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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260707T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260707T203000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260521T185558Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260527T155808Z
UID:10848-1783450800-1783456200@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:Story Club PGH Presents: Story Slam! (Breaking Point)
DESCRIPTION:Since 2022\, it’s been our pleasure to partner with Story Club (created by the former producers of The Moth Pittsburgh) for their monthly nonfiction storytelling series\, Story Slam. Together\, we aim to showcase a diverse range of voices and create a space for stories that resonate across backgrounds\, perspectives\, and experiences. Each month\, we welcome open mic storytellers to the stage to share six-minute tales that tackle a pre-selected theme. This July\, Story Club PGH shatters expectations\, as storytellers take on the theme Breaking Point.  \nEach month\, the top storyteller\, as voted by viewers\, will win a free City of Asylum t-shirt. Learn more here or sign up for an open mic slot at the slam. Not interested in storytelling but still want to participate? Try joining a judging team and help decide the winners instead! \nAbout the Host: \nAlan Olifson is an award-winning humor columnist and comedian and was the regular host of Pittsburgh’s monthly Moth StorySlams. He created the acclaimed storytelling series Wordplay at Bricolage Theater and now produces the new storytelling/talk show Speakeasy at Arcade Comedy Theater. His book\, Manchild: My Life without Adult Supervision\, from Six Gallery Press\, is available wherever you buy books—hopefully somewhere local. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/story-club-pgh-july/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/STORY-CLUB-2026.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260708T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260708T203000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260601T192754Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260602T130903Z
UID:10892-1783537200-1783542600@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:Artist in Exile: Mai Khôi & the Dissidents (Vietnamese Pop)
DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: Renee Copeland. Photo Courtesy: Mai Khôi \nPittsburgh’s resident pop star and powerhouse Mai Khôi is leaving the city and starting her next chapter in Philadelphia—but not without a rockin’ farewell show. The alumna City of Asylum Artist-in-Residence returns with her group\, the Dissidents. \nMai Khôi & the Dissidents was originally formed in 2016 with Vietnamese musicians\, but the group was forced to disband due to government pressure. Khôi herself fled to the US in 2019\, where she has lived in exile ever since. In 2021\, she re-formed Mai Khôi & the Dissidents with American musicians\, alongside pianist and composer Mark Micchelli. The new band features prominent members of Pittsburgh’s jazz\, experimental music\, and activist communities. For this performance\, Mark and Khôi have composed and arranged a powerful style of music that reflects the turmoil of the world and the hope that continues to shine. \nDon’t miss this opportunity to see Mai and Mark in their farewell show and give them a warm sendoff! \n \nFeatured Musicians: \nMai Khôi: vocals \nJeff Siegfried: saxophone \nMark Micchelli: keyboards \nEli Namay: bass \nPJ Roduta: drums \nAbout the Artist: \nAward-winning singer\, composer\, and activist Mai Khôi rose to stardom in 2010 after winning the Vietnam Television Song and Album of the Year awards. As a pop star\, Khôi released seven albums in genres of Vietnamese pop and dance\, and performed on national television. In 2016\, her conscience was stirred after witnessing protests around the Formosa Ha Tin Steel discharge of chemical waste off the coast. Protestors were in the streets demanding transparency from the government. Instead they were subjected to mass arrests and police violence\, which Khôi saw with her own eyes. After this\, growing uncomfortable submitting her work to government censors but finding community with a small group of activists\, Khôi nominated herself to run in the National Assembly elections on a pro-democracy platform. But her activism came at a high price: she had her concerts raided\, was evicted from multiple residences\, and was detained and interrogated by the police. In recognition of her work at the intersection of art and activism\, Khôi was awarded the 2018 Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent and the 2022 Four Freedoms Award for Freedom of Speech. Khôi has continued her activism\, finding that music and performance give her the courage to continue speaking out. She was also a City of Asylum Artist-in-Residence from 2020 to 2022. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe 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. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/artist-in-exile-mai-khoi/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Mai-Khoi-07082026.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260709T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260709T203000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260522T135659Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260601T175325Z
UID:10850-1783623600-1783629000@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:Thursday Night Jazz: Kente Summer Madness Presents the Mark Strickland Quartet
DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: Brian Herman. Photo Courtesy: Kente Arts Alliance \nNothing says summer is here like the arrival of the Kente Summer Madness series at City of Asylum! The first of three concerts kicks off this July with legendary Pittsburgh guitarist Mark Strickland. He has collaborated with some of the jazz scene’s most notable players including Grady Tate\, Groove Holmes\, Michelle Benson\, and Gene Ludwig. In addition\, he has produced or engineered projects for jazz legends like Dizzy Gillespie and Dakota Staton.  \nIn an interview with Jazz Guitar Today\, Mark noted the tenacity of the many “monster players” Pittsburgh’s jazz scene has produced over the years and their influence on his chops as a musician: “You never knew what to expect\, but it kept you sharp!”  \nMark Strickland has been influenced by Wes Montgomery\, Kenny Burrell\, and other jazz and R&B legends.  Currently\, Mark maintains a full-time performance schedule and is also a dedicated music educator. He has taught at the University of Pittsburgh since 2019. At Pitt\, he offers individual guitar lessons and teaches ensemble groups.  \nAbout the Presenter: \nThis program is presented in partnership with Kente Arts Alliance\, an African American arts organization whose mission is to present high-quality art of the African Diaspora.  \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe 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. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/kente-summer-madness-mark-strickland/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/KENTE-SUMMER-MADNESS-MARK-STRICKLAND-07092026.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="City of Asylum":MAILTO:info@cityofasylum.org
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260712T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260712T160000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260612T141333Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260612T141333Z
UID:10931-1783868400-1783872000@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:PGHwrites: Sarah Valentine’s "Decoding the Devil: Black Women Codebreakers and the Secret War Against Stalin’s Bomb" (Book Launch) with Tahirah J. Walker
DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: T&D Photography. Photo Courtesy: HarperCollins. \nSecrecy\, suppression\, and moves made in silence characterized much of the Cold War. Despite this relentless obfuscation\, author and translator Dr. Sarah Valentine worked tirelessly to bring one crucial story to the light: that of the Black American female cryptologists whose top-secret work led directly to the US victory over the USSR.  \n“I wish Decoding the Devil was required reading…this book shows us the seams and man-making of a patriotic narrative usually sold to us as divine. Like Zora Neal Hurston loves us\, Sarah Valentine loves us enough to tell the truth about our humanity inside of purposefully inhumane American institutions.” —Steven Dunn\, author of Water & Power \nFacing the global threat of a rising Communist world power in the aftermath of World War II\, the US employed hundreds of Black Americans to speed-read Russian communications and gather essential information on the nation’s most dangerous nuclear rival. The result was the creation of a segregated civilian codebreaking unit known as the Traffic Processing Division—The Plantation.  \nDespite wage discrimination\, grueling hours\, strict quotas\, and harsh conditions\, the Plantation’s 100 college-educated Black women made invaluable breakthroughs in the United States’s Soviet intelligence even as the Red Scare and the backlash against civil rights eroded their democratic freedoms at home.  \nWith a fresh perspective\, Sarah uses Decoding the Devil to tell their remarkable story in full for the first time\, paying long-overdue tribute to these little-known Black cryptologists’ critical contributions to national security during the civil rights era.  \nThis reading and discussion will be followed by a public reception with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks for all attendees.  \nYou can purchase a copy of Sarah’s book\, Decoding the Devil\, at City of Asylum Bookstore. \nAbout the Author: \nSarah Valentine\, Ph.D.\, is a widely published author and translator. In 2013\, she was a Lannan Foundation Writers Fellow and has taught literature and creative writing at Princeton\, University of California–Los Angeles\, University of California–Riverside\, and Northwestern University. In her memoir\, When I Was White\, she recounts growing up in Pittsburgh as a mixed-race African American in a white family who kept her identity a closely held secret. She lives in Pittsburgh. \nAbout the Moderator:  \nTahirah J. Walker is a writer and teacher whose work explores the intersections of Black womanhood\, community\, and expression. She holds a doctorate in rhetorical studies and currently serves as chair of the Department of Community Engagement and Leadership at Point Park University in downtown Pittsburgh. Her work is influenced by the brilliance and insight of Yona Harvey\, Brian Broome\, Deesha Philyaw\, Damon Young\, Tony Norman\, Kendra Ross\, and INEZ. Tahirah endeavors to reflect the vibrant and unapologetic voices that make Pittsburgh feel like home. She is a two-time recipient of the Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh grant\, an honor that continues to shape and support her creative projects. Tahirah cherishes her family roles\, especially those of mother and partner. She believes in exercising the power of joy as resistance. Despite this fullness of heart\, she is still processing the tragic day when Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour stop in Pittsburgh was canceled. She has moved forward with grace\, sarcasm\, and a healthy amount of self-care items from her favorite shop\, Plants for Skin. Tahirah has lived in and around Pittsburgh for over 25 years. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe 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. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/pghwrites-sarah-valentines-decoding-the-devil-black-women-codebreakers-and-the-secret-war-against-stalins-bomb-book-launch-with-tahirah-j-walker/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Reading
