Arriving here in March 2009, Khet Mar, City of Asylum/Pittsburgh’s current writer-in-residence, journeyed with her family on a 45-hour trip from her home in Rangoon, Burma all the way to Sampsonia Way. Living with her husband Than Htay Maung and two sons, Khet Mar has resided on Sampsonia Way now for just over a year.
Read more...
Irakli Kakabadze was the writer-in-residence at the Ithaca City of Asylum for the past two years. Hailing from the Caucasus nation of Georgia, Kakabadze suffered persecution at the hands of the government because of the opinions he expressed through his writings and protesting. We corresponded with Kakabadze via email to see what project he is currently working on and to learn about his experiences with City of Asylum.
Read more...
On April 27, novelist Tommy Wieringa visited Sampsonia Way to give a reading with Sofi Oksanen and Christos Tsoilkas. The event was sponsored by City of Aslyum/Pittsburgh in partnership with PEN/America.
Read more...
Tashi Rabten is one of two Tibetan students arrested by the Chinese government from the Tibet Autonomous Region. As the editior of Shar Dungri (Eastern Snow Mountain), a banned literary magazine, he wrote on the suppression of the March 2008 protests in Lhasa and surrounding regions. Sydney PEN is calling for Tashi’s immediate release from Chinese custody.
Read more...
When Silvia Duarte interviewed saxophonist and painter Oliver Lake for our May issue, he had just started sketching out his ideas for the Oliver House, the latest “house publication” of City of Asylum/Pittsburgh. House publications are homes on Sampsonia Way adorned with original artworks and writings. Writers in exile and visiting writers stay in these houses when they visit COA/P.
Read more...
A year ago, when Sampsonia Way asked the writer Er Tai Gao to write about China twenty years after Tiananmen Square, he was more than willing to offer his reflection in Three Thoughts on Tiananmen Square.
Read more...
This piece highlights the merger between City of Asylum and Iowa University’s International Writers Program. This video discussion highlights how governments react to creative poetry and creative writing in their countries.
Read more...
