city of asylum · 6 7 40 ort Ae l 4124351110 free tickets l alphabetcity.org freedom to create saturday, september 7 an annual performance and conversation to celebrate freedom of

city of asylum@ ALPHABET city JAZZ POETRY 2019

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free tickets l alphabetcity.org40 W North Ave l 412-435-1110

photo: Renee Rosensteel

fifteen yearscelebrate freedom of creative expression

an invitation from Director of Programs, Abby Lembersky

This year marks City of Asylum’s 15th annual Jazz Poetry Festival—and what a whirlwind 15 years it’s been! At its beginning, Jazz Poetry uplifted the voice of our first resident writer Huang Xiang, pairing his words with the renowned saxophonist Oliver Lake. From this first one-night concert on Sampsonia Way, Jazz Poetry has grown into a month-long festival known round the world. It opens on September 7 with a Freedom to Create concert. And it continues throughout September with 9 programs, each different. Jazz Poetry Month includes 20 musicians and 26 poets…spanning 13 countries.

Each evening’s program begins with a jazz concert by a great band that has never before played in Pittsburgh. Then, the celebration goes into overdrive with our trademark jazz poetry collaborations. Mixing languages, music, and live performance, these are unique rehearsed collaborations by some of the world’s most extraordinary talents.

And each of the 9 programs is completely free. To reserve your tickets, go to alphabetcity.org. Our capacity is limited, so I recommend you reserve your tickets soon.

I hope to see you during Jazz Poetry Month.

internationaljazz & jazz poetry collaborations City of Asylum creates a thriving community for

writers, readers, and neighbors. We provide sanctuary to endangered literary writers so that they can continue to write and their voices are not silenced. We offer a broad range of literary programs in a variety of community settings to

encourage cross-cultural exchange. We anchor neighborhood economic development by

transforming blighted properties into homes for these programs and energizing public spaces

through public art with text-based components.Learn more at cityofasylum.org

protectcreative free expression

City of Asylum @ ALphabet City40 W North Ave, Northside register for free ticketsalphabetcity.org | 412-435-1110

28 city of asylum bookstore30 support freedom of creative expression

page content 6 freedom to create conversation 12 flyways with toi derricotte, roy gúzman

natalie scenters-zapico, & corrine jasmin

14 intimate strangers with emmanuel iduma16 myra melford + nicole mitchell with alison c. rollins, celeste gainey, cameron barnett, & ellen mcgrath smith

18 the freedom to write 20 oliver lake: OGJB Quartet with alicia ostriker, justin phillip reed, osama alomar, & tuhin das24 the freedom to write 26 the possible 4 with vievee francis, margaret ross, ilya kaminsky, tarfia faizullah, franny choi, ruth awad, s. brook corfman, lisa summe, christine stroud, bewketu seyoum

free tickets!

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freedom to createsaturday, september 7

an annual performance and conversation to celebrate freedom of expression

City of Asylum’s 2019 Freedom to Create honoree is the Iranian singer Mahsa Vahdat. She will perform in concert and be joined by Iranian poet Sholeh Wolpé. As a female soloist, Mahsa Vahdat is only permitted to perform for all-female audiences in Iran, which she has refused to do. As ambassador for Freemuse, Vahdat advocates for musical freedom of expression around the world. Her performance at City of Asylum has been arranged in partnership with Norwegian record producer Erik Hillestad, whose company produces collaborations focusing on human rights and solidarity.

Sholeh Wolpe is an Iranian-born poet, playwright, and translator who has been a central figure in connecting the English speaking world to Iranian literature. She will do a short reading and moderate a discussion with Vahdat and an audience Q & A.

Mahsa Vahdat

Sholeh Wolpé

jazzSince 2005, the legendary jazz saxophonist and composer Oliver Lake has helped City of Asylum bring great jazz bands for Jazz Poetry, almost always for their first performances in Pittsburgh. Bands and performers have included Trio 3, the World Saxophone Quartet, Vijay Iyer, Geri Allen, and Mary Halvorson, as well as international artists LAM Trio (Poland), Jaak Sooäär Quartet (Estonia/Russia), and Claudio Cojaniz (Italy).

