Mark Ruffin, known as the afternoon drivetime DJ for SiriusXM's Real Jazz channel, joins us virtually live to read from his collection of “jazz short stories,” "Bebop Fairy Tales."  A scintillating blend of historical fiction with jazz and, yes, baseball—the collection weaves connections between the two great and uniquely American pastimes, and explores how both are an expression and arbiter of race in America.

*This concert has been postponed to winter 2022. New date coming soon. An evening of original music composed by Dr. Aaron J. Johnson.  Dr. AJ's music reflects a wide spectrum of the black experience. Ranging from the Carnival to field hollers and from fellowship to desperate longing, this music is drenched with blues and funk, but also expresses the hopes and strength of the struggle for social justice and human rights.

August Wilson House celebrates America’s greatest playwright with substantial insider interviews, with leading August Wilson actors, directors and artists, national and regional. Hosted and moderated  by Chris Rawson, 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.

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

Novelist Porochista Khakpour joins City of Asylum live for a reading and conversation centering her collection of essays "Brown Album." From the much-acclaimed novelist and essayist, this beautifully rendered, poignant collection of personal essays chronicles immigrant and Iranian-American life in our contemporary moment.