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SARAH-VALENTINE-07122026.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260713T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260713T210000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260521T154938Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260615T183748Z
UID:10835-1783969200-1783976400@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:Chamber Music Pittsburgh Presents: The Cowboy Evolves — Journeys Through the Music of the Americas
DESCRIPTION:Photo Courtesy: Chamber Music Pittsburgh \nChamber Music Pittsburgh marks the US Semiquincentennial by celebrating the histories\, voices\, and viewpoints of pan-American creators\, performed by artists from throughout the Americas who have made Pittsburgh their home. Featuring music by composers from the United States\, Uruguay\, and Brazil\, concert curator Carlos Clark\, Paul J. Ross Fellow at the Pittsburgh Symphony\, interweaves storytelling and performance\, illuminating the complex and evolving identities of the featured composers. This concert offers a colorful\, vibrant vision of hope and discovery\, and provides a uniquely personal reflection on our complex history. \nMiguel del Aguila’s “Malambo” explores the cowboy’s mindset\, a powerful tool that has helped shape this country’s image. This introspection extends into the private life of Heitor Villa-Lobos\, through works that analyze the contrasting influences of the two most pivotal women in his life: his mother\, Noêmia\, and his first wife\, Lucília Guimarães\, who was instrumental in his rise as a national icon. Through the power of love\, their closing piece\, “Meeelaan” by Wynton Marsalis\, will give a realistic path to American survival\, envisioning a more emotive and connected journey for men. \nThis program is a part of Pittsburgh Performs\, a four-part concert series hosted by Chamber Music Pittsburgh in four different venues. Pittsburgh Performs highlights innovative local and regional musicians and is a central part of Chamber Music Pittsburgh’s mission to celebrate the diverse range of genres\, instrumentation\, and eras that chamber music represents.  \nProgram: \nFlorence Price \nAdoration \nFantasy #1 \nMiguel del Águila \nMalambo \nPreludio No. 2 (1913) \nVilla-Lobos \nDivagação (1946) \nPreludio No. 2 (1913) \nWynton Marsalis \nMeeelaan \nFeatured Musicians: \nAmaury Morales: piano \nJennifer Orchard: violin \nOmari Abdul-Alim: violin \nSean Juhl: viola \nBronwyn Banerdt: cello \nCarlos Clark: bassoon \nAbout the Curator: \nCarlos Clark is a bassoonist from Belleville\, MI. Along with being principal bassoon of The Atlanta Opera\, Carlos plays frequently with orchestras throughout the Midwest and Southeastern US. Mr. Clark studied under William Buchman\, Keith Buncke\, and Miles Manor of the Chicago Symphony. He also earned his bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University under MaryBeth Minnis. \nAbout Chamber Music Pittsburgh: \nSince 1961\, Chamber Music Pittsburgh (CMP) has provided Pittsburgh audiences with the opportunity to hear the world’s finest chamber music artists. CMP serves Pittsburgh’s many communities through a variety of series and programs\, including its MainStage Live subscription series; its Pittsburgh Performs series featuring Pittsburgh artists in unusual venues outside of the traditional concert hall setting; and its free\, need-based musical instrument lending library\, administered in partnership with East Liberty’s Hope Academy of Music and the Arts. Each CMP season features a carefully balanced menu of acclaimed chamber ensembles and brilliant emerging groups\, performing traditional musical masterpieces as well as contemporary\, intercultural\, and crossover compositions. Chamber Music Pittsburgh remains a vital element of cultural life in Pittsburgh and is recognized throughout the classical music world. The 2026–2027 MainStage Live Season is entitled “Revolutions: A Radical Returning” and takes as its inspiration from the music of Ludwig van Beethoven\, a revolutionary of his time who helped reshape classical music.  \n \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe in-house restaurant\, Cucina Alfabeto\, is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/chamber-music-pittsburgh/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Landscape-Carlos-Clark-Program-2-PHOTO-COURTESY-Chamber-Music-Pittsburgh-scaled.png
ORGANIZER;CN="City of Asylum":MAILTO:info@cityofasylum.org
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260714T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260714T200000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260609T182205Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260702T181654Z
UID:10919-1784055600-1784059200@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:On Topic: America at 250 — Growing Old in America with Lucy Schiller ("Aging Out") and Jason England
DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: Court Kessler. Photo Courtesy: Flatiron Books. \nWhen a global pandemic put the world in a standstill\, the fallout pushed everyone toward connection. Or at least\, that’s what one would expect. In the United States\, the pandemic revealed and exacerbated a brutal truth we often ignore: that growing old in the States often means getting left behind.  \nWith Aging Out: An Exploration of Caregiving\, Community\, and How Americans Grow Old (July 14)\, author Lucy Schiller presents a stunning and deeply personal investigation into the current state of eldercare and what it means to grow old in America. Unlike many other cultures\, our collective stance toward older people in the United States has long been one of casual avoidance and neglect. This attitude became brutally clear during the height of the COVID pandemic\, when too many people saw elderly deaths not as tragedies but as foregone conclusions. \nLucy experienced this callousness firsthand when her grandmother passed away during the pandemic. In the wake of this trauma\, propelled by equal parts grief and curiosity about her own fear of aging\, she embarked on an investigative journey to understand why the prospect of aging is so frightening and how being “old” in America intersects with class\, race\, disability\, and public policy. \nWhile the book addresses nationwide issues\, Pittsburgh residents should pay special attention to this impactful new work\, as it is deeply informed by the author’s time living and conducting research in Pittsburgh.  \nThis reading and conversation will be followed by an audience Q&A and a public reception with complimentary drinks and snacks for all in-person attendees.  \nYou can purchase a copy of Lucy’s book\, Aging Out\, at City of Asylum Bookstore. \nAbout the Author: \nLucy Schiller is a nonfiction writer. Her work has been published at the Columbia Journalism Review\, The New Yorker\, The Iowa Review\, West Branch\, Speculative Nonfiction\, DIAGRAM\, and elsewhere. She was the Olive B. O’Connor Fellow in Nonfiction at Colgate University (2020–2021) and the Provost’s Visiting Writer in Nonfiction at the University of Iowa (2018–2019). She received her MFA from the University of Iowa’s Nonfiction Writing Program\, where she was an Iowa Arts Fellow. She is an assistant professor of nonfiction at Grinnell College. \nAbout the Moderator: \nJason England was born and raised in New York City\, where he spent his youth between a welfare hotel for the homeless in Times Square and a Harlem housing project. He has been a soda salesperson\, a camp counselor\, a parking lot attendant\, a waiter\, a bartender\, a civil rights activist\, a dean of college admissions\, and has taught at the University of Iowa\, the University of Wisconsin\, and Carnegie Mellon University\, where he spent the past 7 years. His short fiction has been anthologized\, and his writing on race\, meritocracy\, education\, sports\, film\, and culture has appeared and been cited in various academic journals\, books\, and publications\, including The New York Times\, The Chronicle of Higher Education\, Rolling Stone\, Sports Illustrated\, and Defector. His memoir\, The Cause of the Fatherless\, is forthcoming from Doubleday.  \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe in-house restaurant\, Cucina Alfabeto\, is closed on Tuesdays\, but there will be a public reception with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks following the program. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/on-topic-growing-old-in-america/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Reading
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ON-TOPIC-LUCY-SCHILLER-07142026-1.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260716T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260716T203000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260522T184952Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260527T155139Z
UID:10854-1784228400-1784233800@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:Thursday Night Jazz: Iconic Vocalist Etta Cox
DESCRIPTION:How lucky are we to welcome back the incomparable Etta Cox to City of Asylum for a splendid summer night of captivating vocals? This July\, the eight-time winner of “Best Jazz Vocalist” in Pittsburgh and Steel City icon brings her unequaled stage presence and vocal prowess to Alphabet City. For decades\, Etta has kept audiences rapt with her genre-crossing and transformative performances. This summer\, Etta will regale audiences with beloved jazz tracks and reimagined hidden gems. And there’s no need to wonder if she will perform your favorite songs—attendees are encouraged to come prepared with song requests! \nFeatured musicians: \nEtta Cox: vocals \nAl Dowe\, Jr: tenor sax \nMark Strickland: guitar \nBenjamin May: bass \nJohn Korpiel: drums \nAbout the Artist: \nEtta Cox\, originally from St. Joseph\, Missouri\, has performed in the tri-state area for many years. She has appeared on Broadway in I Love My Wife with Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs\, The 1940s Radio Hour with Dee Dee Bridgewater\, as well as the starring role in Showtime’s production of The Me Nobody Knows. She is well remembered for her starring roles in Ken Gargaro’s production of Beehive and the Shakespeare Festival’s Two Gentlemen of Verona. She and Al Dowe have been performing not only in the Pittsburgh area\, but New York\, Atlantic City\, and Key West\, Florida. They were also the co-owners of the popular jazz club DOWE’S ON 9TH. She and Mr. Dowe made a premiere performance with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater’s production of Smokin’ Roses\, with performances at Pittsburgh’s Byham Theater\, August Wilson Theatre\, and Wolf Trap. Etta was voted “Best Jazz Vocalist” in Pittsburgh for eight consecutive years\, has received the Harry Schwalb Award for Excellence in the Arts\, was selected as one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Pittsburgh by Pittsburgh Magazine\, and was voted Performer of the Year by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette\, to name just a few of her many accolades. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe 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. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/thursday-night-jazz-iconic-vocalist-etta-cox-2/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ETTA-COX-07162026.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="City of Asylum":MAILTO:info@cityofasylum.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260721T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260721T200000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20251219T182339Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260702T181759Z
