing literature in translation, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of New Directions Publishing Barbara Epler, 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.
Support for this program is provided by:
7:00 – 8:00 PM
The Freedom of Expression Address by George Packer
The Bridges City of Asylum Pittsburgh Creative Summit welcomes award-winning author and staff writer at The Atlantic, George Packer, to speak about what it means to write in a world of increasing authoritarianism. George Packer’s books include The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America (winner of the National Book Award), The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq, and Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century (winner of the Hitchens Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for biography). He is also the author of two novels and a play, and the editor of a two-volume edition of the essays of George Orwell.
8:30 – 9:30 PM
Philippe Olle-Laprune on Mexico’s Casa Refugio
Casa Refugio Citlaltépetl houses persecuted and threatened writers who are translating and publishing in exile and arranges literary talks and international workshops in the vibrant district of Condesa in Mexico City. The director of Casa Refugio, Philippe Ollé-Laprune, joins us to talk about the importance of their work and screen a short documentary about one of their residents.
Thursday, May 22
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
The Future of Philanthropy & Funding for Arts, Culture, and Human Rights
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 discussions with leaders of important foundations and corporations from the U.S. and Europe doing life-changing philanthropic work. Among others, guest speakers include Rocío Aranda-Alvarado, Senior Program Officer, Creativity and Free Expression at the Ford Foundation, Kendra Ross, Head of Social Impact at Duolingo, and Anne Marie Toccket, Executive Director of Posner Foundation, Ellyn Toscano, Executive Director of Hawthornden Foundation, Jake Goodman, Executive Director of The Opportunity Fund, and Diana Bucco, President of Buhl Foundation.
Support for this program is provided by:
1:00 – 2:00 PM
Protecting Freedom of Expression
Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right. It is through journalistic and artistic expression that we understand ourselves and our stories, build empathy, and reflect critically on our society. In an era of increasing global authoritarianism, how do we protect the work and lives of those who speak truth to power? We are joined by Marianne Borgen, who from 2015-2023 was the Mayor of Oslo in Norway and currently serves as an ICORN board member, and Sarah Rose, Deputy Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania. They will be joined by Larry Siems, writer, journalist, and Chief of Staff at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, as well as the Residency Manager at City of Asylum. Together, they will also discuss their important, front-line work of defending freedom of expression.
2:30 – 3:30 PM
Arab Voices in Exile
Join us for readings by five City of Asylum and ICORN residents highlighting their respective and collective journeys and resilience. These distinct texts, written during the time of the authors’ residencies, will be performed in Arabic with translations projected on screen. Writers include City of Asylum Writers in Residence Rania Mamoun, Bo Mima, and Anouar Rahmani, as well as Egyptian poet Montaser Abdel Mawgoud and ICORN resident in Norway. After the reading, the writers will discuss their experiences in exile with Nevine Abraham, Assistant Teaching Professor and Coordinator of Arabic Studies in the Department of Languages, Cultures, and Applied Linguistics at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
4:30 – 6:00 PM
Translation Slam Emceed by Michael Reynolds with Esteemed Translators and Authors to be Announced
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 including Bahraini journalist Nazeeha Saeed.
Support for this program is provided by:
6:30 – 7:30 PM
Aleksandar Hemon: Language, Exile, & The Many Forms of Artistic Expression
Aleksandar Hemon is a Bosnian-American author, essayist, critic, television writer, and screenwriter. 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 wide-ranging conversation about his life and work, Aleksandar will talk about language and exile, his love of football, and the power of music and storytelling.
8:00 – 9:30 PM
James Brandon Lewis Quintet with Chinese Poet Huang Xiang, Eritrean Poet Haile Bizen & Others
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). These talented musicians will perform with iconic Chinese poet and City of Asylum’s first-ever resident Huang Xiang, Eritrean poet Haile Bizen, and two US-based poets as they share their poetry in a celebration of experimentation, collaboration, and connection between art forms and between artist and audience.
