City of Asylum
Giving Voice.
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.
Reel Stories is a free monthly film series dedicated to showcasing international queer cinema presented in partnership with Reel Q, Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival. August’s screening presents "Instructions for Survival," a 2021 documentary directed by Yana Ugrekhelidze.
In support of his project “Four for Mingus,'' AJ Johnson presents the last in a series of four concerts dedicated to visionary musician Charles Mingus. This final concert will spotlight Charles Mingus’ tributes to Duke Ellington, creating a unique homage to both of these major figures in the history of jazz.
This program presents a combination reading and musical performance with author and ethnomusicologist, Shalini R. Ayyagari. In Shalani’s book, Musical Resilience: Performing Patronage in the Indian Thar Desert, she shows how professional low-caste musicians from the Thar Desert borderland of Rajasthan, India have skillfully reinvented their cultural and economic value in postcolonial India
Fan favorite jazz series Off Minor returns this September with an ode to Buddy DeFranco.
This program, presented in partnership with RealTime Arts and Jewish Family and Community Services (JFCS), welcomes a panel of resettlement experts and former refugees to explore the challenges unaccompanied minors face in their journey to find a new home, in preparation for a series of visits throughout Pittsburgh from Little Amal.
Utilizing a unique blend of global folk traditions and contemporary jazz, Kinetic’s performance efforts celebrate multiculturalism, wisdom, and unity.
Mathew Tembo returns this fall as part of his U.S. tour! Themed "Reggae-Afro," this tour is aimed at highlighting the impact that reggae has had on his Afropop style from Zambia.
In an exciting return to the Alphabet City stage, Thumbscrew (Tomas Fujiwara, Michael Formanek, and Mary Halvorson) debut a program of original compositions, developed and rehearsed over the course of their 5th biennial residency at City of Asylum.
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.
This workshop, led by memoirist and medical professional Theresa Brown, R.N., will guide participants through a process of breaking down medical documents & rearranging the given words, thus allowing them to examine the interplay between a medicalized and a personal understanding of their bodymind’s experience.
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.
