Christopher Mark Jones returns with a celebration of his French-language album Montréal Encore, premiered with his collaborator Bernard Pozier at City of Asylum in March of 2023. This concert features selections from that album and mix-ins by Québécois, French Caribbean, and Parisian singer-songwriters—the likes of Boris Vian, Michel Rivard, Louis Aragon, and Henri Salvador.

Featured Musicians:

Christopher Mark Jones: vocals, guitar
Brad Yoder: vocal harmonies, guitar, saxophone, glockenspiel
Mark Perna: bass
Eric George: African djembe and hand cymbals
Matt Siegler: piano and accordion

About the Artist:

Christopher Mark Jones draws from folk, country, blues, jazz, and r&b sources to stage his literate folk-rock meditations. Using diverse points of view to narrate and critique life and love in uncertain times, he invites listeners to think, feel, and dance. Recorded and live arrangements leave space for his musical co-conspirators to both express their personalities and honor the host creation. Listeners hear echoes of “Greg Brown’s pacing and a Lyle Lovett attitude” (Ben Shannon), as well as of John Prine, Bruce Coburn, and Darrell Scott. Between careers as a basketball player and French professor, Christopher busked in Paris, toured the UK, Denmark, and Holland, and played New England clubs. He now tours and streams solo from Pittsburgh, PA, and plays regionally in formats varying from solo to full band. Looking for the Light (2021) is his sixth recording of original folk/roots songs, while Montréal Encore (2022) is a French-language recording created in collaboration with the poet Bernard Pozier.

About Your Visit: 

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

The post World of Music: Christopher Mark Jones’ “Montréal Encore” (Encore) (French Songs) appeared first on City of Asylum.

Music has the power to transport us somewhere larger than life, to create legendary worlds where we are able to connect to forces greater than ourselves. After a 2023 performance at Alphabet City with their grounded, nature-inspired album, “Elemental”, the Stephen Philip Harvey Octet returns this fall to entrance audiences with their latest project, “Mythos”. This concert offers a preview into the world of “Mythos”—an album of original compositions inspired by African diaspora mythology, sure to bring some magic back into the world. 

Featured Musicians:

Stephen Philip Harvey: tenor sax, compositions

Chris Coles: alto sax

Garrett Folger: trumpet 

Reggie Watkins: trombone

Dan Bruce: guitar

Theron Brown: piano

Jordan McBride: bass

Dustin May: drums

About the Artist:

Stephen Philip Harvey is an award-winning saxophonist, composer, and bandleader whose music blends jazz tradition with cinematic storytelling and contemporary Black American music. His latest album, “Multiversal: Live at Bop Stop” (2025), has been praised by DownBeat as “instrumental jazz fireworks” and by UK Vibe as “a bold, super-powered live album.” Harveyleads several ensembles, including SPHJO, SPH8, Sphinx, and SPH+2, and serves as Music Director of Delmarva Public Media.

About Your Visit: 

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

The post Thursday Night Jazz: Stephen Philip Harvey Octet’s “Mythos” (Album Preview) appeared first on City of Asylum.

What brings people to today’s Berlin? What makes them stay? For some, the city is a place of refuge, from war and persecution, bigotry or boredom. For others, it’s the history or the nightlife or the broad green spaces that attract them—or haunt them. A few are just born there. 

This book launch introduces American audiences to Berlin Babel, a collection of 14 short stories by Berliners on what brings people to Berlin and what makes them stay. Newly translated into English, this anthology is the first-ever international anthology of contemporary writing on Berlin. It is presented as part of the annual Germany on Campus series hosted by the University of Pittsburgh’s German Department and sponsored by the German Embassy. This year’s theme is “German-American Relations: Past, Present and Future – The Pittsburgh Story.” 

Building on a tradition of collaboration with the embassy for previous “Germany on Campus” series, the German Department at the University of Pittsburgh presents a “Germany on Campus” program for the Fall of 2026 which entwines the rich historical German roots of Western Pennsylvania with today’s close ties between our region and Germany. Through the regional lens, they aim to highlight an important aspect of our transatlantic relationship: the role close German-American relations have played in generating prosperity for both nations and peace. Hence, the sequence of events is designed to consider how we can build on the post-1945 strength of German-American relations to ensure a mutually beneficial future. To this end, the German Department, in collaboration with the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Programs and the European Studies Center, will present a total of four events and one exhibit.

