- City of Asylum Pittsburgh and International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) collaborate to present 30+ free,transformational events over 4 days in May
- 80+ acclaimed international writers, musicians, artists, and thought leaders come together to focus on community building through global creative expression and solidarity
- Bridges – City of Asylum Pittsburgh Creative Summit to take place on Pittsburgh’s Northside
(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States) – Tuesday, May 20 through Friday, May 24, 2025, Bridges – City of Asylum Pittsburgh Creative Summit invites all those who enjoy the beauty of free expression to four days of critical discussions about the literary arts, the power of music, exile, translation, community building, and the future of philanthropy. Through conversations with award-winning authors, captivating performances, and impactful panels with artistic and literary leaders from around the world, we’ll explore and celebrate global creative expression and solidarity.
The Summit will celebrate exceptional writing and foster a deeper understanding of free expression’s critical role in democracy. Through diverse activities, including panels, musical performances, readings, and a cookout, the Summit will be an enriching experience for all participants.
The Summit will be based at Alphabet City, City of Asylum’s home on the Northside, with some programs at Community College of Allegheny County’s Allegheny Campus (also on the Northside). Complete festival details are available at cityofasylum.org/bridges. All programs are free and open to the public, but advance registration is required.
“‘Bridges’ comes at a critically important moment. Fostering connections built on literature, music, and creative expression unites us and makes all our communities stronger and more effective. We look forward to welcoming our friends and colleagues from Europe and across the US to participate in and be inspired by the discussions occurring in the formal program and the equally invaluable casual conversations.” Kevin McKeegan, Board Chair of City of Asylum Pittsburgh, says, “It’s a crucial time to remind ourselves that free speech and expression are a cornerstone of democracy and human rights. The Summit is a platform to build and strengthen bridges, countering the divisiveness and polarization that haunt us today. We look forward to seeing you there.”
According to Helge Lunde, ICORN Executive Director, “For 20 years, City of Asylum and ICORN have been working together to improve the conditions for freedom of expression worldwide by offering safe spaces for writers and artists who are persecuted in their own countries because of their work. The Bridges Summit takes place at a time when our democratic values and freedoms are being put under a magnifying glass. Now more than ever, it is important to come together in solidarity to create spaces where freedom of expression can flourish. It’s a privilege to be able to co-host our first-ever creative summit outside of Europe and a crucial step in building a stronger network of ICORN partners in the US.”
Programming Highlights
- George Packer, award-winning author and staff writer at The Atlantic, will deliver the Freedom of Expression Address and discuss what it means to write in a world of increasing authoritarianism.
- Award-winning Irish Novelist Colum McCann will join the Summit for two conversations. First, he will discuss his latest novel, Twist, and his mission to build empathy through literature with the help of his not-for-profit Narrative 4.
- In a second conversation, Colum McCann will be in conversation with the men who inspired his novel, Apeirogon: two fathers, Palestinian Bassam Aramin and Israeli Rami Elhanan. Both men were raised to hate each other, and both men lost their daughters. Despite their pain and enormous grief, they somehow found points of connection and carved out space for peace, forming the Parents Circle-Family Forum. They now travel the world together, sharing their message of
- Mohamedou Ould Slahi worked with journalist and human rights advocate Larry Siems to edit his internationally acclaimed Guantánamo Diary. He will join the Summit virtually for a discussion with Larry, moderated by award-winning nonfiction writer, storyteller, critic, and performance poet Adriana E. Ramírez. The conversation will focus on Mohameduou’s resilience and the power of compassion.
- To discuss cross-border arts and cultural programming designed to strengthen ties between migrant communities and local residents, American architect and urbanist Teddy Cruz and French writer, documentarian, and cultural activist Philippe Olle Laprune will share their groundbreaking work on the US/Mexico Border. Led by the Center on Global Justice, the Community Stations at the University of California is a network of sanctuary spaces in migrant neighborhoods on both sides of the San Diego – Tijuana border. The FRONTeras Writing Residency was recently created to host migrant writers and co-produce collective literature projects with local community cohorts, university students, and researchers. The first writing residency involved a Nicaraguan writer exiled in Mexico, demonstrating what can be developed jointly with the framework of ICORN.