2019 leads off with three evenings showcasing female band leaders Mara Rosenbloom, Sara Sherpa, and Myra Medford. Joining Medford will be Nicole Mitchell, making her first Pittsburgh performance since her appointment as chair of Pitt’s Jazz Studies. Week 2 marks the return of Oliver Lake, with his OGJB Quartet, and Week 3 features an international group combining musicians from Slovenia, Serbia, and the U.S.

Each evening’s concert—even when the groups are the same—will be entirely different music.


poetry

“If any ghosts of the Beats were hanging around that night, they were finally learning something about how music and words can reach an

unbelievable register…unforgettable.”—Pulitzer Prize winner Yusef Komunyakaa, after his appearance at Jazz Poetry.

Each year’s Jazz Poetry Month features a who’s who of local, national, and international poets in many styles. The poets and

musicians create unique collaborations for Jazz Poetry. Non-English language authors read in-language, with projected

translations.

Over the last fifteen years the Jazz Poetry festival has become a top-tier destination for poets and poetry

lovers of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels. This year’s lineup will feature Guggenheim

fellow Ilya Kaminsky, National Book Award Winner Justin Phillip Reed, City of Asylum’s current

writers-in-residence, and more.


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Mara Rosenbloomfriday, september 13

+poetsfriday, september 13

Mara Rosenbloom’s Flyways

Rosenbloom’s dynamic ensemble with Anaïs Maviel and Sean Conly, uses the concept of migratory bird patterns as a metaphor for the interplay between personal confidence and group sensitivity. The concert will include “I know what I dreamed,” based on a text from Adrienne Rich’s Twenty-One Love Poems.

Roy Gúzman

Natalie Scenters-Zapico

Toi Derricotte

Corrine Jasmin

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saturday, september 14

“Intimate Strangers” with Sara Serpa & Emmanuel Iduma

This collaboration between Portuguese vocalist-composer Sara Serpa and Nigerian author Emmanuel Iduma is inspired by A Stranger’s Pose, Iduma’s unusual blend of travelogue and poetry. Combining music, text, image, and field recordings into “an atlas of a borderless world,” the concert will explore themes of great relevance to our time and to City of Asylum.

Featured musicians include Sara Serpa, Aubrey Johnson, Sofia Eugenia Koutsovitis, Matthew Tily Mitchell, and Judith Berkson

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+poetssunday, september 15

Acclaimed pianist Myra Melford teams up with award-winning flautist Nicole Mitchell for an evening of modern classics and improvisations.

Ellen McGrath Smith

Celeste Gainey

Alison C. Rollins

Cameron BarnettMyra Melford + Nicole Mitchell

freedom to write

“Writing is a democratic practice. Through writing on human rights, the author’s pen plays a leading role in social change. True, a writer

writing a story, poem, novel, etc., highlights the society they are writing in. Some writings are published about the unseen world

or express the beauty of life through imagination. Because of writing, readers are inspired to dream.

It is not only a good thing for an author to write for their country, but the work may be read by all people of the

world. No text can be confined within the bounds of the border. Writing depends on the author’s

thinking and desires. Through writing, thinking readers of different countries, philosophy,

society, painting, politics, and more can discover the brightest ideas.”

Tuhin Das, City of Asylum writer-in-residence (Bangladesh)

photo: Jon Lisbon

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september 19 & 20

The cornerstone of our Festival, Oliver Lake has been a featured performer every year since 2005

Oliver Lake:OGJB Quartet

Three boundary-pushing jazz innovators join saxophonist Oliver Lake: trumpeter Graham Haynes, bassist Joe Fonda, and drummer Barry Altschul.

OGJB Quartet will perform “Follow the Sound” on Thursday September 19 and “Justice” on Friday September 20. Each evening OGJB will play different sets and will collaborate with different poets. See the following pages for more details.

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friday, september 20

Justin Phillip Reed

thursday, september 19

Alicia Ostriker

OGJB Quartet will collaborate with these lauded poets!+

with poets from the

Unversity of Iowa

International Writers

Program

Tuhin Das

Osama Alomar

with poets from the Unversity of Iowa International Writers Program

“For me as a writer, freedom is a bird who takes me to countless continents and feeds my soul with countless fruits of creativity.The freedom to write is a timeless solution to solve timeless issues. As a writer and an artist, freedom to write is a continuous enlightenment that defies inequity, hate, and misunderstanding between individuals and nations. It’s the smoothest way to creativity, a universe full of fresh air none of us would get lost in it. Freedom to write is love in its purest state.” photo: Jon Lisbon

freedomto write

Osama Alomar, City of Asylum writer-in-residence (Syria)

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free tickets l alphabetcity.org

september 26, 27, & 28

This quartet will make their international debut at Alphabet City to close out Jazz Poetry 2019!