Friday, May 23
10:00 – 11:00 AM
The Power of Public Art with Rania Mamoun & Diane Samuels in Conversation with Sylvia Rhor Samaniego
In its neighborhood, City of Asylum has long championed the power and beauty of public art in projects like its “House Publications,” multi-lingual art on the facades of its writer residences. During the pandemic, visual artist Diane Samuels was commissioned to create a new artwork for the exterior of The Malta Foundation’s building, across the street from Alphabet City. The artwork incorporates the complete texts of Albert Camus’s The Plague, an essay from Frantz Fanon’s A Dying Colonialism, and 100 poems written by Rania Mamoun as part of a pandemic collaboration with Samuels.
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Tour the Malta Foundation’s International Art Collection
After the conversation on the power of public art and viewing of the artwork, you are invited to join one of three guided tours of the Malta Foundation’s extraordinary private collection of international artwork. Tours are limited to 20 people each and will be an hour long, beginning at 11, 12:30, and 2 PM.
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Borderlines: with Architect and Urbanist Teddy Cruz and Writer and Documentarian
Philippe Olle Laprune
Acclaimed American architect and urbanist Teddy Cruz and French writer, documentarian, and cultural activist, Philippe Olle Laprune discuss their groundbreaking work on the US/Mexico Border. Led by the Center on Global Justice, the Community Stations at the University of California form a network of sanctuary spaces in the migrant neighborhoods that flank the San Diego/Tijuana border. The FRONTeras Writing Residency was recently created to host migrant writers to co-produce collective literature projects with local community cohorts, university students and researchers. The first writing residency involved a Nicaraguan writer exiled in Mexico, demonstrating what can be developed jointly with the framework of ICORN.
2:00 – 5:00 PM
The Big Sampsonia Way Cookout
In celebration of our growing global community, of the many places we learn to call home, and of the first-ever Bridges Creative Summit, we invite all our neighbors (local and international) to join the party on Sampsonia Way with an afternoon of food, music, and conversation.
6:30 – 7:30 PM
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 contributions and readings from other City of Asylum writers-in-residence and visiting ICORN residents.
8:00 – 9:30 PM
DJ Cielo Hemon – Also Known as Award-Winning Novelist, Aleksandar Hemon
We close out the Summit with a dynamic DJ set from DJ Cielo (known in the literary scene as Aleksandar Hemon). The set will feature Afro House and Organic House, along with beats and voices from all over the world. Poet Toi Derricotte says joy is an act of resistance. Echoing her sentiment, DJ Cielo believes it is important to make people dance at a time like this. Bring your dancing shoes!
More events and programs to be announced in the coming weeks.
Stay tuned for more details.
House Publications Tours
City of Asylum Pittsburgh’s house publications include public artworks that have been created by residents over the course of the program’s 21-year history.
Take a tour of the Mexican War Streets neighborhood. Discover City of Asylum’s River of Words project and learn more about these house publications and City of Asylum’s Exiled Writer and Artist Residency Program, one of the largest in the world.
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
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Omni William Penn for $175 per night (not including taxes or fees). The link to book at this specially offered price can be found here.
Omni William Penn: 530 William Penn Place, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , 15219
City of Asylum Pittsburgh is located in a neighborhood with a number of Vrbos. To look for these, please search the following: “Mexican War Streets – Pittsburgh,” “Allegheny West – Pittsburgh,” “North Shore – Pittsburgh,” and “Deutschtown – Pittsburgh.”
We are also working on an alternative hotel and will provide those details as soon as possible.
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.
Visa Information
We have collected some relevant advice and information about applying for a USA travel visa in this document. If you have any questions, please contact us at: bridges2025@cityofasylumpittsburgh.org.
Please refer to this document for detailed information on applying for a USA travel visa.
City of Asylum Pittsburgh
City of Asylum Pittsburgh
Address: 40 W North Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212, United States
Phone number: +1 412-435-1110
E-mail: contact@cityofasylumpittsburgh.org