Berlin Babel presents short stories by writers originating from Syria, Turkey, China, the UK, the US, the Netherlands, Spain, Russia, Germany, Italy, and India. From Arabic to Italian to Yiddish, the stories are beautifully translated from eight different languages, capturing life in Berlin with all its despairs and joys while uniting a wide range of perspectives. With contributions by Odai Al Zoubi, Carla Berges, Leon Craig, Ulrike Draesner, Linda Farata, FENG Yurui, Lin Hierse, LJ Kessels, Natasha Podlyzhnyak, Nainy Sahani, Jake Schneider, Meral Şimşek, David Wagner, and Jane Yager, Berlin Babel is an anthology designed for all those who already love the city, and for anyone curious to discover it.

This program will be followed by a public reception with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks for all artists and attendees.

About the Writer:

Lin Hierse is a prolific author, journalist, poet, and public intellectual. With a background in Asian Studies and Human Geography, she is a longtime contributor to several major German journals and periodicals; she wrote the biweekly column “Poetical Correctness” in taz from 2020-2023. Her acclaimed autofictional debut novel Wovon wir träumen [What We Dream Of] was published in 2022 and follows the interconnected stories of three generations of women whose lives are ruptured and reunited through the experience of migration and life in the Chinese diaspora. It was followed in 2024 by her sophomore novel Das Verschwinden der Welt [The Disappearing World], a novel that chronicles the life of an aging tenement building in the outskirts of Shanghai: a one-time refuge for peasants from the Chinese countryside, it later became home to Jewish refugees during WW2, and new urban milieu following the Cultural Revolution, before falling into forgetfulness and disrepair with the rapid gentrification of the 21st-century city. A translation of her short story, “KTV Girl” appeared in the recent English-language anthology Berlin Babel.

About the Translator/Moderator:

Jon Cho-Polizzi is an award-winning literary translator and Assistant Professor of German at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Jon received a concurrent PhD from UC Berkeley in German and Medieval Studies in 2020. His work highlights the diversity of contemporary German literature at the intersections of migration and multilingualism. Jon’s translation of Fatma Aydemir’s Djinns received the Society of Author’s 2025 Schlegel-Tieck Prize; his translation of Max Czollek’s De-Integrate: A Jewish Survival Guide for the 21st Century received the 2024 Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator’s Prize. His translation of Ralph Tharayil’s Roll Back the Mountains is forthcoming with Seagull Books.

About Your Visit: 

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

The post Germany on Campus Presents: The Power of Translation – German American Cultural Exchanges with Lin Hierse & Translator Jon Cho-Polizzi appeared first on City of Asylum.

As part of our Partner Presents series, SCREENSHOT: Asian Film Festival brings the award-winning documentary “Yalla Parkour” to Alphabet City on November 2. Directed by Areeb Zuaiter, “Yalla Parkour” won the Grand Jury Prize in the International Competition at DOC NYC and was selected for the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival.

The film follows the unexpected connection between Areeb and Ahmed, a young parkour athlete in Gaza, whose ambitions and experiences offer a compelling portrait of life through the lens of movement.

This program is presented by SCREENSHOT: Asian Film Festival in partnership with Backyard Docs and Pittsburgh Sound & Image.

About the Artist

Areeb Zuaiter is a multinational filmmaker based in Washington D.C.. Her work focuses on art, identity, and social issues. She holds an MA in Film and Video from American University. Zuaiter’s work has won multiple international awards. Her debut short, “Stained”, won the Jury Award at Beirut’s European International Film Festival. Her documentary, “Colors of Resistance”, was nominated for Sony’s Outstanding Thesis Award and won multiple awards at the Colorado Activism Film Festival and the Spotlight Documentary Film Awards. Zuaiter had previously worked at the Associated Press, and served as a Goldman Sachs Film and Video Fellow at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Zuaiter led the Regional Training Department at the Royal Film Commission – Jordan, and taught at several universities in Washington D.C.. In addition to working on her films, Zuaiter heads the programming department at the Amman International Film Festival.

