In this edition of The Writer’s Block, we sit down with TJ Dema, a Motswana performance poet, to discuss her craft and collaborations. The Writer’s Block is an ongoing video series of interviews with visiting writers at City of Asylum/Pittsburgh.
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This week: 30th year of Banned Books Week celebrates right to read; Burmese journalists still denied visas to enter country; French newspaper cartoons of prophet Muhammad spark debate over Islamophobia; and the convenience of denouncing free speech.
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On September 8th, 2012, City of Asylum/Pittsburgh hosted its 8th annual Jazz Poetry Concert at the New Hazlett Theater in Pittsburgh’s North Side. The concert featured highlight performances by Oliver Lake’s Steel Quartet with Meshell Ndegeocello.
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In this video interview Tibetan-Chinese writer, blogger, and activist Tsering Woeser discusses her history of harassment at the hands of the Chinese government, the current situation in Tibet, and what people can do to help. She also reads a short poem.
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This week, an anti-Islamist film ignited violent protests across the Arab world; Freedom Theater co-founder Zakaria Zubeidi to begin death fast until he is released from a Palestinian prison; Aseem Trivedi jailed for cartoon mocking Indian government.
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In this installment of our Jazz Poetry emcee interview series, Gail Austin and Mensah Wali of the Kente Arts Alliance to us about the organization’s mission and works, the public perception of Pittsburgh’s Northside, and their favorite jazz and poetry.
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In this interview Sheryl St. Germain talks about her work as a curator of City of Asylum/Pittsburgh’s annual event Writers in the Garden, the skills she wants her students to learn, and how writing helped her define her past.
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