PGHwrites: Free Association Reading Series with Shaheen Dil, Gary Jackson, Cedric Rudolph & Nina Sabak

The Free Association Reading series, founded by Pat Hart and Mark Nieson, showcases local writers sharing newly written work and works-in-progress. This month’s reading spotlights writers Shaheen Dil, Gary Jackson, Cedric Rudolph, and Nina Sabak. The reading will be followed by a community reception for performers and attendees, complete with light refreshments. 

“Free Association readings began in 2016 for established and emerging writers of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction,” explains Pat. “As the name implies, Free Association is not affiliated with a university or writing program but is for all, for established and emerging writers of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.”

Pat was inspired to start this series after watching a low-quality recording of a Flannery O’Connor reading on YouTube. “You couldn’t even really see Flannery, but the audience reaction was gripping; they laughed with her when it was funny, and they went dead silent at the horror. It was such a powerful experience for the audience and for her as well,” said Pat.

Pat is no stranger to the fact that writing can be very isolating. She knows how hard it is to tell what works and what doesn’t. With Flannery O’Connor’s reading in mind, the Free Association Reading Series seemed like the natural choice to help bring community—and fun—back into writing.

About the Writers:

Shaheen Dil was born in Bangladesh and lives in Pittsburgh. Her poems have been widely published in literary journals and anthologies, nominated for the Pushcart Prize, won two honorable mentions in Passager Poetry Contests, and one was short-listed for the 49th Parallel Award in Poetry (Bellingham Review). Dil has published three full-length collections of poetry: Acts of Deference (Fakel), The Boat-maker’s Art (Kelsay Books), and Letters to My Younger Self (Gyroscope Press). She holds a BA from Vassar College, a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University, and a PhD from Princeton University. Additional information is available on her website: https://shaheendil.com.

Born and raised in Topeka, Kansas, Gary Jackson is the author of the poetry collections small lives, origin story, and Missing You, Metropolis, which received the 2009 Cave Canem Poetry Prize. He’s also co-editor of The Future of Black: Afrofuturism, Black Comics, and Superhero Poetry. His poems have appeared in journals including Callaloo, The Sun, Los Angeles Review of Books, Copper Nickel, and elsewhere. He’s been published in Shattered: The Asian American Comics Anthology, was featured in the 2013 New American Poetry Series by the Poetry Society of America, and received fellowships and residencies from Cave Canem, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and Art Omi. He is the Toi Derricotte Endowed Chair of English in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh and the Director of the Center for African American Poetry and Poetics.

Cedric Rudolph is a Black, gay writer living in Pittsburgh, PA. Over the years, he has taught in higher education for the Institute for Anti-Racist Education. He has also led workshops in Allegheny County Jail. Currently, he works as a youth mentor for teens and young adults affected by the foster care system. His publications include the Christianity and Literature Journal, Santa Fe Literary Review, and The Coal Hill Review. Eavesdrop Magazine awarded him third place in their Queer Joy Contest, and Bellevue Literary Review granted him an Honorable Mention in their 2025 BLR Prizes.

Nina Sabak is a West Virginia native and double Pitt graduate (BA 2013, MFA 2016). Her career has taken her from editing copy in New York City to teaching healthy communication skills at the Allegheny County Jail and into community education centers across Pittsburgh. Nina is the author of the chapbook Naming the Mountain, and her fiction and poetry have appeared in The Rumpus, Bartleby Snopes, and Plain China. She lives in Forest Hills with her husband, two cats, one skink, and roughly a thousand books, most of which are still on her TBR.

About Your Visit: 

The in-house restaurant, Cucina Alfabeto, is open for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Please visit OpenTable or call 412-435-1111 to make a reservation.