- The summit will bring together a panel to consider the Role of Music, Art & Journalism in Political Dissent. It features former City of Asylum resident Mai Khôi, who is a musician from Vietnam. Her avant-garde trio Mai Khôi Chém Gió released their debut album “Dissent” in 2018, working at the interface of art and activism. Yasmine El Baramawy is an Egyptian musician and women’s rights activist-in-residence in Sweden. Nazeeha Saeed is a Bahraini journalist, human rights defender, women’s rights advocate, and former ICORN resident based in Berlin. Khalid Albaih is a Sudanese political cartoonist, human rights advocate, and freelance journalist in Norway. Khaled Harara is a Palestinian hip-hop artist and activist currently living in Sweden. Together, they’ll discuss how they use their creative practices to advocate for human rights and creative freedom of expression.
- Bosnian-American author, essayist, television writer, and screenwriter Aleksandar Hemon will discuss Language, Exile, & The Many Forms of Artistic Expression. Best known for the novels Nowhere Manand The Lazarus Project and his scriptwriting as a co-writer of The Matrix Resurrections, Aleksandar will talk about language and exile, his love of football, and the power of music and storytelling with Words Without Borders’s Elisabeth Jacquette.
- Jazz Poetry Festival has been a City of Asylum signature program for over two decades. Because Jazz Poetry is traditionally held in May, the Bridges Summit provides an exciting opportunity for some particularly unique pairings of musicians and poets. With decades of tradition and experimentation, these performances feature talented poets from across the globe, including residents from European ICORN cities. Musicians include Jerome Jennings & iLL Philosophy, presenting Jerome’s original compositions, which fuse jazz with blues, bebop, Afrobeat, and hip hop. James Brandon Lewis, one of today’s most exciting jazz musicians, has headlined City of Asylum’s Jazz Poetry Festival for the past four years. For 2025, James will collaborate with four poets, including a very special appearance by Chinese poet and calligraphist Huang Xiang, the first writer to live in residence at City of Asylum Pittsburgh.
- There is significant uncertainty surrounding funding in the non-profit arts community. The Summit aims to shed some light on what the future may bring by hosting a full morning focused on Philanthropy & Funding for Arts, Culture, and Human Rights. Among others, guest speakers include Rocío Aranda-Alvarado, Senior Program Officer, Creativity and Free Expression at the Ford Foundation, Kendra Ross, Head of Social Impact at Duolingo, and Anne Marie Toccket, Executive Director of the Posner Foundation, Ellyn Toscano, Executive Director of Hawthornden Foundation, Jake Goodman, Executive Director of The Opportunity Fund, and Diana Bucco, President of Buhl Foundation.
- Bridges features lectures, conversations, panels, and vital discussions featuring over 80 speakers. Additional topics include The Future of Publishing & Literature in Translation, Understanding Exile: Essential Youth Connections, Arab Voices in Exile, a Translation Slam Emceed by Michael Reynolds, and The Power of Public Art.
- More Music – a performance by City of Asylum writer-in-residence Oleksandr Frazé-Frazénko, a multi-talented artist with passions across genres and mediums, including his rock band, The Happy Lovers. The band features Mari Frazé-Frazénko, on vocals. The band is described as “The White Stripes meet Nick Cave in Ukraine with PJ Harvey on vocals.” Closing out the Summit will be a dance party with a set from DJ Cielo(known in the literary scene as Aleksandar Hemon), featuring Afro House and Organic House, along with beats and voices from all over the world.
- In celebration of our growing global community and the many places we learn to call home, The Big Sampsonia Way Cookout invites all our neighbors (local and international) to a street party with an afternoon of food, music, and conversation.
Additional programs, speakers, and performers are being added and will be updated on the website as confirmed. Interviews with program participants, performers, and presenters are available before or during the Summit.
Funding for Bridges – City of Asylum Pittsburgh Creative Summit has been provided by The Buhl Foundation, Opportunity Fund, and Duolingo.
About City of Asylum Pittsburgh
City of Asylum builds a just community by protecting and celebrating freedom of creative expression. It is the largest sanctuary for endangered writers worldwide and provides housing so they can continue to create and ensure their voices are not silenced.
Our home at Alphabet City offers over 120 free literary, music, and humanities programs annually. For more information, visit cityofasylum.org.
About International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN)
The International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) is a non-governmental organization established in 2006 and based in Stavanger, Norway. ICORN enables cities around the world to provide safe havens for persecuted writers and artists, working together to advance freedom of expression, defend democratic values, and promote international solidarity.
For more information, visit icorn.org.
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