City of Asylum
City of Asylum (more formally City of Asylum/Pittsburgh) is a nonprofit organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that helps writers exiled from their countries for their controversial writing.[1]
City of Asylum's logo. | |
Alphabet City - City of Asylum's headquarters | |
| Formation | 2004 |
|---|---|
| Founders | R. Henry Reese, Diane Samuels |
| Type | Non-profit |
| Purpose | To provide sanctuary to endangered literary writers. |
| Headquarters | 40 W. North Ave Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 40°27′20″N 80°00′27″W / 40.45562°N 80.007519°W |
Executive Director | Andrés Franco |
Budget | $1,100,000 |
Staff | 14 |
| Website | cityofasylum |
Exiled writers accepted to the organization's program receive two years of financial and medical support for their families and up to four years of free housing. The aid is intended to provide the writers time and means to seek resettlement and adjust to life in the United States.[1][2][3][4][5]
Founded in 2004 by Henry Reese and Diane Samuels,[6] the organization runs the Alphabet City venue, Sampsonia Way magazine, and Pittsburgh's Jazz Poetry Month. City of Asylum hosts more than 175 cultural and literary events every year which are free to the public.[7]
In 2016, it became the U.S. headquarters for the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN), which called the organization a “model for the world.”[8] In 2017, the organization converted an old Masonic lodge into their main headquarters, called Alphabet City.[9]
History edit
Origin and establishment edit
After Pittsburgh couple Henry Reese and Diane Samuels heard Salman Rushdie mention the more-than-50-city International Cities of Refuge Networking in Europe, they sought and received approval to create a new node in their own city.[10][3][11] The couple bought a former crack house on Sampsonia Way in Pittsburgh's North Side.[12] They joined the nearby Mattress Factory and Randyland to fight post-industrial blight in the Mexican War Streets area.[13]
The organization was originally funded by donations from friends, an outlier among asylum programs which are typically under universities and other institutions.[10] The original money raised was spent to provide housing, medical benefits, and a living stipend for a writer.[14]
The organization’s first author resident was Huang Xiang, a Chinese poet who had been sentenced to death in China for his participation in the Democracy Wall Movement.[12][15] He and his wife Zhang Ling were granted asylum in the United States through City of Asylum.[16]
On August 12, 2022, Reese was preparing to interview Rushdie on stage in New York when an attacker stabbed the author. During the attack, Reese received facial lacerations and a black eye.[17] He later said, "Don’t be intimidated, if anything you should be re-energized by what we have just been through...You can't give into being silenced."[18]
Writers in Residence edit
At least 10 writers-in-exile have stayed for more than a year in City of Asylum apartments, while another 20 international artist-in-residence writers have stayed one to three months.[9]
| Years | Writer | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2004-2006 | Huang Xiang | China |
| 2006-2011 | Horacio Castellanos Moya | El Salvador |
| 2006-2009 | Khet Mar | Burma |
| 2011-2018 | Israel Centeno | Venezuela |
| 2013-2015 | Yaghoub Yadali | Iran |
| 2016–present | Tuhin Das | Bangladesh |
| 2017-2019 | Osama Alomar | Syria |
| 2019-2021 | Bewketu Seyoum | Ethiopia |
| 2021–present | Jorge Olivera Castillo | Cuba |
| 2022–present | Anouar Rahmani | Algeria |
Mural Houses edit
Huang Xuang wanted to carve a poem into a mountain, but took Samuels' suggestion that he paint the poems on his house. The building became known as House Poem, and people have slipped their own poems into the mail slot.[10][19] Other writers followed suit; as of 2021, five City of Asylum houses on Sampsonia Way have murals.
