Only a few days remain to bid on goods from Northside sponsors, including The Children’s Museum, The Andy Warhol Museum, and The National Aviary, in the 2025 Freedom to Create Raffle! Tickets are $5 and sales are open until 10/19 at 9 pm. Enter the raffle today at cityasylum.betterworld.org/

This weekend, City of Asylum welcomes a lineup of world-class authors, translators, and performers. This year’s festival asks: When we are faced with a cultural rift, how can we riff on that separation and invite connection, collaboration, and conversation? RSVP today! cityofasylum.org/litfest-2025/

"Kiran Desai’s Long-Awaited Return Is a Transcendent Triumph" (New York Times). Read the full review of Kiran Desai's "The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny" and don't forget to register for her upcoming program at LitFest 2025! www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/...

In 2006, Kiran Desai won the Booker Prize for "The Inheritance of Loss." After a near 20-year hiatus, "The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny" marks her glorious return—and it’s on the 2025 Booker Prize shortlist. Register today for her 2025 LitFest program on October 19! cityofasylum.org/program/li...

There's still time to bid on goods from Northside sponsors, including The Children’s Museum, The Andy Warhol Museum, and The National Aviary, in the Freedom to Create Raffle! Tickets are $5 each and sales are open until Sunday, 10/19, at 9 pm. Enter the raffle today at cityasylum.betterworld.org/

10/19: Former ASL Poet Laureate of Allegheny County Mj Shahen hosts a night of ASL and Visual Vernacular performance with two Pittsburgh-based storytellers, Baltimore-based Deaf comedian NuNu Davis, and Washington, DC–based Deaf storyteller Lisa McBee! RSVP today! cityofasylum.org/program/li...

"This gripping drama offers an intimate view into contemporary China’s class dynamics" (Publisher's Weekly). Read the full review of Zhang Yueran's "Women, Seated" and register today for the live discussion of the novel at LitFest 2025! www.publishersweekly.com/97...

"World-Class Authors, Poets and Performers to Appear at City of Asylum’s LitFest," read the full article from "Pittsburgh Magazine" and reserve your tickets to LitFest 2025 today! www.pittsburghmagazine.com/...

Zhang Yueran’s "Women, Seated" details a powerful Chinese family’s fall from grace and a world of luxury and hidden secrets. On 10/19, editor Han Zhang and translator Jeremy Tiang discuss this literary phenomenon and the importance of translated literature. RSVP today! cityofasylum.org/program/li...

Did someone say LitFest? See who's on this week at City of Asylum in the latest edition of the Alphabet City Marquee! 44048774.hs-sites.com/10-11...

TODAY at City of Asylum Bookstore: it's the first-ever Books & Bistros Indie Book Fair! Swing by any time from 12-6 and join in the festivities! www.cityofasylumbooks.org/e...

10/18: Don't miss this reimagining of timeless classics "Antigone" and "Cassandra" with MacArthur Genius Anne Carson at LitFest 2025! Reserve your FREE in-person or livestream tickets today! cityofasylum.org/program/li...

We're raffling off goods and experiences from a handful of Northside sponsors, including The Children’s Museum, The Andy Warhol Museum, The National Aviary, and more! Raffle tickets are $5 each, and sales are open until Sunday, 10/19, at 9 pm. Enter the raffle today! cityasylum.betterworld.org/

This October 19, Indigenous authors Julian Talamantez Brolaski, Erin Marie Lynch, and Layli Long Soldier explore Indigenous language and translation as a means of both language preservation and play at LitFest 2025. Reserve your in-person or livestream tickets today! cityofasylum.org/program/li...

This weekend at City of Asylum Bookstore: it's the first-ever Books & Bistros Indie Book Fair! Learn more and register for free today at www.cityofasylumbooks.org/e...

What's going on this week at City of Asylum Bookstore? Find out in this week's edition of Sliding Stacks! 44048774.hs-sites.com/10-09...

In the mood for a cutthroat battle of wits? Look no further than City of Asylum's LitFest 2025 Translation Slam on 10/18! Mark Andryczyk, Dominique Hoffman, and Halyna Hryn will defend their translations of an essay in Ukrainian by Volodymyr Rafeyenko. RSVP at cityofasylum.org/program/li...

This 10/18, City of Asylum welcomes trans and nonbinary poets Aaron El Sabrout, imogen xtian smith, and Julian Talamantez Brolaski to the garden for a poetry reading designed to help cultivate one’s own wilderness and reimagine ways of being. RSVP today at cityofasylum.org/program/li...

10/18: LitFest 2025 welcomes Poet Yona Harvey and scholar Tahira J. Walker as they discuss their respective works and the intersection of history, community, marginalization, and resistance for Black women in Pittsburgh. cityofasylum.org/program/li...

This October 8 at 7:00 PM, see City of Asylum Writers-in-Residence Rania Mamoun, Mukhtar Shehata, and Anouar Rahmani at Mt Lebanon Public Library for a reading highlighting Arab Voices. mtlebanon.librarycalendar.c...

10/18: Poet Yona Harvey and scholar Tahira J. Walker explore what it means to be a Black woman living in a city deemed most unlivable for them. The pair will discuss their respective works and the intersection of history, community, marginalization, and resistance. cityofasylum.org/program/li...

See what's on this week at City of Asylum in the Alphabet City Marquee! 44048774.hs-sites.com/10-04...

