Reading

Presented in partnership with the Center for Bioethics & Health Law at the University of Pittsburgh, City of Asylum welcomes Travis Rieder for an eye-opening exploration of his 2019 memoir, "In Pain: A Bioethicist’s Personal Struggle with Opioids."

In this third installment of our International Reading Series, curated by Anderson Tepper, City of Asylum welcomes Zakes Mda. In this program Zakes and Anderson will discuss the breadth of Zakes’ work and the ways in which it reflects and relates to the shifting landscape of South African literature. 

To live is to tell stories. Embracing that truth, Story Club Pittsburgh (created by the former producers of The Moth Pittsburgh), organizes and hosts a monthly nonfiction storytelling series at City of Asylum. The theme for March 2023 is "Last Call." 

The trials of the outcast might be a tale as old as time, but never before has there been a story quite like Joseph Earl Thomas’ memoir, "Sink." In a series of exacting and fierce vignettes, Joseph guides readers through the unceasing cruelty that defined his circumstances, laying bare the depths of his loneliness and illuminating the vital reprieve geek culture offered him.

Jade Song shares her visceral debut novel, "Chlorine." This chilling and addictive work blurs the line between a literary coming-of-age narrative and a dark unsettling horror tale, creating a shrewd commentary on the trials of growing up in a society that puts monstrous pressure on young women and their bodies. 

For this night of subversive and subaquatic verse, award-winning poet Ed Roberson shares new poems from his latest collection, "Aquarium Works." This reading is followed by a moderated conversation with Allegheny County’s Poet Laureate Doralee Brooks.

To live is to tell stories. Embracing that truth, Story Club Pittsburgh (created by the former producers of The Moth Pittsburgh), organizes and hosts a monthly nonfiction storytelling series at City of Asylum. The theme for April 2023 is "Late Bloomer."

Lifelong activist Ruchira Gupta shares her debut novel, "I Kick and I Fly." This outstanding work of young adult fiction draws inspiration from Ruchira's experience making the Emmy-award winning documentary "The Selling of Innocents."

In this virtual fourth installment of our International Reading Series curated by Anderson Tepper, City of Asylum welcomes Yanick Lahens and Lyonel Trouillot. Yanick, Lyonel, and Anderson will discuss the authors’ recent novels and explore the concept of Haitian literature as a whole.

This program welcomes author Andrey Kurkov, whose books are often full of black humor and are mostly set in post-Soviet reality. This is the third installment of our Ukrainian Artist Series.

Join us for a conversation on intersecting marginalized identities in Appalachia with Lambda Literary Award Finalist Neema Avashia, author of "Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place," and Namita Dwarkanath, a University of Pittsburgh law student and prior advocate for gender-based violence prevention.