UID:10395-1784660400-1784664000@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:On Topic: America at 250 — Free Expression in America with Jacob Mchangama & Nadine Strossen
DESCRIPTION:Nadine Strossen\, New York Law School Professor Emerita and former president of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)\, and Jacob Mchangama\, the Founder and Executive Director of The Future of Free Speech\, discuss the history and ongoing importance of free expression in our republic. By tracing the Enlightenment origins of free speech\, unpacking the history of the First Amendment\, and exploring how the Supreme Court has applied these timeless principles to thorny legal issues\, these free speech experts will provide salient background and context to current controversies and highlight the centrality of free expression to the maintenance of democratic government. This program will be moderated by Julie Silverbrook\, Vice President of Civic Education at the National Constitution Center. \nProgram presented in partnership with the National Constitution Center. The Center brings together people and perspectives\, across America and around the world\, to learn about\, debate\, and celebrate the greatest vision of human freedom in history\, the US Constitution. \nAbout the Authors: \nJacob Mchangama is the Founder and Executive Director of The Future of Free Speech. He is a research professor at Vanderbilt University and a Senior Fellow at The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). In 2018\, he was a visiting scholar at Columbia’s Global Freedom of Expression Center. He has commented extensively on free speech and human rights in outlets including the Washington Post\, the Wall Street Journal\, The Economist\, Foreign Affairs\, and Foreign Policy. Jacob has published in academic and peer-reviewed journals\, including Human Rights Quarterly\, Policy Review\, and Amnesty International’s Strategic Studies. He is the producer and narrator of the podcast “Clear and Present” Danger: A History of Free Speech and the critically acclaimed book Free Speech: A History From Socrates to Social Media\, published by Basic Books in 2022. He is the co-author of The Future of Free Speech: Reversing the Global Decline of Democracy’s Most Essential Freedom (forthcoming 2026). He has received numerous awards for his work on free speech and human rights.  \nNadine Strossen\, New York Law School Professor Emerita and Senior Fellow at FIRE (the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression)\, was President of the American Civil Liberties Union from 1991 to 2008. An internationally acclaimed free speech scholar and advocate\, who regularly addresses diverse audiences and provides media commentary around the world\, Strossen serves on the advisory boards of the ACLU and several academic freedom/free speech organizations. She is the Host and Project Consultant for Free To Speak\, a three-hour documentary film series distributed on public television in 2023. Her most recent books are: The War On Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech—And Why They Fail (coauthored with FIRE President Greg Lukianoff) (2025); Free Speech: What Everyone Needs to Know (2023); and HATE: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech\, Not Censorship (2018). In 2023\, Strossen received the National Coalition Against Censorship’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Free Speech. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe in-house restaurant\, Cucina Alfabeto\, is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/on-topic-free-expression-with-jacob-mchangama-nadine-strossen/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Reading
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/JULY-2026-WEB-IMAGES.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260723T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260723T203000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260527T150708Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260610T162622Z
UID:10857-1784833200-1784838600@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:Thursday Night Jazz: Steve Ippolito's Minimalist Improvisational Roots Sounds
DESCRIPTION:Photo Courtesy: Steve Ippolito \nSteve Ippolito was born with a pair of drumsticks in hand—or at least that’s how he plays. And while he might not have been born playing the drums\, his connection to percussion dates back as far as he can remember. In an interview with WYEP\, Steve says\, “I’ve been playing drums almost my whole life. I can remember as far back as age three or four at my parents’ house in New Jersey\, I had a pair of Zildjian brand sticks in my hand that my grandparents bought me…I didn’t get on my first drum set until I was 12\, but knew almost immediately it was something I’d have in my life forever.” \nThis July\, Steve and his fellow trio members\, Brad Fritcher and Denzel Chismar-Oliver\, pull from modern jazz and electronic music to create something even greater than the sum of its parts in the form of fully improvised tunes. \n \nFeatured Musicians: \nBrad Fritcher: trumpet\, effects\, electronics \nDenzel Chismar-Oliver: bass \nSteve Ippolito: drums \nAbout the Artist: \nSteve Ippolito is a drummer and composer based in Pittsburgh\, PA\, known for his genre-blending compositions and improvisational sound. He has established a reputation for creating music that transcends traditional genres\, earning praise from the press and audiences alike for his ability to craft emotionally resonant\, intricate musical landscapes. His debut album\, Continuum\, is an exploration of the continuous ebb and flow of life\, capturing the ever-evolving nature of time\, emotion\, and self-discovery. The album brings together elements of modern jazz\, electronic\, ambient\, and pop music\, seamlessly woven into an intricate\, multi-layered narrative that reflects the complexity of the human experience. Each track is a movement within a larger whole\, inviting listeners to journey through a spectrum of moods\, textures\, and tempos. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe 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. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/thursday-night-jazz-steve-ippolito/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/STEVE-IPPOLITO-07232026.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260727T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260727T203000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260602T141047Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260602T141047Z
UID:10896-1785178800-1785184200@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:World Literature: Dimitry Elias Léger's "Death of the Soccer God" (Haiti) with Anderson Tepper
DESCRIPTION:Gilbert Chevalier’s life is a mid-century miracle: wealthy\, handsome\, beloved by every woman he meets\, and blessed with incomparable talents on the soccer field. And it’s all about to end. Enter the enthralling world of Dimitry Elias Leger’s Death of the Soccer God\, in which a global soccer star’s epic ride to the 1950 World Cup places him in shooting distance of his dreams and his own death. \n“Léger’s novel can join the canon of tongue-in-cheek novels about the sports world\, a small group of novels to be sure\, but an illustrious one… just as much a portrait of the athlete as it is the world that created him.” —Malavika Praseed\, Chicago Review of Books \nWhen Gilbert’s father makes him swear off soccer to focus on his studies\, he leaves the bourgeois comforts of Port-au-Prince high society and moves to the dizzying\, jazz-soaked streets of Harlem to attend Columbia University. But\, scrimmaging in Central Park\, he’s spotted by the US National Team’s coach and is recruited to play for the Americans in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. And then he flies too close to the sun. \nGil’s unraveling is the wild stuff of myth: a plea to God for salvation; secret messages smuggled across continents; lovers shuffled\, scorned\, and reclaimed; and journeys past the veil between our world and the afterlife. From the Caribbean to the States\, to South America and back\, Gil’s adventures are lush and lurid\, and delivered with a breathless\, breakneck pace synonymous with the world’s most popular sport. \nDeath of the Soccer God is a passionate and improbable love story\, and a roaring Pan-American tale about the price of fame. It is a heady dance between life and death\, an answer to the eternal question: can love save us? \nAbout the Author: \nDimitry Elias Léger is the author of God Loves Haiti\, a finalist for the PEN Open Book Award. His writing has appeared in The New York Times\, Time\, Fortune\, Granta\, The Miami Herald\, Literary Hub\, The Millions\, and The Source. Beyond his writing\, Léger studied geopolitics at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and served as an advisor to the United Nations for a decade. He lives between Brooklyn\, Geneva\, and Martinique. \nAbout the Moderator: \nAnderson Tepper is a guest curator of PEN America’s World Voices Festival and a longstanding member of the Brooklyn Book Festival’s Literary Council and international committee. Formerly of Vanity Fair\, his writing on books and authors has appeared in The New York Times\, The Los Angeles Times\, The Atlantic\, and World Literature Today\, among other publications. Anderson also serves on City of Asylum’s Advisory Board. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe in-house restaurant\, Cucina Alfabeto\, is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays\, but a cash wine bar will be available. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/world-literature-dimitry-elias-leger/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Reading
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dimitry-Elias-Leger-07272026.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260728T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260728T200000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260609T215347Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260702T153258Z
UID:10922-1785265200-1785268800@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:Artist in Exile: Fatimah Asghar’s "Daughter of the Mountains: Poems of Heartbreak and Homecoming"
DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: Ciera Dunbar. Photo Courtesy: Penguin Random House. \nIn an interview with The Adroit Journal\, Jazz Poetry 2024 poet and author of the collection If They Come For Us\, Fatimah Asghar\, shared a glimpse into the ache in their heart: “The best imaginary museum I’ve never visited would be a museum dedicated to my parents and my family\, in Kashmir. I’m an orphan\, and my family was forced to migrate from Kashmir during the Partition of India\, which led to the subsequent creation of Pakistan. I’ve always longed to know more about my family\, my culture\, and my parents. I’d love a place\, one single place\, where I could walk in and gain all that knowledge.” \nFatimah’s sophomore collection\, Daughter of the Mountains: Poems of Heartbreak and Homecoming\, navigates the reality that tears them away from this imaginary museum\, and how they have learned to survive and build something new in its wake. In it\, Fatimah unweaves residual grief and reckons with their relationship to Allah\, to long-estranged but deeply loved kin\, to the landscape of their ancestors\, and to love itself. The result is a tender\, searching collection of meditative poems that grapples with multiple facets of fulfillment and breaks open notions of faith to ask how an alienated daughter can find love and a home in the world. \nWith wisps of humor\, imagery that is as beautiful as it is startling\, and powerfully disruptive formal invention\, this is an intimately lyrical and explosive collection from one of the most compelling voices of our time. \nYou can purchase a copy of Fatimah’s book\, Daughter of the Mountains\, at City of Asylum Bookstore. \nAbout the Author: \nFatimah Asghar\, author of If They Come for Us\, is a poet\, filmmaker\, educator\, and performer. They are the writer and co-creator of Brown Girls\, an Emmy-nominated web series that highlights friendships between women of color. They were also a co-producer on Ms. Marvel for Disney + and wrote the episode “Time And Again.” Along with Safia Elhillo\, they are the editor of Halal If You Hear Me\, an anthology that celebrates Muslim writers who are also women\, queer\, gender-nonconforming\, and/or trans. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe in-house restaurant\, Cucina Alfabeto\, is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays\, but there will be a public reception with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks following the program. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/artist-in-exile-fatimah-asghar/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Reading
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/FATIMAH-ASHGAR-07282026.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260729T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260729T203000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260602T195216Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260602T195216Z
UID:10903-1785351600-1785357000@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:World of Music: Bombici (Mutant Balkan Dance Music)
DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: Craig Thompson. Photo Courtesy: Bombici. \nAllow yourselves to be dazzled by the exciting and unfamiliar time signatures of Balkan folk songs and dances with music collective Bombici. Performing in a style that sometimes nods to New York’s late-70s no-wave scene and other times evinces tenderness and care\, Bombici is an experimental electroacoustic collective that explores sounds and improvisation through Western and non-Western musical practices. \n \nBombici are pioneers of using real-time live sound processing to create powerful augmented musical realities. Inspired by artists like Sun Ra\, Lee “Scratch” Perry\, and Glenn Branca\, Bombici forges a path into new sonic frontiers. Formed in 2017 in Pittsburgh\, Pennsylvania\, they have performed in various configurations in concert halls\, radical music festivals\, dive bars\, under bridges\, and on street corners. Their album Live at Studio B (Adhyaropa Records\, November 2024) was recorded in July 2023 at WQED Studios in Pittsburgh\, PA (the studio home of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood)\, in front of a live audience with real-time audio processing on all instruments.  \nFeatured Musicians: \nColter Harper: guitar \nBen Opie: soprano saxophone \nRich Randall: tapan \nJesse Stiles: electronics \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe 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. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/world-of-music-bombici-mutant-balkan-dance-music/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/BOMBICI-07-29-2026.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260730T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260730T203000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260529T150858Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260601T130505Z
UID:10884-1785438000-1785443400@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:Thursday Night Jazz: Kente Summer Madness Presents Thomas Wendt Quintet Celebrates Thad Mosley
DESCRIPTION:Photo Courtesy: Kente Arts Alliance \nA graduate of the Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts\, Thomas Wendt has been a professional musician since the age of 14. Based in Pittsburgh\, Tom is an active member of the current local jazz scene\, playing drums for groups led by such notables as Joe \nNegri\, Dwayne Dolphin\, Mark Strickland\, and the Latin Jazz group Salsamba. In addition\, he also leads his own groups\, including his sextet\, Firm Roots. Tom is also a member of the well-established Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra. In addition\, he has played with many internationally known Jazz greats like Clark Terry\, Donald Byrd\, and Jimmy Heath. \nLike most jazz musicians\, “going out on the road” is not uncommon for Tom. He has played with NEA Jazz Master Hubert Laws at several major Jazz festivals. He has recorded with Gene Ludwig\, Maureen Budway\, and many other artists. \nAs a top-notch musician able to jump between bebop\, hard bop\, Latin\, or swing\, it’s no surprise that Tom keeps busy! The loyal fans who come out to support him in his many performances describe him as versatile\, expressive\, and soulful. \nAbout the Presenter: \nThis program is presented in partnership with Kente Arts Alliance\, an African American arts organization whose mission is to present high-quality arts of the African Diaspora. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe 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. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/thursday-night-jazz-kente-summer-madness-presents-thomas-wendt/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/KENTE-SUMMER-MADNESS-TOM-WENDT-07302026-1.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260802T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260802T160000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260623T182813Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260626T143229Z
UID:10966-1785682800-1785686400@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:PGHwrites: "unmade place" (Sound-Text Experiments) with Varun Ravindran\, 7D & Dade Lemanski\, Viii Dorsey & Drew Collins\, trē seguritan abalos & Jenna Peng
DESCRIPTION:Photo Credits: Paul Peng\, Art by Sweater Photography\, Ocean Capewell\, Trever D. Crush\, Troxum. \nPhoto Courtesies: Jenna Peng\, Vii Dorsey\, Dade Lemanski\, trē seguritan abalos\, Drew Collins\, 7D. \nunmade place is a space for experiments in sonifying text and textualizing sound. Curated by sound improviser trē seguritan abalos\, the series features local improvisers and poets in bookstores\, basements\, and coffee shops across Pittsburgh. This iteration will feature reading-performances by Varun Ravindran\, 7D and Dade Lemanski\, Viii Dorsey and Drew Collins\, and trē seguritan abalos and Jenna Peng.  \nCurator Notes: \ntrē: I began the series as research in disrupting abstraction when sound remains a sound\, when instances of playing do not instantly signify body\, place\, time. To improvise as insistence on time and its unmaking\, to play as displacement—beyond this\, what other forms of movement are possible (as body and not\, in fractals or retraced) as language is morphed and submerged within sound? What does the presence of a voice convey or what can it erase?  \nJenna: I didn’t know it’d be so hard to be a sound and not just words on a page. These are words said by an interlocutor of Jota Mombaça in her art film Waterwill. As a writer\, I am an improviser. As an improviser\, I started increasingly going to experimental sound shows\, where I’d see a performer throw lozenges (acorns) at her violin\, or watch a man who was really a busted radio\, or listen to trē sound not unlike themself—traces of sound happening to a body // a body tracing space. Listening\, I felt most distinctly that language was an instrument\, to be played and not just played with. I looked toward polyphony\, free jazz\, and noise for ways of organizing language\, the way sound organizes itself\, the way sound can organize the self. Because\, as Varun says\, “Every moment is polyphonic.” Every I is murmuration\, words overlapping quiet\, quiet lapping silence (think: running\, think: water). I’m trying to hold it all open without coming only apart. \nThis program is followed by a public reception with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks for all attendees and artists.  \nAbout the Artists: \n7D is a multi-instrumentalist composer\, performer\, and recording artist living and working in Pittsburgh\, PA. Their body of work moves across experimental music\, noise\, film composition\, sculptural performance\, and poetry. 7D will be using piano and tapes to score a reading by Dade Lemanski. This ongoing collaboration explores visceral histories with secrets only revealed where the reading voice and the non-words of sound meet. \ntrē seguritan abalos (tree) is a sound improviser and child of Filipino immigrants from San Jose\, CA\, who often plays with flutes\, found objects\, and field recordings. As a collaborator trē’s playing ranges from live sound collage and film scores to ambient soundscapes and free jazz. Drawing from studies with devon osamu tipp\, Susie Ibarra\, and Alberto Almarza\, their sound merges classical techniques with deep listening and free improvisation into textural evocations of dis/placement and examinations of breath. Projects include live scores for Pittsburgh Sound + Image; performances for JADED\, Anthropology of Motherhood\, and Trust Visual Arts; experimental duo “pterratactl” with Petra Floyd; durational electroacoustic soundscapes with Herman Pearl at PearlArts Movement & Sound and How Things Are Made at The Space Upstairs; live music for Confluence Ballet by Joshua Malavé; and other forms of research in listening rooms and space for works-in-progress. \nDrew Collins completed their master’s in double bass performance at Carnegie Mellon University\, studying under Micah Howard. Born in Cincinnati\, OH\, and reared in Columbus\, OH\, Drew began playing double bass in fourth grade in elementary school. By the sixth grade\, they also joined the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra and by eighth grade\, the Urban Strings Columbus Youth Orchestra until they finished high school. Drew spent a summer abroad and multiple summers at Interlochen Center for the Arts. They attended the Cleveland Institute of Music for their undergraduate education\, studying under Derek Zadinsky. Drew is a passionate electric bass player as well\, collaborating with many different musicians. They have worked in free improv\, jazz\, funk\, gospel\, and psychedelic rock. \nViii Dorsey is an interdisciplinary audio-visual collage artist and medicinal sound (folk) scientist from Pittsburgh\, PA\, with an eclectic style and experimental approach. Getting her start in poetry\, speech-language pathology\, holistic wellness\, and sound-healing