City of Asylum's LitFest 2025 is right around the corner! Featuring artists such as Anne Carson, Kiran Desai, Tahirah J Walker, and Yona Harvey, tickets are going fast. View the full lineup and reserve your spot for the festivities today! cityofasylum.org/litfest-2025/

We are proud to share that the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission recently honored City of Asylum co-founder Henry Reese for his heroic defense of author Salman Rushdie when he was attacked in 2022. Read the full article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. www.post-gazette.com/local/...

Don't forget to apply! Youth Poet Laureate applications close Tuesday, September 30, at 11:59 PM. Teens in Allegheny County with a passion for poetry and social justice, this opportunity is for you. For more info, visit cityofasylum.org/ypl

Change begins with the tiniest little matters.

Whatever you think you can expect at this October's Story Slam, think again! Join us on 10/7 to explore the theme "The Unexpected" as a storyteller or a judge. RSVP at cityofasylum.org/program/st...

10/28: It’s the 45th anniversary of the Drue Heinz Prize! Together, we’re honoring one of America’s biggest short fiction awards, with readings from current prizewinner Bill Gaythwaite as well as alumni prizewinners Caroline Kim (2020) and Kelly Sather (2023). cityofasylum.org/program/dr...

Did you know City of Asylum Bookstore specializes in translated and international works? Shop these new works in translation in store and online at cityofasylumbooks.org

10/21: Embark on an Odyssey-like journey with Olena Boryshpolets's "New Calypso." The long-form poem comes to life in this musical theater performance, welcoming author and actor Olena herself, actor Chris Rivas, and bandura musician Lesya Verba to the stage. cityofasylum.org/program/wr...

Always remember: they cannot lock up the freedom of your mind.

On 10/16: We’re kicking off our fall 2025 concert season with the man, the myth, the legend: Roger Humphries. Roger and the RH Factor bring world-class jazz to the stage, letting the music run free. cityofasylum.org/program/th...

Pittsburgh Jazz Legend (MCG Jazz) Lou Stellute joins forces with Antonio Croes, Ava Lintz, and George Heid III. The members of the quintet listen and respond together in the moment, resulting in a musically inventive and wholly original performance. cityofasylum.org/program/th...

Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15–10/15) is right around the corner, and City of Asylum Books has put together a list of recommendations that traverse genres, worlds, and generational stories to help you celebrate! www.cityofasylumbooks.org/c...

It's the 40th Annual Reel Q Film Festival and City of Asylum is hosting! Don't miss the screening at Alphabet City on Monday, 10/6. RSVP today and stay tuned for more details to come! cityofasylum.org/program/re...

Beautiful words from former City of Asylum Writer-in-Residence Israel Centeno 🌇

It's the 40th Annual Reel Q Film Festival, and City of Asylum is hosting! Don't miss the screening at Alphabet City on Monday, 10/6. RSVP today and stay tuned for more details to come! cityofasylum.org/program/re...

Mark your calendars! This October 18–19, LitFest 2025 explores translation and social justice in the literary scene, welcoming international and local guests for a packed weekend of exciting programs. We can't wait for you to see what else is in store—stay tuned for more details to come!

Nothing can prepare you for this October's Story Slam at City of Asylum...Join us on 10/7 to explore the theme "The Unexpected" as a storyteller or a judge! RSVP today at cityofasylum.org/program/st...

Celebrate World Kid Lit Month with the recommended reads in this week's edition of Sliding Stacks! 44048774.hs-sites.com/09-04...

Where do you find your roots? 📷: Drew Kelly

Our fall 2025 concert season kicks off with the man, the myth, the legend: Roger Humphries. On 10/16, Roger and the RH Factor return to the Alphabet City stage for a performance highlighting the spirit of collaboration, community, and letting jazz run free. cityofasylum.org/program/th...

You heard right: applications for the 2025–26 youth poet laureate are open now! Now through September 30, submit your applications at cityofasylum.org/ypl

THIS WEEK: Hit the stage (or the judging panel!) with Story Club PGH's Story Slam! 44048774.hs-sites.com/08-30...

5 years ago today, Damon Young connected with fellow author and humorist Samantha Irby for an episode of his pandemic era series How To Survive in America. Watch the full discussion at vimeo.com/1002848383?share=...

If you’ve ever felt the weight of something pushing down on you, or maybe even just had the Freddie Mercury and David Bowie classic stuck in your head, this month's Story Slam is for you—the theme is Under Pressure. cityofasylum.org/program/st...

Want to read more literature in translation, but don't know where to start? Join our Translated Literature subscription service! Each month, you'll receive a recently published book by one of the leading publishers of translated literature. Sign up today at www.cityofasylumbooks.org/t...

TONIGHT: Don't miss Pittsburgh Jazz Society Hall of Fame inductee Tony Campbell in the last concert of the summer! Taking the stage with Roger Humphries, Dwayne Dolphin, and Victor Garzotto, Tony pays tribute to the life and works of Eric Kloss and Richie Cole. cityofasylum.org/program/th...

Jazz is all about communication and connection, and no one exemplifies this better than Pittsburgh legend Roger Humphries. See Roger and the RH Factor this October 16 at City of Asylum. cityofasylum.org/program/th...

Have you ever felt the weight of something pushing down on you? Looking for a way to blow off some steam? Then we've got the storytelling event for you! On September 2, stop by City of Asylum for Story Slam, where participants will tackle the theme "Under Pressure." cityofasylum.org/program/st...