City of Asylum

City of Asylum City of Asylum builds a just community by protecting and celebrating creative free expression.



We provide sanctuary to endangered literary writers, so that the writers can continue to write and their voices are not silenced. We offer a broad range of free literary, arts, and humanities programs in a community setting to build social equity through cultural exchange. And by transforming blighted properties into homes for our programs, we anchor neighborhood economic development.


We publish

Sampsonia Way magazine (www.sampsoniaway.org): the online journal of free expression, it carries out our mission and supports our cause a by gathering and serving a global community online. We opened a new literary center, Alphabet City, in 2017, where we welcome writers, readers and neighbors for literary programs and events, and from which we look forward to serving a national and international community via broadcast and webcast. City of Asylum is a model for arts-based community development, in which our city and our community take great pride.

ATTENTION: The Chamber Music Pittsburgh concert originally scheduled for this coming Monday, June 15, has been POSTPONED...
06/12/2026

ATTENTION: The Chamber Music Pittsburgh concert originally scheduled for this coming Monday, June 15, has been POSTPONED. We apologize for any inconvenience and will announce the rescheduled program date soon.

Many of you are familiar with our Thursday Night Jazz Series, but do you know how it started? Learn more about this fan-...
06/10/2026

Many of you are familiar with our Thursday Night Jazz Series, but do you know how it started? Learn more about this fan-favorite concert series and reserve your FREE tickets today for upcoming summer shows at cityofasylum.org/programs

TONIGHT: Oleksandr and Mari Frazé-Frazénko take the stage with Hellcat Sneer, Hugo Cruz, and Lesya Verba for a night of ...
06/09/2026

TONIGHT: Oleksandr and Mari Frazé-Frazénko take the stage with Hellcat Sneer, Hugo Cruz, and Lesya Verba for a night of mesmerizing folk punk fusion you won't find anywhere else. Snag the last remaining tickets before they sell out at

Oleksandr Frazé-Frazénko and wife Mari Frazé-Frazénko bring the spellbinding sound of their folk-experimental duo to City of Asylum.

This Pride Month, q***r film festival Reel Q presents a FREE screening of "10s Across the Borders," a pan-Asian q***r do...
06/08/2026

This Pride Month, q***r film festival Reel Q presents a FREE screening of "10s Across the Borders," a pan-Asian q***r documentary in conversation with the seminal film, "Paris is Burning." Come early for complimentary happy hour drinks, snacks, and community connection. RSVP at

Grab a friend and celebrate Pride Month with a FREE screening, presented in partnership with one of the oldest LGBTQ+ film festivals in the world.

Theater performer Russell Andrews joined City of Asylum and August Wilson House's Actors Talk August series five years a...
06/07/2026

Theater performer Russell Andrews joined City of Asylum and August Wilson House's Actors Talk August series five years ago today. Watch the full conversation about the life and legacy of playwright August Wilson on Vimeo:

This is "[2021.06.07] "Actors Talk August" Presented by August Wilson House" by City of Asylum on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

On June 30, English PEN Award winner Rodrigo Hasbún and moderator Anderson Tepper dive into the secrets and shrapnel of ...
06/06/2026

On June 30, English PEN Award winner Rodrigo Hasbún and moderator Anderson Tepper dive into the secrets and shrapnel of a 20-year-old friendship ripped apart in Rodrigo’s new novel, "The Invisible Years." RSVP today at

Author Rodrigo Hasbún and moderator Anderson Tepper Rodrigo’s new novel, "The Invisible Years" in this reading at City of Asylum.

6/15: Don't miss this Chamber Music Pittsburgh concert, curated by Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra bassoonist Carlos Clark...
06/04/2026

6/15: Don't miss this Chamber Music Pittsburgh concert, curated by Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra bassoonist Carlos Clark featuring music by composers from the US, Uruguay, and Brazil, offering a vibrant vision of discovery while reflecting on the complex history of the Americas.

Chamber Music Pittsburgh presents music of the Americas in one of a four-part concert series at City of Asylum.

Address

40 W. North Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA
15212

Opening Hours

Monday 12pm - 6pm
Tuesday 12pm - 6pm
Wednesday 12pm - 6pm
Thursday 12pm - 6pm
Friday 12pm - 6pm
Saturday 12pm - 6pm
Sunday 12pm - 6pm

Telephone

(412) 435-1110

Website

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