August Wilson House celebrates America’s greatest playwright with substantial insider interviews with leading August Wilson actors, directors, and artists—regional and national. Hosted and moderated by Chris Rawson, a veteran Pittsburgh Post-Gazette theater critic who chronicled Wilson’s career and became a friend. The goal is to capture the memories, anecdotes, and insights of those who know Wilson’s epic American Century Cycle from the inside.

In the first of two concerts exploring the relationship between music, visual art, and mental health, City of Asylum regular Thomas Wendt pairs the music of Charles Mingus with the paintings of Norman Klenicki.

Described as “a singular talent” by Cathy Park Hong, author Akil Kumarasamy makes her City of Asylum debut to share her newly released novel, "Meet Us By the Roaring Sea."

August Wilson House celebrates America’s greatest playwright with substantial insider interviews with leading August Wilson actors, directors, and artists—regional and national. Hosted and moderated by Chris Rawson, a veteran Pittsburgh Post-Gazette theater critic who chronicled Wilson’s career and became a friend. December's interview features actor and director Brandon Dirden.

In the first concert of City of Asylum’s Ukrainian Artist Series, pianist and musicologist Taras Filenko takes us on a musical and poetic journey through three significant periods of Ukrainian history, revealing the resilience of a culture that has suffered profound repression.

How do approaches to literary translation differ in Europe and the United States? Swedish translator Daniel Gustafsson joins Pennsylvania-based translator Michelle Gil-Montero in a rich discussion exploring global perspectives on literary translation.

Karin Hansson and Daniel Gustafsson from the Swedish Center for Translators invite Pittsburgh-based educators, librarians, teaching artists, and other partners to learn about Sweden's Readers of the World! project as well as share their own experiences of working with multilingual young people in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh jazz guitarists Mark Strickland and Eric Susoeff, along with three of their students—Jonathan DiGiulian, Mila Shadel, and Alex Weibel—come together to play with and pay homage to the repertoire of Master Burrell’s Jazz Guitar Band.

The #notwhite collective in-dialogue series features conversations with BIPOC, AALANA, indigenous, and immigrant artists and arts administrators.

Curated by ASL Poet Laureate of Allegheny County Mj Shahen, City of Asylum is thrilled to host a series of three ASL slams to celebrate Deaf artists performing in American Sign Language (ASL). Hearing folks are welcome! ASL interpretation provided.

Zambian Afropop musician Mathew Tembo presents his latest album, "Mtendere" (Peace). Prominently feauturing the kalimba, the album is a fusion of indigenous Zambian music, reggae, and jazz.

Sonny Sharrock was a one-of-a-kind musician: a jazz guitarist who incorporated elements of metal and punk into his playing, too. Pittsburgh musicians pay homage, performing in entirety Sonny Sharrock’s final album, "Ask the Ages."

Please note that in-person tickets are sold out, but you can still tune in virtually. In this monthly series hosted by the former producers of The Moth Pittsburgh, volunteer storytellers and featured performers take the stage at Alphabet City to share stories based on a theme.

The Free Association Reading Series returns with intimate readings featuring exceptional local writers co-curated by Pat Hart and Marc Nieson.

Bushra Rehman visits City of Asylum for the first time in celebration of her highly anticipated debut novel, "Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion"—an unforgettable story about female friendship and queer love in a Muslim-American community.

In celebration of the Pittsburgh premiere of "FANNIE: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer" at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center from January 13–16, 2023, author Jacqueline Hamer Flakes stops by City of Asylum to share her latest book, "Mama Fannie: Growing Up the Daughter of Civil Rights Icon Fannie Lou Hamer."

Lighthouse Arts, Inc., a Pittsburgh-based organization established to improve the quality and accessibility of jazz education, celebrates the release of their latest album, "The Past is The Present."

City of Asylum celebrates the 2022–2023 Allegheny County Youth Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Ambassadors with a teen-curated program in observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The program features poetry readings from teens followed by a panel discussion on youth and arts activism.

Organized and hosted by the former producers of The Moth Pittsburgh, Story Club Pittsburgh hosts a monthly nonfiction storytelling series at City of Asylum. The theme for January 2023 is "Fresh Start." 

In this second concert exploring the relationship between music, visual art, and mental health, City of Asylum regular Thomas Wendt pairs the music of Thelonious Monk with the paintings of Norman Klenicki.

The Tree of Life tragedy led Ari Mittleman to write "Paths of the Righteous," which profiles eight individuals who have gone above and beyond for Israel and the Jewish people. As we mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day only a few days after this program, the stories of those shared in Ari’s book can inspire us all.

This program celebrates the release day of Aleksandar Hemon’s new novel, "The World and All That It Holds." A grand, tender, sweeping story that spans decades and continents, the novel cements Aleksander as one of the boldest voices in fiction.

Reel Stories is a monthly film series dedicated to showcasing international queer cinema. Presented in partnership with ReelQ, January’s screening presents "Temblores," Guatemalan film director Jayro Bustamante’s deeply personal followup to his landmark debut, "Ixcanul."

Discover a world of creativity and tradition through a picture book program with Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond, author of "Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky." This program includes a story time, an interactive activity about color, and a book signing. Children and families are encouraged to wear the color blue in celebration of the program. 

City of Asylum celebrates the release of "Relations: An Anthology of African and Diaspora Voices" edited by author Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond. Fresh and electrifying, "Relations" features stories, poems, and essays by African and diaspora writers.

The Free Association Reading Series is back for this year's second installment of intimate readings featuring exceptional local writers Clare Beams, Jim Daniels, Lisa Slage Robinson, and Damian Dressick. This series is co-curated by Pat Hart and Marc Nieson.