The Possible 4From Slovenia, Serbia, and just outside of Chicago, these four musicians are some of the most prolific and creative contemporary jazz musicians globally. Jure Pukl on sax, Vladimir Kostadinivic on drums, Harish Raghavan on double bass, and Marko Črnčec on keys.

Each evening features an exciting new configuration of the band with different compositions—9/26 “The Quartet,” 9/27 “Two Out of Four,” and 9/28 “Sum of Its Parts.” All three nights are can’t miss jazz, with unique combinations of collaborating poets.

See the following pages for more details.

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free tickets l alphabetcity.org

friday, september 27

Margaret Ross

Vievee Francisthursday, september 26

The Possible 4 will collaborate with these lauded poets!+Ruth Awad

S. Brook Corfman

Lisa Summe

with City of Asylum writer-

in-residence from Sudan

Kim Sousa

Christine Stroud

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Tarfia Faizullahsaturday, september 28

Ilya Kaminsky

The Possible 4 will collaborate with these lauded poets!+

Franny ChoiBewketu Seyoum

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40 W North Ave l 412-435-1110

city of asylum bookstore translations & bestsellersCity of Asylum Bookstore is committed to showcasing margin-alized voices from around the world. Our store is notable for its considered commitment to diverse voices for readers of all ages. We hope book lovers come into our store with an open heart and

an open mind.

Here are some poetry collections we’re excited to feature this month!

+Indecency

Justin Phillip Reed

Soft Science Franny Choi+

Luxury, Blue Lace S. Brook Corfman

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+Library of Small Catastrophes

Alison C. Rollins

Deaf Republic Ilya Kaminsky

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From National Book Award receipients to local prize winners, this year’s poets are just as fantastic performers

as they are writers. Stock up on their work before experiencing their live collaborations!

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thank you!With gratitude, we recognize the generosity of individual donors, organizations, corporate sponsors, and foundations.

Francine Abraham Jonathan Arac and Susan Balee David and JoAnn Beaudreau Michael and Sherle Berger Don and Sue Bialostosky Cliff Bob and Joan Miles The Bogosian-Quigley Foundation Ervin Dyer and Dana Dyer Griffin Eleanor Emmons The Gardiner Charitable Fund Doug Gouge and Jeanette Schubert The Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation Robert Levin and Kerry Bron Sybill and Kevin McKeegan Michael and Ellen McLean Frank and Deidre Menchaca Nancy and Douglas Ostrow The Otto-Whalley Family Foundation Marilyn Painter Nancy Reese Daniel and Lauren Resnick Judith Robinson Caryn Rubinoff and Craig Dunham Audrey Russo Diane Samuels and Henry Reese Robert Schoen and Nancy Bernstein Sharon Semenza and Bill Robinson The Irene C. Shea Charitable Foundation Chris Siewers and Jim Parrish Philip and Susan Smith William and Susan Steen Barbara Talerico and Glenn Olcerst Craig Worl

major donors

donate support city of asylum

A belief in freedom of expression drives our work at City of Asylum. Our programs provide a forum for voices to be heard, ideas to be shared, and creativity to be celebrated. To fully realize the potential of our programs to build community and encourage meaningful conversations, it is critical that everyone have access. That is why we have chosen to keep our events free for all.

You can help us keep this commitment to our community by making a gift in support of our programs. Your contributions are used to bring local, national, and international artists to Pittsburgh, to sustain our writer sanctuary program, and to ensure that great cultural events are accessible to everyone regardless of means.

Building sustainability allows us to plan for the future, and so we hope you’ll consider making a recurring donation. A gift of $10 a month supports a production staff member during one of our events. $25 a month provides accommodations for a guest artist for a night. And $50 a month covers airfare for a U.S. based artist to come to Pittsburgh. As a member of our monthly giving club, you’ll be acknowledged before every single event!

cityofasylum.org/donate

SEPTEMBER Free Tickets

City of Asylum40 W North Ave

412-435-1110

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city of asylum · 6 7 40 ort Ae l 4124351110 free tickets l alphabetcity.org freedom to create saturday, september 7 an annual performance and conversation to celebrate freedom of