About Your Visit

The in-house restaurant, Cucina Alfabeto, is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. There will be a complimentary reception following the program for all attendees.

The post SCREENSHOT: Asia Presents: “Yalla Parkour” appeared first on City of Asylum.

Each 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!

About the Host:

Alan 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.

About Your Visit: 

The 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.

The post Story Club PGH Presents: Story Slam! (Ties That Bind) appeared first on City of Asylum.

City of Asylum welcomes Paul Thompson, one of Pittsburgh’s greatest jazz bassists and disciple of the bass-drum connection, for a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Jaco Pastorius’ eponymous debut album.

Jaco Pastorius, recognized by many as the man who revolutionized how the bass guitar is played, was a drummer before he ever picked up a bass. In high school, fate intervened, and Pastorius became the bassist in the soul cover band, Las Olas Brass. The rest was history. Throughout his illustrious career, Pastorius built a reputation as a highly regarded American jazz bassist, composer, and producer, widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential bassists of all time.

Featured Musicians:

Scott Boni: sax
Joe Sheehan: piano
Paul Thompson: bass
George Heid III: drums
George Jones: percussion

About the Artist:

Paul 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 youtube.com/pdbass

About Your Visit:

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

The post Thursday Night Jazz: Paul Thompson Quintet Celebrates the Music of Jaco Pastorius appeared first on City of Asylum.

If I asked you “What is a book for?”, you might also ask: What is a book anyway? What is reading? What is writing? What is publishing? What is a story? What is knowledge? What is language? On November 18, we will ask (but not answer) these questions and more.

In partnership with Almost Perfect Press, City of Asylum presents “What a Book is For”—an hour-long reading/performance/game show/panel talk exploring what a book is and can be, from the perspective of writers, readers, publishers, distributors, and performers. The event will be moderated by Jenna Peng and will feature writers Dani Lamorte, Emma Honcharski, and Almost Perfect Press owner Brent Nakamoto.

About the Artists:
Brent Nakamoto is a Queer, Japanese-American, and Buddhist artist with a background in painting and drawing, printmaking, photography, and book arts.  He currently lives and works in Pittsburgh, PA. He is the Program and Marketing Coordinator for Brew House Arts, where he manages the Distillery Emerging Artist Residency. He has taught at the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Community College of Allegheny County, and has facilitated workshops at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Contemporary Craft (PA), Poster House (NY), and Peter’s Valley School of Craft (NJ). He has shown work nationally and internationally, including in California, Saint Louis, New York, Pittsburgh, Helsinki, and Kolkata, and his work is included in the University of Maryland Art Gallery permanent collection. In 2022, he curated “Plain Silk, Uncarved Wood,” an exhibition of eight Asian-American artists living in Pittsburgh, and in 2026 he curated “Stuck in Saṃsāra,” an exhibition exploring themes from the Lotus Sutra. His critique of the 58th Carnegie International was published by Bunker Review in 2023. He is the owner and operator of Almost Perfect Press, a curatorial and publishing project specializing in hand-bound, small-batch publications featuring emerging writers and artists.

Dani Lamorte is a Pittsburgh-based artist who writes, performs, and makes photographic images. His first book, Nobody’s Psychic, was published by the University Press of Kentucky in fall 2025.

Emma Honcharski is an artist, writer, and creative strategist in Pittsburgh, PA. Motivated by bringing people together to experience delight, she is a co-founder and co-director of the Pittsburgh Art Book Fair. Before receiving her MBA and MA in Food Studies from Chatham University, she co-founded and collaboratively published Dinner Bell Mag, a food writing and art publication, from 2019 to 2023. In 2025, she was named in Pittsburgh City Paper’s People of the Year. She currently serves on the board of Diamond Beach’s Brilliant Float Club, cultivating community on the Allegheny River.

About the Moderator:
Jenna 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.

About your Visit:

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

The post PGHwrites: Almost Perfect Press Presents “What a Book is For” appeared first on City of Asylum.

Devilish Merry is a traditional music ensemble from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that blends Appalachian and Irish melodies with powerful, ballad-based songs on American history and heritage. It’s a lively mix of old-time fiddle tunes, Irish jigs and reels, Pennsylvania folk and labor ballads and riveting new songs from the musicians’ own life experience.

