World Literature: Poet Bertony Louis

Photo Courtesy: Bertony Louis

Meet City of Asylum’s newest Writer-in-Residence, Haitian poet Bertony Louis. Bertony is a poet whose work bridges cultures, languages, and continents. He is the author of Recovering the Horizons (L’Appeau Strophe, 2022) and the widely anthologized poems “Cradle of My Vitality” and “Smile Gone Up in Smoke” (Harvard Review, 2025). Winner of thirteen international poetry awards—including the Castello di Duino Poesia Special Jury Prize and the École de la Loire First Prize—his poetry has been recognized across Europe, North America, and the Caribbean. In this world literature reading, Bertony shares his poetry in conversation with fellow Haitian poet and Executive Director of Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures, Sony Ton-Aime. 

There will be a public reception to follow the program, complete with light refreshments.

About the Artist:

Bertony Louis is a celebrated Haitian poet. He has been the recipient of prestigious fellowships and residencies, including Harvard University’s Scholars at Risk Program, the Artist Protection Fund at the University of Glasgow, the SafeMuse program in Norway, and a Carnegie Mellon University Fellowship (2025–2027). He has held residencies in Germany, Hungary, and Spain, and he is currently a Writer-in-Residence at City of Asylum.

About the Moderator:

Sony Ton-Aime is a Haitian poet, essayist, translator, and Executive Director of Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures. He is the author of the poetry collection, Konbit (2026, CMU Press), the chapbook LaWomann (2019), the Haitian Creole translation of Olympic Hero: The Lennox Kilgour’s Story, and co-founding editor of ID13. His work has appeared and is forthcoming in Artful Dodge, Cream City Review, Idaho Review, Hunger Mountain Review, and Cleveland Review of Books, Consequence Forum, among others.

About Your Visit: 

The in-house restaurant, Cucina Alfabeto, is open for brunch from 9:30 to 2 p.m. and for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Please visit OpenTable or call 412-435-1111 to make a reservation.