and frequency therapy\, Viii offers a unique perspective fusing together multi-layered combinations of sounds\, symbols\, and concepts to convey the abstract reflections and ponderings of the heart with fluidity and versatility. Viii weaves a multitude of mediums into conversation with each other through an Afro-futuristic lens on time and space. Her creative practice often centers around themes of origins\, overcoming\, luminescence\, and liberation. Viii embodies an approach to art that is as unbounded as the freedom we seek for ourselves. \nDade Lemanski is a writer\, teacher\, and nightlife worker. Their writing on whiteness\, Jewishness\, Appalachia\, and desire has appeared in Public Books\, World Literature Today\, and In geveb: A Journal of Yiddish Studies\, as well as in the anthologies A Rainbow Thread: An Anthology of Queer Jewish Texts from the First Century to 1969 and There Is Nothing So Whole as a Broken Heart: Mending the World as Jewish Anarchists. They write the newsletter SINKHOLE//GLORYHOLE and more recently have collaborated with friends and sound artists around Pittsburgh. Their first book\, Full Life Full Agonies\, is forthcoming from the University Press of Kentucky. \nJenna Peng writes poetry and criticism\, often both at the same time. Her writing circles otherness\, closeness\, and aloneness\, compelled/repelled by the kinds of things we do to/for each other. She indulges in writing about writing\, thinking about thinking\, not knowing about knowing\, and is in search of a Center for Stray Thought. As part of the collective Jenn E. Zhang (with other half Elina Zhang)\, she co-curates Read-Shifting Web\, an Asian diasporic reading room\, and co-teaches Anti-Ante-Auntie-Seminars\, writing workshops in response to art shows. Across her practices\, she is intent on learning how to play well with others. \nVarun Ravindran was born in Chennai\, India. His debut\, Betweenness\, was published in 2025 via Baobab Press. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe 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. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/pghwrites-sound-text-experiments/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SOUND-TEXT-EXPERIMENTS-08022026.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260804T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260804T203000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260602T175055Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260602T175055Z
UID:10900-1785870000-1785875400@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:Story Club PGH Presents: Story Slam! (No Turning Back)
DESCRIPTION:Since 2022\, it’s been our pleasure to partner with Story Club (created by the former producers of The Moth Pittsburgh) for their monthly nonfiction storytelling series\, Story Slam. Together\, we aim to showcase a diverse range of voices and create a space for stories that resonate across backgrounds\, perspectives\, and experiences. Each month\, we welcome open-mic storytellers to the stage to share six-minute tales that tackle a preselected theme. This August\, Story Club PGH keeps its eyes on the horizon\, as storytellers take on the theme No Turning Back.  \nEach month\, the top storyteller\, as voted by viewers\, will win a free City of Asylum t-shirt. Learn more here or sign up for an open mic slot at the slam. Not interested in storytelling but still want to participate? Try joining a judging team and help decide the winners instead! \nAbout the Host: \nAlan Olifson is an award-winning humor columnist and comedian and was the regular host of Pittsburgh’s monthly Moth StorySlams. He created the acclaimed storytelling series Wordplay at Bricolage Theater and now produces the new storytelling/talk show Speakeasy at Arcade Comedy Theater. His book\, Manchild: My Life without Adult Supervision\, from Six Gallery Press\, is available wherever you buy books—hopefully somewhere local. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe in-house bar at Cucina Alfabeto will be open for drinks only. Seating in the restaurant and bar is available on a first-come\, first-served basis. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/story-club-pgh-presents-story-slam-no-turning-back/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/STORY-CLUB-2026-1.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260805T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260805T203000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260612T144549Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260612T144549Z
UID:10934-1785956400-1785961800@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:World of Music: Bealtaine (Celtic Folk)
DESCRIPTION:Photo Courtesy: Bealtaine. \nThis August\, allow the sounds of uilleann piping and the bodhrán to carry you into the heart of Ireland and Scotland\, following the deft navigation and instrumentation of Pittsburgh-based folk band Bealtaine. \nSince starting in 2018\, Bealtaine has grown from playing in the corners of pubs to taking the main stage at festivals\, always searching for new ways to make their mark. Their performances feature instruments audiences would be hard-pressed to find in your standard concert sets\, including the uilleann pipes (a particular kind of Irish bagpipes) and the bodhrán\, an ancient Irish percussion instrument similar to a tambourine. With roots in Irish and Scottish folk\, songs from the Canadian Maritimes\, trad tunes\, and working-class anthems\, they strive to keep traditions alive while borrowing influence from the modern world. \n \nFeatured Musicians: \nGeorge White: bouzouki\, mandocello\, vocals \nConor Freeland: uilleann Pipes\, whistles\, vocals \nBill Buchko: bodhrán\, cajon \nAndy Morrison: banjo\, mandolin\, guitar\, vocals \nDylan Rooke: guitar\, bass\, vocals \nAbout the Artist: \nBealtaine has performed at many festivals (Pittsburgh Irish Festival\, Erie Irish Festival\, Mahoning Valley Irish Festival\, Millvale Music Festival\, Ford City Ethnic Fest\, Pittsburgh Oktoberfest\, Minerva Evening of Celtic Music\, and more)\, playing shows with artists such as The Friel Sisters\, The Longest Johns\, The Tossers\, The Screaming Orphans\, Flatfoot 56\, Enda Reilly\, and many others. Thrice nominated for the Pittsburgh City Paper’s Best of the Burgh (2nd place Best World/International Artist 2023 & 2024\, 3rd place Best Folk Artist)\, featured on KDKA’s Pittsburgh Today Live and local radio\, they hope to continue their growth as a band and bring their music to the world. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe 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. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/world-of-music-bealtaine-celtic-folk/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/BEALTAINE-08052026.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260806T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260806T203000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260612T153847Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260612T153924Z
UID:10937-1786042800-1786048200@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:Thursday Night Jazz: Colter Harper Quintet Celebrates the Music of Brazilian Singer-Songwriter & Activist Caetano Veloso
DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: Doug Lever. Photo Courtesy: Colter Harper. \nMusician\, ethnomusicologist\, and author of the incredible ode to Pittsburgh’s jazz history Jazz in the Hill\, Colter Harper takes to the Alphabet City stage this summer to celebrate the life and music of Caetano Veloso. \nVeloso was a noted member of the Tropicália arts movement who brought together jazz\, American pop music\, and Brazilian pop music in a time when democracy was collapsing in 1960s Brazil. The then–military dictatorship in Brazil saw Veloso’s work as subversive\, and he was ultimately imprisoned and exiled. But even this could not snuff out the impact of his work and legacy—Veloso later returned to Brazil and won nine Latin Grammys and two US Grammys. \nFeatured musicians: \nColter Harper: guitar\, percussion\, vocals \nKelsey Robinson: vocals\, percussion \nJosé Luis Martins: piano \nTony DePaolis: bass \nLucas Ashby: percussion\, drums \nAbout the Artist: \nColter Harper is a musicologist\, musician\, and teacher. His book Jazz in the Hill: Nightlife and Narratives of a Pittsburgh Neighborhood (University Press of Mississippi\, 2024) delves into the history of Pittsburgh jazz clubs as sites of entrepreneurialism\, placemaking\, labor organizing\, and critical listening in the storied Hill District neighborhood. His research has appeared in journals including Jazz Perspectives\, South African Music Studies\, International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives\, African Performance Review\, and Fretboard Journal. Colter is a versatile guitarist and composer who owes a great deal to Pittsburgh’s musical community as well as his experiences traveling\, performing\, and studying in West Africa\, Brazil\, and Europe. In 2007\, Colter joined the multi-platinum-selling\, world music–influenced rock band Rusted Root as a guitarist\, percussionist\, and vocalist. He recorded on the band’s latest albums\, Stereo Rodeo and The Movement\, and performed with the band nationally until the summer of 2013. In 2018\, Colter served as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Ghana\, where he created a music production teaching facility for the Department of Music. Colter is currently an assistant teaching professor in the University at Buffalo’s Department of Music\, where he develops courses in popular music and music technology. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe 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. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/thursday-night-jazz-colter-harper-quintet/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/COLTER-HARPER-08062026.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260809T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260809T160000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260623T184742Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T184742Z
UID:10969-1786287600-1786291200@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:World Literature: Karen Tei Yamashita’s “Questions 27 & 28” with Anderson Tepper
DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: Chris Hardy. Photo Courtesy: Graywolf Press. \nIn 1942\, shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor\, President Roosevelt issued an executive order authorizing the Secretary of War to remove 120\,000 Japanese Americans from their homes on the West Coast and place them in concentration camps. To be considered for release\, they were required to answer the so-called “loyalty questionnaire.” Answering these questions caused volatile divisions within the camps\, tore families and friends apart\, and had lasting repercussions in the decades postwar. \nIn her new novel\, Questions 27 & 28—named for the two most controversial questions in the form—Karen Tei Yamashita mixes fact with fiction to give voice to laborers\, artists\, scholars\, informants\, and activists who\, over three generations\, defined the Japanese American community post–Pearl Harbor. Question 27 of the form asked the inmates—who had been imprisoned without cause by the US military—whether they were willing to serve in combat for the US military. Question 28 asked them—many of whom were American citizens—to renounce allegiance to the Japanese emperor.  \n“Most of us understand that history is often just the victor’s account of how things happened. But [Question 27 & 28’s] achievement is that we are forced to experience this insight almost bodily. We feel the weight of the past\, all these accumulated voices and perspectives…as well as the process through which disparate stories\, anecdotes\, or experiences might coalesce as history.”—Hua Hsu\, The New Yorker \nYou can purchase a copy of Karen’s book\, Questions 27 & 28\, at City of Asylum Bookstore. \nThis program is followed by a public reception with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks for all artists and attendees.  \nAbout the Author: \nKaren Tei Yamashita is the author of nine books\, including I Hotel\, a finalist for the National Book Award. A recipient of the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters\, she is Professor Emerita of Literature and Creative Writing at the University of California\, Santa Cruz. \nAbout the Moderator: \nAnderson Tepper is a guest curator of PEN America’s World Voices Festival and a longstanding member of the Brooklyn Book Festival’s Literary Council and international committee. Formerly of Vanity Fair\, his writing on books and authors has appeared in The New York Times\, The Los Angeles Times\, The Atlantic\, and World Literature Today\, among other publications. Anderson also serves on City of Asylum’s Advisory Board. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe 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. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/world-literature-karen-tei-yamashita/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Reading
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/KAREN-TEI-YAMASHITA-08092026.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260811T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260811T200000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260625T131946Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260626T174844Z
UID:10979-1786474800-1786478400@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:World Literature: Madeleine Thien’s “The Book of Records” with Anderson Tepper
DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: Rawi Hage. Photo Courtesy: WW Norton. \nWhat if the boundaries of time and space could be crossed as easily as the threshold of a door frame? \nPasts and futures collide in Madeleine Thien’s “brilliant outlaw novel” (Los Angeles Times)\, The Book of Records. Longlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction\, The Book of Records follows protagonist Lina and her father after their arrival at an enclave called The Sea. \nIn this mysterious and shape-shifting place\, a building made of time\, Lina befriends her neighbors: Bento\, a Jewish scholar in seventeenth-century Amsterdam; Blucher\, a philosopher in 1930s Germany fleeing Nazi persecution; and Jupiter\, a poet of Tang Dynasty China. \nMemory\, political revolution\, generational change\, and the ethical imagination are at the heart of Lina’s illuminating conversations with her fellows in The Sea: how we come to believe what we believe\, and how every person is an irreplaceable\, unique vessel of history. Through the guidance of these great thinkers\, Lina equips herself to reckon with difficult questions of guilt\, responsibility\, and the possibility of redemption when her ailing father begins to reveal his role in their family’s tragic past. \nA novel that voyages between centuries\, generations\, and ideas\, The Book of Records is an indelible testament to the migratory nature of humanity and our ceaseless search for a home—in the physical world\, in cyberspace\, in history\, and in the imagination—in the wake of catastrophe. \nYou can purchase a copy of Madeleine’s book\, The Book of Records\, at City of Asylum Bookstore. \nAbout the Author: \nMadeleine Thien is the author of five books\, including The Book of Records\, named one of Obama’s Best Books of 2025\, and Do Not Say We Have Nothing\, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker\, Granta\, the New York Review of Books\, and elsewhere. She lives in Montreal. \nAbout the Moderator: \nAnderson Tepper is a guest curator of PEN America’s World Voices Festival and a longstanding member of the Brooklyn Book Festival’s Literary Council and international committee. Formerly of Vanity Fair\, his writing on books and authors has appeared in The New York Times\, The Los Angeles Times\, The Atlantic\, and World Literature Today\, among other publications. Anderson also serves on City of Asylum’s Advisory Board. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe in-house restaurant\, Cucina Alfabeto\, is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays\, but there will be a public reception with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks following the program. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/world-literature-madeleine-thien/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Reading
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/MADELEINE-THIEN-08112026.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="City of Asylum":MAILTO:info@cityofasylum.org
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260813T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260813T203000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260612T163749Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260612T163749Z
UID:10940-1786647600-1786653000@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:Thursday Night Jazz: Bassist Paul Thompson Explores the Bass-Drum Connection with Drummers (& Best Friends) David Throckmorton\, Paul Wells & Thomas Wendt
DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: David Roth. Photo Courtesy: Paul Thompson. \nIconic bassist Paul Thompson is a local legend\, but he is not a monolith. As a community member\, Paul understands the importance of honoring your roots and maintaining lifelong long connections. As an artist\, he understands the critical role the intersection of percussion and bass provides in grounding and uplifting musical compositions. \nThis August\, Paul and a handful of lauded percussionists—who happen to also be his best friends—celebrate the crucial bass-drum connection with special guest and Juilliard faculty member Paul Wells.  \nThroughout the phases of Paul’s life\, each of his friends and fellow concert performers have influenced his life and his music in unique ways. Paul Thompson and Paul Wells grew up together in Pittsburgh\, where they shared not just a name\, but a love for music and a path forward as future music educators. Thomas Wendt exemplified everything jazz music rooted in tradition could encompass\, while David Throckmorton introduced Paul to artists like Chick Corea\, who lived at the nexus of jazz fusion and possibility.  \nThis deeply personal program is a tribute to the community aspect of jazz\, and the ways your fellow musicians and friends are also your teachers\, inspiration\, and lifelong influences.  \nFeatured musicians: \nAlton Merrell: piano \nPaul Thompson: bass \nDavid Throckmorton: drums \nPaul Wells: drums \nThomas Wendt: drums \nAbout the Artist: \nPaul Thompson has been playing bass professionally for over 30 years\, including recording and touring stints with trumpeter Maynard Ferguson and saxophonist Stanley Turrentine. Recent playing credits include Hubert Laws\, Geri Allen\, Michael Feinstein\, and Bob James. Currently\, he can be seen playing around the Pittsburgh area with Salsamba!\, THOTH Trio\, the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra\, in pit orchestras at the Byham and New Hazlett Theaters\, or performing with some of our city’s rich jazz community. An active educator\, Paul currently teaches Jazz Bass at Duquesne University and West Virginia University and is an Adjunct Instrumental Music teacher at his alma mater\, Pittsburgh CAPA 6–12 Performing Arts School. More at: http://www.youtube.com/pdbass  \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe 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. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/thursday-night-jazz-bassist-paul-thompson/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/PAUL-THOMPSON-08132026.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260818T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260818T203000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260618T193101Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260702T181609Z
UID:10963-1787079600-1787085000@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:On Topic: America at 250 — Profound Autism in America with Lynn Johnson\, Amy S. F. Lutz & Jose Muniain
DESCRIPTION:Photo Credits: Mark Knobil\, Annie O’Neill.  \nPhoto Courtesies: Amy Lutz\, Jose Muniain\, Lynn Johnson. \nWhen we watch the news\, or shows like The Good Doctor and The Big Bang Theory\, we are shown an often stereotyped snapshot of what autism spectrum disorder “looks like” and how folks who live with autism move through the world. But this is only a snapshot.  \nWith great care and a lens firmly rooted in humanity\, this On Topic program welcomes filmmaker Jose Munian\, photographer Lynn Johnson\, and writer Amy S.F. Lutz to share their respective creative projects\, which center on the real stories of people living with profound autism. Jose and Lynn collaborated on the photodocumentary Living With Profound Autism\, which will be screened during the program\, and discussed as a companion piece to Amy’s book We Walk: Life with Severe Autism.  \nWe Walk features a collection of beautiful and raw essays\, in which Amy writes openly about her experience as a mother of a now twenty-one-year-old son with severe autism. Her emotion and empathy drive through each page and challenge commonly held ideas that define autism either as a disease or as neurodiversity. We Walk is inspired by her own questions: What is the place of intellectually and developmentally disabled people in society? What responsibilities do we\, as citizens and human beings\, have to one another? Who should decide for those who cannot decide for themselves? What is the meaning of religion to someone with no abstract language? Exploring these questions\, We Walk directly—and humanly—examines social issues such as inclusion\, religion\, therapeutics\, and friendship through the lens of severe autism. \nAbout the Artists: \nLynn Johnson photographs the human condition. Lynn has worked for LIFE and Sports Illustrated\, has published 40 feature stories in National Geographic Magazine\, and is a National Geographic Society Explorer. She is the recipient of awards and grants\, including the Robert F. Kennedy Award and the Chris Hondros Fund. She has been a Pulitzer finalist on two occasions. More importantly\, on occasion\, there is an opportunity to teach the work of both art and life\, based on the belief that the power of photographs can change everything from hearts to history. \nAmy S.F. Lutz‘s writing about severe autism has been featured on many platforms\, including Psychology Today\, The Atlantic\, Slate\, and Spectrum. Her first book\, Each Day I Like It Better: Autism\, ECT\, and the Treatment of Our Most Impaired Children\, was published in 2014\, and her second book\, a collection of essays called We Walk: Life with Severe Autism\, was published by Cornell University Press. She is a founding board member of the National Council on Severe Autism (NCSA). She lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and five children. \nJose Muniain is originally from Bilbao\, Spain. For the last 25 years\, he has been based in Pittsburgh\, Pennsylvania\, and he has worked as a director and producer on a range of national and international projects. Jose’s professional path in Europe and the US has fluctuated between commercial and independent projects\, both of which have received international awards. For independent films\, Jose looks for collaboration with artists who work in different mediums\, seeking to be challenged both as a director and as a viewer. Jose is particularly drawn to projects that explore the creative process and focus on issues of social justice. In 2006\, he produced and directed the feature-length conceptual documentary An Independent Portrait\, which deals with the creative process and focuses on painter Felix de la Concha and filmmaker Robert Young. The documentary received the Audience Choice Award at the Three Rivers Film Festival. Jose has also received recognition for other short films\, including #Cake (2017)\, which deals with the issues of eviction and mental health\, and Garbage (2019)\, a film about race in the US\, which was shown at the New York City Independent Film Festival and won awards at the Portland Short Festival\, the Miami Independent Film Festival\, the Cortada International Film Festival and BasqueBOK in Bilbao\, Spain. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe in-house restaurant\, Cucina Alfabeto\, is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays\, but there will be a public reception with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks following the program. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/on-topic-profound-autism-with-lynn-johnson-amy-s-f-lutz-jose-muniain/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Film
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ON-TOPIC-PROFOUND-AUTISM-08182026-1.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260819T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260819T203000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260626T154132Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260626T154132Z
UID:10985-1787166000-1787171400@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:World of Music: Balafon (West African Drumming & Dance)
DESCRIPTION:Photo Courtesy: Balafon \nBalafon was born in Washington D.C. in 1997\, out of the passion for dance that Kadiatou Conte shared with her core of dedicated students. Approaching dance as a way to share the joy of African arts and offer culturally responsive health and wellness\, the performance company was involved in youth and community engagement while also mastering classic dance styles often shared on the Kennedy Center stage. \nBringing Mama Kadiatou’s theatrical flair gained from years touring with Guinea’s national dance company\, and her desire to break the mold as one of the few women-led directors of an ensemble\, Balafon skillfully blends the classic traditions of West African culture with contemporary arts and social consciousness. Elaborately colorful costumes\, heart-stirring live music\, and high energy movement captivate\, inspire and energize audiences from all backgrounds and walks of life. \n \nAbout the Artist: \nNow based out of Pittsburgh\, PA\, Balafon works in partnership with local artists\, alumni dancers from all over the country\, and master dancers and musicians from around the world. From school to communities to the theater\, Balafon programs offer ways for people of all generations\, backgrounds\, and physical abilities to discover a love for African culture and experience dancing out loud. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe 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. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/world-of-music-balafon-west-african-drumming-dance/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/BALAFON-08192026.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260820T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260820T203000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260529T153744Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260529T153744Z
UID:10887-1787252400-1787257800@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:Thursday Night Jazz: Kente Summer Madness Presents the Dr. Emmett Goods Quintet
DESCRIPTION:Photo Courtesy: Kente Arts Alliance \nDr. Emmett Goods is a Pittsburgh native who comes from a very rich musical background. He is an alumnus of the Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts\, where he flourished under the instruction of drummer Roger Humphries\, and then further developed with the support of the legendary trombonist Steve Davis. \nEmmett has performed with a wide variety of musicians from jazz to R&B\, like Dr. Billy Taylor\, Wycliffe Gordon\, The Four Tops\, Aretha Franklin\, and Gladys Knight. What many fans of Emmett don’t know is that Latin music is a specialty of his as well. He has performed with many of the Latin world’s musicians\, such as Kevin Caballo\, Tony Vega\, and his own band\, THE LATIN JAZZ PROJECT. As an educator\, Emmett began his successful teaching career as a private instructor\, teaching trombone and piano.  \nDr. Emmett Goods is the impressive recipient of a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies (Hartt School of Music)\, Master of Music in Jazz Studies (Georgia State University)\, and a Doctor of Music Arts in Trombone Performance (West Virginia University). These accomplishments highlight just a small part of what is already an illustrious career.  \nAbout the Presenter: \nThis program is presented in partnership with Kente Arts Alliance\, an African American arts organization whose mission is to present high-quality arts of the African Diaspora. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe 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. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/thursday-night-jazz-kente-summer-madness-presents-dr-emmett-goods/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/KENTE-SUMMER-MADNESS-08202026.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260823T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260823T160000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260626T172812Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260626T172812Z
UID:10990-1787497200-1787500800@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:Artist in Exile: Mukhtar Shehata’s "Makaki de Afrika" (Egypt) with Translator Melissa Krawczyk
DESCRIPTION:Photo Courtesies: Mukhtar Shehata and Melissa Krawczyk. \nThe City of Asylum Artist in Exile series continues this August with a reading and discussion of Mukhtar Shehata’s forthcoming novel Makaki de Afrika (The African Monkey) between the author and Arabic-to-English literary translator Melissa Krawczyk. The work is structured as a multi-generational mystery blending Brazilian\, Syrian\, Polish-Jewish\, and West African Muslim threads—exploring slavery\, religious syncretism\, exile\, inherited trauma\, and the porousness of identity across diasporas.  \nMakaki de Afrika follows Farida Noah\, a Syrian-Brazilian woman in her fifties living in the mountain town of Santo Antônio\, Brazil\, who works at a social services office and carries the weight of a fractured\, multi-religious family history. Born in Aleppo to a Ba’athist Syrian father and a Polish-Jewish mother who fled Europe after WWII\, Farida grew up caught between her Muslim paternal heritage and her mother’s Jewish identity\, eventually leaving Syria for Brazil as a teenager after her father’s infidelity destroyed her parents’ marriage. \nWhen a young Egyptian-Nubian graduate student named Muhamed Mostafa arrives in Santo Antônio to research the history of enslaved African Muslims in Brazil\, Farida is struck by his resemblance—in looks and even his name—to Mostafa Abdel Rahman\, an Egyptian man she loved and lost in Cairo decades earlier. Together with her closest friend Camila\, an anthropologist of African descent\, they discover a cache of 19th-century manuscripts written in Arabic by “Alfa\,” an enslaved Hausa Muslim from West Africa who survived the 1835 Malê slave uprising in Salvador\, Bahia\, and later encountered a real historical figure\, the visiting Sheikh Abd al-Rahman al-Baghdadi\, who came to minister to Brazil’s enslaved Muslim population. The novel interweaves Farida’s psychologically fraught present (her mother’s terminal illness\, Muhamed Mostafa’s mysterious degenerative illness\, eerie premonitions and “déjà vu” connecting him to Alfa’s lost descendants) with the historical manuscripts being translated chapter by chapter. \nThis program is followed by a public reception with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks for all artists and attendees.  \nAbout the Author: \nMukhtar Shehata is a novelist and ethnographer from the Egyptian Delta whose work explores social change\, class\, gender resistance\, and urbanism in rural Egypt. He has published more than 15 books in Arabic\, including novels\, short stories\, and research papers. His book Diary of an Arab in the Land of the Samba won the 2019 Ibn Battuta Award for Travel Literature. Mukhtar graduated from the University of Bahia in Brazil and works as a Research Scholar in the Department of Languages\, Cultures\, and Applied Linguistics at Carnegie Mellon University. He has been a Writer-in-Residence at City of Asylum Pittsburgh since August 2024. \nAbout the Translator: \nMelissa Krawczyk is a freelance Arabic-to-English literary translator based in Southern California. She holds a BA in Arabic Language and Culture from PennWest California University\, a Certificate in Middle Eastern Language and Culture from UCLA Extension\, and a BS in Materials Science and Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute\, and has excelled in graduate-level Arabic translation coursework at Kent State University. She brings more than 20 years of experience studying and working with Modern Standard Arabic to her translation work and has also studied Spanish\, French\, German\, and American Sign Language. Melissa has worked with Iraqi refugees\, tutored Arabic students\, and conducted spoken English assessments for a government agency requiring ILR Level 5 speaking proficiency. She has traveled to Egypt\, Dubai\, and Qatar. Her reading interests span science fiction\, fantasy\, medical thrillers\, and historical fiction\, and she closely follows developments in medicine\, science\, and technology. Melissa is currently translating Makaki de Afrika by Mukhtar Saad Shehata\, Amin Al-Alawani by Faycel Lahmeur\, and E.S.P. by Ahmed Khaled Tawfik. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe 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. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/artist-in-exile-mukhtar-shehata/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Reading
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/MUKHTAR-SHEHATA-08232026.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260827T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260827T203000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260626T175646Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260626T175710Z
UID:10994-1787857200-1787862600@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:Thursday Night Jazz: Roger Humphries Big Band Plays the Music of Horace Silver