| Year | Name | Artist | Address |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | House Poem | Huang Xiang | 408 Sampsonia Way |
| 2006 | Winged House | Thaddeus Mosley | 402 Sampsonia Way |
| 2009 | Pittsburgh-Burma House | Than Htay Muang | 324 Sampsonia Way |
| 2010 | Jazz House | Oliver Lake | 320 Sampsonia Way |
| 2021 | Comma House | Tuhin Das | 308 Sampsonia Way |
Projects edit
Alphabet City edit
In 2015, City of Asylum acquired a former Masonic Hall from the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh and launched a $12.2 million renovation.[8] The project received $8 million in tax credits and additional funding from local foundations.[9] Dubbed Alphabet City, the building now houses administrative offices, the City of Asylum bookstore, and a restaurant. All events held at the space are free.[20]
City of Asylum Books, a separate entity from the non-profit organization, specializes in international and translated literature.[21]
The first restaurant to open in the renovated Alphabet City was Casellula, a cheese and wine cafe with a strict no-tipping policy.[22] The restaurant closed in late 2017, weeks after staff aired grievances on "Tipped Off", a restaurant industry blog.[23] From 2018 to 2020, the restaurant space housed Brugge on North, a branch of Pittsburgh restaurants Point Brugge and Park Brugge.[24][25] The current restaurant is called 40 North.[26]
Jazz Poetry Month edit
Jazz Poetry was the first event put on by City of Asylum in 2005. It was a collaboration between Huang Xiang and jazz musician Oliver Lake. City of Asylum continued to host Jazz Poetry annually. In 2016, the format changed from a single concert to a full month of concerts.[27]
River of Words edit
River of Words is a public art installation by exiled Venezuelan writer and artist resident Israel Centeno.[28] The installation involved a choice of 100 words, all relevant to Pittsburgh, of which Mexican War Street neighbors were invited to display on the wall, door, or window of their houses.[10][29] The representation of the words were designed by Venezuelan artists Carolina Arnal and Gisela Romero.[30]
Sampsonia Way magazine edit
The City of Asylum publishes a magazine called Sampsonia Way which has publishes English translations of exiled writers. The publication's goal is to fight censorship and celebrate free expression in literature.[10]
References edit
- ^ a b Pressimone, Salina (November 30, 2017). "An Asylum for Artists: Students intern at a Sanctuary for Exiled Writers". Pitt News. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Gentile, Carmen (August 10, 2014). "In Pittsburgh, a refuge for endangered writers". Al Jazeera. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ a b Conway, Brian (February 13, 2017). "City of Asylum @ Alphabet City opens its doors to the community". NEXTPittsburgh. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Zhao, Kathy (January 5, 2015). "City of Asylum writers take refuge in Pittsburgh". Pitt News. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Volk, David. "City of Asylum: Helping persecuted artists in Pittsburgh". Columns Magazine. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Studebaker, Bob (July 16, 2017). "StoryCorps Pittsburgh: Henry Reese And Diane Samuels". WESA. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Pitz, Marylynne (February 27, 2019). "Broadcasting executive chosen to lead City of Asylum". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
The North Side nonprofit houses exiled writers and presents more than 175 free cultural and literary events each year
- ^ a b O'Driscoll, Bill (May 11, 2016). "City of Asylum/Pittsburgh Restaurant, Bookstore, Event Space Set for September". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
called City of Asylum/Pittsburgh "the model for the world."
- ^ a b c Kirkland, Kevin (February 27, 2017). "Alphabet City bookstore: Newly opened bookstore provides an asylum for works of writers in exile". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Fallows, Deborah (October 31, 2014). "Pittsburgh's City of Asylum". The Atlantic. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Studbaker, Bob (June 27, 2013). "City of Asylum Pittsburgh Firmly Rooted in Its North Side Neighborhood". WESA. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
Inspired by the bestselling novelist Salman Rushdie
- ^ a b Packer, George (December 7, 2009). "A Safe Street in Pittsburgh". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Peterson, Lucas (April 12, 2017). "Built on Steel, Pittsburgh Now Thrives on Culture". The New York Times. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Fallows, Deborah (March 21, 2016). "Language as Art in Pittsburgh". The Atlantic. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Semuels, Alana (November 16, 2004). "The right to write: City gives safe harbor to exiled Chinese poet and his work". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ "Ralph Henry Reese: Giving Exiled Writers Security and Freedom". VOA News. February 1, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Ingram, Sheldon (15 August 2022). "City of Asylum Pittsburgh co-founder responds to violent attacks". WTAE-TV. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
You can't give in to being silenced.
- ^ Pilkington, Ed (14 August 2022). "Moderator describes 'tragic irony' and 'horror' as violence on Rushdie unfolded". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ Spiegel, Brendan (July 15, 2015). "36 Hours in Pittsburgh". The New York Times. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Young, Virginia (September 9, 2016). "City Of Asylum Prepares To Launch Alphabet City And Expand Programming". WESA. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
All events are free
- ^ Behe, Rege (August 15, 2018). "Pittsburghers buying into City of Asylum Books". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Roberts, Celine (February 15, 2017). "NYC's Casellula Opens on the North Side". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ McCart, Melissa (December 16, 2017). "Casellula in the North Side to close in late December". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ McCart, Melissa (April 15, 2018). "The new restaurant in the North Side's City of Asylum opens this week". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Federoff, Stacey (February 23, 2018). "Point Brugge Cafe, Park Bruges owners to open third restaurant". Pittsburgh Business Times. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ "Restaurant Review: 40 North At Alphabet City". Pittsburgh Magazine. 2021-10-14. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
- ^ "Jazz Poetry Moves to May on the North Side, plus more jazz happenings on the Scene". WZUM Jazz Pittsburgh. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
- ^ "River of Words connects communities and brains". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. July 18, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Baron, Jennifer (July 21, 2014). "River of Words public art launch". NEXTPittsburgh. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Lizarondo, Leah (July 22, 2014). "A River of Words Engulfs the Northside". NEXTPittsburgh. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
External links edit
- Official website