Reading

In her first visit to City of Asylum, Jessica Johns celebrates the release of her foreboding and mysterious debut novel, "Bad Cree."

In this program, Moses Ose Utomi shares his empowering debut novel, "Daughters of Oduma." This program is part of Pittsburgh Playhouse’s the Parable Path, a series of local events designed to enrich our communal experience with Octavia E. Butler’s "Parable of the Sower," a musical adaptation of Butler’s groundbreaking Afrofuturist novel created by Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon.

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. 

Debut author Amelia Possanza asks: How could lesbian love help us reimagine care and community? What would our world look like if we replaced its foundation of misogyny with something new, with something distinctly lesbian? The result is "Lesbian Love Story," an intricate tapestry of lesbian histories, seamlessly cinched together with threads of Amelia’s own story. 

As many of you know, since 2010, June at City of Asylum means the return of one of the most popular annual poetry events in the city—Cave Canem’s Faculty Reading. This coincides with the week-long Cave Canem Retreat, their long-standing flagship program.

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 June 2023 is Moving On or Moving Out. 

In this fifth installment of our International Reading Series curated by Anderson Tepper, City of Asylum welcomes Ani Kayode Somtochukwu and Roxane Gay. In this program, Kayode, Roxane, and Anderson will discuss Kayode’s debut novel And Then He Sang a Lullaby.

New for 2023, the Alphabet City Kids series features quarterly visits from authors writing books for elementary-aged children. July’s program introduces Vicki Johnson, author of debut children’s book, Molly’s Tuxedo. 

This program presents an engaging and unique panel, comprised of the minds behind "Poetry’s Geographies: A Transatlantic Anthology of Translations." This anthology radically foregrounds the role of translators as bridge-builders and activists, with a crucial role in revealing the structures through which poetry moves and circulates.

Story Club Pittsburgh mixes the spontaneity of an open mic with the experience of live theater. Every show includes volunteer storytellers and featured performers who all take the stage to share stories based on a theme. The theme for July 2023 is Into the Wild. 

This program welcomes poet and scholar Camille T. Dungy for a reading and conversation surrounding her essay collection, "Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden." "Soil" is a seminal work that expands how we talk about the natural world and the environment as Camille tends her garden to reflect her heritage.

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 August 2023 is Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow. 

This program presents award-winning journalist Prachi Gupta’s debut memoir, "They Called Us Exceptional: And Other Lies That Raised Us." Prachi’s debut is a probing, heartfelt exploration of the psychological harm caused by the model minority myth, and what it takes to break free from its constraints.

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 September 2023 is Back to School. 

In this program, retired UE Director of International Affairs Robin Alexander presents a reading and conversation surrounding her new e-book International Solidarity in Action (ISIA).

Featuring quarterly visits from authors writing books for elementary-aged children, the Alphabet City Kids series continues this month with Marika Maijala, sharing her newly translated book "Rosie Runs."

Rachel Aviv discusses her book "Strangers to Ourselves," which illuminates the startling connections between diagnosis and identity.

Each year we gather at Alphabet City to honor an international writer or artist who shares our mission to promote and honor creative freedom for all. This year we honor Booker Prize winning poet, novelist, essayist, and playwright, Ben Okri.