DESCRIPTION:Roger Humphries’ 10-piece band honors and celebrates the late\, great hard bop pianist and composer Horace Silver. In 1964\, Roger went to New York to join the Horace Silver Quintet. While with Silver\, Roger recorded three albums: Song For My Father\, Cape Verdean Blues\, and Jody Grind\, with Song for My Father (1965) taking its place as one of the most legendary albums of our time.  \nHorace Silver was the heart of the hard bop era\, helping to form the influential Jazz Messengers and composing many blues and gospel-flavored songs that have become part of the jazz canon\, including “Lonely Woman\,” “Song For My Father\,” “Señor Blues\,” “The Preacher\,” “Nica’s Dream\,” and “Peace.” His piano playing was heavily rhythmic\, driving his musical colleagues to greater heights in their solos. Learn more about Horace Silver in his National Endowment for the Arts profile.  \nAbout the Artist: \nRoger Humphries was still a toddler when his family first discovered his early talent for playing drums. He began playing professionally at 14\, and within two years\, he was leading his own group at Carnegie Music Hall. Music critics rate Roger as one of the most exciting percussionists in the business. He has provided the rhythmic beat for such greats as Ray Charles\, Horace Silver\, Richard “Groove” Holmes\, Stanley Turrentine\, James Moody\, Lee Morgan\, Dr. Billy Taylor\, Benny Green\, Lionel Hampton\, Coleman Hawkins\, Clark Terry\, J.J. Johnson\, Dizzy Gillespie\, and countless others. After playing with various groups around the country\, ace drummer Roger Humphries decided to organize his own group in 1972\, which he calls RH Factor. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe 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. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/thursday-night-jazz-roger-humphries-big-band/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ROGER-HUMPHRIES-08272026.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260831T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260831T203000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260626T182333Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260626T182333Z
UID:10997-1788202800-1788208200@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:Tony Buba & Marcus Rediker Present: "Becoming Benjamin Lay"
DESCRIPTION:Photo Courtesy: Marcus Rediker \nCity of Asylum is delighted to host this screening of Becoming Benjamin Lay\, a new documentary from director Tony Buba and historian Marcus Rediker. The film explores the life and ideas of an unknown radical Quaker dwarf abolitionist who demanded an end to slavery almost 300 years ago. At the center of the film is the prize-winning play Marcus wrote with Naomi Wallace\, The Return of Benjamin Lay. In this film adaptation\, actor Mark Povinelli embodies the visionary Lay\, challenging us to live with courage and conviction in dark times\, bringing a forgotten hero back to modern public memory. \nYou can purchase Marcus Rediker and Naomi Wallace’s The Return of Benjamin Lay\, at City of Asylum Bookstore. \nAbout the Artists: \nTony Buba has made over 40 films\, including four feature films exploring working-class issues in and around his hometown since 1974. Tony began his career with The Braddock Chronicles\, a dozen short documentary portraits of the stubborn signs of life in a dying mill town. His Mon Valley Trilogy was purchased by the Carnegie Museum of Art and is part of their permanent collection. Tony’s work has been showcased in one-person shows at the Museum of Modern Art\, the Whitney Museum of American Art\, the Anthology Film Archives\, the Carnegie Museum of Art\, and more than 100 other museums and universities. He has received fellowships from the NEA\, AFI\, and the Rockefeller and Guggenheim Foundations. His many awards include Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award and Pennsylvania Media Artist of the Year. \nMarcus Rediker is Distinguished Professor of Atlantic History at the University of Pittsburgh. He has written or edited 17 books\, including The Many-Headed Hydra (2000\, with Peter Linebaugh); The Slave Ship (2007); The Fearless Benjamin Lay (2017); and Freedom Ship (2025). His writings have won numerous awards and been published in 20 languages worldwide. He wrote The Return of Benjamin Lay with Naomi Wallace. He has also created four graphic novels with David Lester and a children’s book with Michelle Markel and Sarah Bachman. He has produced two documentary films with Tony Buba: Ghosts of Amistad in 2014 and now Becoming Benjamin Lay. For more information\, visit www.marcusrediker.com. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe in-house restaurant\, Cucina Alfabeto\, is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/tony-buba-marcus-rediker-present-becoming-benjamin-lay/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Film
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/BENJAMIN-LAY-08312026.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260901T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260901T203000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260702T175354Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260702T175354Z
UID:11014-1788289200-1788294600@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:Story Club PGH Presents: Story Slam! (Double Life)
DESCRIPTION:Since 2022\, it’s been our pleasure to partner with Story Club (created by the former producers of The Moth Pittsburgh) for their monthly nonfiction storytelling series\, Story Slam. Together\, we aim to showcase a diverse range of voices and create a space for stories that resonate across backgrounds\, perspectives\, and experiences. Each month\, we welcome open-mic storytellers to the stage to share six-minute tales that tackle a preselected theme. This September\, Story Club PGH reveals alter egos one by one\, as storytellers tackle the theme Double Life. \nEach month\, the top storyteller\, as voted by viewers\, will win a free City of Asylum t-shirt. Learn more here or sign up for an open mic slot at the slam. Not interested in storytelling but still want to participate? Try joining a judging team and help decide the winners instead! \nAbout the Host: \nAlan Olifson is an award-winning humor columnist and comedian and was the regular host of Pittsburgh’s monthly Moth StorySlams. He created the acclaimed storytelling series Wordplay at Bricolage Theater and now produces the new storytelling/talk show Speakeasy at Arcade Comedy Theater. His book\, Manchild: My Life without Adult Supervision\, from Six Gallery Press\, is available wherever you buy books—hopefully somewhere local. \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe in-house bar at Cucina Alfabeto will be open for drinks only. Seating in the restaurant and bar is available on a first-come\, first-served basis. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/story-club-pgh-presents-story-slam-double-life/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/STORY-CLUB-2026-1.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261027T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261027T210000
DTSTAMP:20260703T102333
CREATED:20260223T170726Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260312T181523Z
UID:10567-1793127600-1793134800@cityofasylum.org
SUMMARY:PGHwrites: Andrew Swensen & Yan Pang's "Shelter" (Musical Theatre Production)
DESCRIPTION:Photo Courtesy: Andrew Swensen \nThis special PGHwrites program features a staged performance of Andrew Swensen and Yan Pang’s Shelter\, building off the showcase held at City of Asylum last fall. Shelter tells the story of scars carried from childhood into adulthood\, exploring how they distort our vision of ourselves and damage our relationships\, but also ultimately create the challenges by which we claim our strength and achieve self-determination.  \nPaige\, our protagonist\, takes a journey through a series of memories\, traveling with her childhood self through her past. Her life telescopes into an unhealthy mix of self-serving selflessness and psychological isolation\, a well-wrought “shelter” that she has constructed from the pain of life. She emerges on the other side when she confronts her own role in what she has become\, releases her blame toward her mother\, and opens herself to the prospect of a genuine\, balanced connection to another.  \nAbout the Artists: \nAndrew Swensen (Book and Lyrics) began work on Shelter in 2020 and has had the remarkable good fortune to work with composer Yan Pang since 2023 in order to bring this musical to life. When not writing musicals\, Swensen serves as a faculty member at the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University\, working in the MFA program Writing for the Stage and Screen and in the Department of Cinema\, and he is the Executive Director of the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh. Past creative projects include being the co-author and lyricist of the musical The Golden Door; the co-writer\, producer\, and executive producer of the film Journey to Normal; and the executive producer of the film In Service. His professional background includes work with a variety of nonprofit organizations\, spanning performing\, visual\, and narrative arts. Previously\, he held faculty positions at Brandeis University\, Hamilton College\, Wellesley College\, and Western Michigan University\, and his teaching and research have spanned narrative and aesthetic theory\, comparative cultural studies\, literature\, and film. \nYan Pang (Composer) began working with librettist Andrew Swensen in 2023 on Shelter and has found incredible reward in creating the musical voice and vision for this work. As this work comes to life\, she is so grateful to have the opportunity to share the work with audiences. Pang’s career has spanned the roles of a composer\, performer\, educator\, and scholar\, with work exploring the range of possibilities in intercultural music creation. Her compositions blend Chinese folk traditions with Western operatic and music-theater forms to explore themes of resilience\, solidarity\, and immigration. Her works have been featured in international collections and competitions\, including For Archie\, Nowhere Home\, and The Others (Contemporary Music Score Collection\, UCLA). She is also the songwriter and music director of the album Glory Times (China Science & Cultural Audio-Video Publishing House). As a performer and composer\, Pang has worked regularly in performance-based and collaborative contexts\, including performing original compositions for MIXTAPE Dance in collaboration with choreographer Jason “J-Sun” Noer and music director Stefon “Bionik” Taylor. Pang holds a faculty position as Assistant Professor of Music at Point Park University\, where she teaches a range of courses in support of programs in theater\, musical theater\, and dance.  \nAbout Your Visit:  \nThe in-house restaurant\, Cucina Alfabeto\, is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. \nShare this:
URL:https://cityofasylum.org/program/pghwrites-andrew-swensen-yan-pangs-shelter-musical-theatre-production/
LOCATION:Alphabet City\, 40 W. North Avenue\, Pittsburgh\, PA\, 15212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Reading
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cityofasylum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Shelter-White.png
ORGANIZER;CN="City of Asylum":MAILTO:info@cityofasylum.org
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