National Book Award winner Daniel Borzutzky will read from his newest poetry collection Written After a Massacre in the Year 2018– a provocative and incandescent indictment of capitalism’s moral decay. Borzutzky will share our virtual stage with author and translator Poupeh Missaghi for a live reading, discussion and audience Q&A. This event is in proud partnership with Coffee House Press. In Written After a Massacre in the Year 2018, Daniel Borzutzky rages against the military industrial complex that profits from violence, against the unjust policing of certain bodies, against xenophobia passing for immigration policy, against hate spreading like a virus. He grieves for children in cages and those slain in the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. But pulsing amid Borzutzky’s outrage over our era’s tragedies is a longing for something better: for generosity to triumph over stinginess and for peace to transform injustice. Borzutzky’s strident language juxtaposes the horror of consumer-culture violence with its absurdity, and he masterfully shifts between shock and heartbreak over the course of the collection. Bleak but not hopeless, Written After a Massacre in the Year 2018 is an unflinching poetic reckoning with the twenty-first century.

From award-winning novelist Argentine Betina González, American Delirium is a dizzying, luminous English-language debut about an American town overrun by a mysterious hallucinogen and the collision of three unexpected characters through the mayhem. Keen readers will catch many direct references to the city of Pittsburgh throughout the novel, inspired by Betina’s time in the city. Betina González will be joined in conversation with American Delirium translator Heather Cleary and Pittsburgh-based author Anjali Sachdeva. Betina González is the bestselling author of several novels and short story collections, for which she has won several awards, including the prestigious Premio Tusquets. American Delirium is her first book to be published in English. González earned her MFA in bilingual creative writing at the University of Texas at El Paso and her PhD from the University of Pittsburgh. She lives in Buenos Aires and teaches at the University of Buenos Aires and New York University Buenos Aires.

These zoom listening sessions share jazz on 78rpm records—the oldest and rarest records that capture truly high quality sound.  The goal of these listening sessions is to make the beauty of classic jazz recordings available to all, to hear lesser known work from great musicians, and share your thoughts with fellow listeners in real time. Our March session celebrates the world of Louis Armstrong, the creator of swing. In fact, Armstrong influenced many elements of modern music including the way we sing and the way we phrase. This presentation includes rare and recently discovered images of Armstrong and state of the art restorations of his earth shaking, life altering recordings.

University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development P.R.I.D.E program proudly presents a screening of 2017’s documentary film “Talking Black in America,” followed by a live panel discussion moderated by Aisha White, Ph.D., Director, The P.R.I.D.E. Program. Door Prizes and educational and community resources available to attendees. “Talking Black in America” is the first documentary feature ever on African-American Vernacular English and Varieties (AAVE). Filmed across the United States, this documentary is a revelation of language as legacy, identity and triumph over adversity. The creativity and resilience of people living through oppression, segregation and the fight for equality, and the powerful identity forged by a shared heritage are all expressed in the ways African Americans communicate.

In honor of Carnival traditions around the world, JouvayFest Collective and Sabira Cole Film Festival present Mout’ Open, Story Jump Out!, a film series exploring and celebrating Caribbean culture. This 3rd and final installment of the series features a screening of: Every Cook Can Govern: The Life, Impact & Work of C.L.R James. This film is closely tied to Carnival traditions in Trinidad and Tobago, and attempt to capture the complex history and dynamic energy of the art form. The program will conclude with a live panel discussion featuring some of the people closely involved with the film, moderated by Ogechi Chieke of SCFF & Sandra A. M Bell of JouvayFest Collective. 

In October of our ‘19-’20 anniversary season, we celebrated 15 years of sanctuary with a one-night-only, sold out event showcasing the work of City of Asylum’s former Writers-in-Residence: Huang Xiang (China), Horacio Castellanos Moya (El Salvador), Khet Mar (Burma), Israel Centeno (Venezuela), and Yaghoub Yadali (Iran). Tonight’s rebroadcast features highlights from their special 2019 reunion at Alphabet City, and invites you to once again reflect on City of Asylum’s role as a bastion of creative free expression and cross-cultural exchange. Tune in to rediscover and reflect on what we have accomplished together, as we continue to push our mission forward with our new cohort of Writers-in-Residence.

When writing a play in verse, what comes first: the poems or the play? In this workshop led by Paloma Sierra, we discuss strategies to write and revise your next poetic play. We will use outlines and poetic forms to write two short scenes, and share our work with others. In this online workshop led by Paloma Sierra, writers from all experience levels are welcome. Please bring a pen and paper, ideas, and a desire to uncover ideas as you write! This workshop will be held on Zoom, and space is limited. Participants will receive the meeting link in a reminder email in the days preceding this workshop. There is no cost to attend. 

Author Raphael Cormack’s newest work Midnight in Cairo, is a vibrant portrait of the talented and entrepreneurial women who defined an era in one of the world’s most multicultural cities, twentieth-century Cairo. Buffeted by crosswinds of colonialism and nationalism, conservatism and liberalism, “religious” and “secular” values, patriarchy and feminism, this new generation of ‘celebrities’ offered a new vision for women in Egypt and throughout the Middle East, unveiling the rich histories of independent, enterprising women in a time marked by excess and unheard-of freedom of expression. Raphael Cormack will be joined in conversation by award winning Egyptian choreographer and composer Adham Hafez for a live discussion and audience Q&A. This program is in proud partnership with W. W. Norton & Company.

The Latinx & Proud! Reading Series is excited to feature poets Rocío Carlos, Nico Amador, Rosina Conde, and Ángel García in an eclectic lineup.  Latinx & Proud! continues the important work of celebrating Latinx artists, and empowering the local and national Latinx community in this ongoing series. This event will be bilingual with translation available. ¡Ven a celebrar con nosotros! (Come celebrate with us!)

Growing up in Limbe, Cameroon, a seaside town with an oil refinery, Imbolo Mbue witnessed firsthand life under a dictatorship and was fascinated by the people who rose up against corporate greed and systems of injustice. Profoundly moving, HOW BEAUTIFUL WE WERE delivers the same storytelling mastery that brought her so many fans and such critical acclaim. Imbolo Mbue will discuss her creative process in a live conversation and audience Q&A.