Devilish Merry has performed at museums, school assemblies, coffee houses, bars, parks, malls, hotels, summer camps, art galleries, houses of worship, community nonprofits, Civil War battlegrounds, hospitals, farmers markets, country fairs and every kind of school setting you can imagine, from pre-school on up. Over the last four decades, they’ve probably played for close to a million people. Now, they’re ready to play for you at Alphabet City.

Featured Musicians

Burr Beard: hammered dulcimer and vocals
Jeff Berman: lap dulcimer and percussion
Sue Powers: banjo and songs
Jan Hamilton: fiddle
L.E. McCullough: tin whistle flute and bones
Heather Gilmer: fiddle
Kip Ruefle: bodhran

About Your Visit:

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

The post World of Music: Devilish Merry (Appalachian Irish Fusion) appeared first on City of Asylum.

This November, City of Asylum welcomes Patrick Breiner’s trio of exciting Pittsburgh musicians—who welcome audience participation—for a performance full of brand new music! Two of Anything’s compositions are inspired by the work of artists such as Henry Threadgill, Anthony Braxton, John Zorn, and the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. Reserve two (or three or four!) of tickets and come support new music in Pittsburgh!

Featured Musicians:

Patrick Breiner: compositions, saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet

Antonio Croes: keybird piano, harmonium, melodica

Mark Micchelli: grand piano, preparations

About the Band:

Two of Anything’s current status is two of piano. Also sometimes two of melodica. But! Two of Anything could be two of something else. Or, perhaps, one each of many different things. Three of musicians. Four of ears. Six of hands. 

About the Artist:

Patrick Breiner is a saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer in Pittsburgh, PA. He helped found the Tough Pill concert series, held on third Thursdays at the Government Center, which is rapidly approaching its three-year anniversary! Sonic collaborations include: Battle Trance (New Amsterdam / NNA Tapes) and VAX (pronounced “fasjsh”). In addition to his musical undertakings, Patrick is sometimes a theater/dance/puppetry performer and collaborator. Patrick is a Vandoren Artist.

About Your Visit: 

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

The post Thursday Night Jazz: Two of Anything’s New Compositions (with Audience Participation!) appeared first on City of Asylum.

Join us as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the International Poetry Forum, a local, independent nonprofit organization dedicated to spoken poetry and poetry education. Founded by Dr. Samuel Hazo in 1966, the International Poetry Forum has hosted hundreds of the world’s most celebrated poets and performers in its reading series and educational outreach programs, including legends like Seamus Heaney, Gwendolyn Brooks, Mary Oliver, James Earl Jones, Grace Kelly, and many more.

This in-person event will feature stories about the history of the International Poetry Forum from Jake Grefenstette, president and executive director of the Forum, as well as original poetry from Joel Dias-Porter (aka DJ Renegade). After presentations from Grefenstette and Dias-Porter, all artists and attendees are welcome at a public reception with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks.

About the Artist:
Joel Dias-Porter (aka DJ Renegade) was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, and resides in South Jersey. The 1998 and 1999 Haiku Slam Champion, his work has been featured in POETRY, Best American Poetry 2014, Callaloo, Asahi Shimbun, Ploughshares, and anthologies Short Fuse, Role Call, Def Poetry Jam, Poetry Nation, and Catch a Fire. He is a Cave Canem Fellow and 1995 Furious Flower “Emerging Poet.” His collection Ideas of Improvisation is on Thread Makes Blanket Press (2022).

About the Moderator:
Jake Grefenstette is president and executive director of the International Poetry Forum. Following undergraduate studies at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Oxford, Grefenstette received an M.Phil. from Peking University in Beijing, an M.A. from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. Outside of the International Poetry Forum, Grefenstette teaches English and philosophy at Carnegie Mellon University and is editor of the Carnegie Mellon University Press Poetry Series and Literary Translation Series. He lives in Pittsburgh with his family and their dog, Frodo Waggins.

The post International Poetry Forum Presents: A 60th Anniversary Celebration with Joel Dias-Porter and Jake Grefenstette appeared first on City of Asylum.