The Writer’s Block: A Video Q&A with Laurent Binet
In this segment of The Writer’s Block, Laurent Binet discusses his relationship with his editors, the risks of mixing history and fiction, and why he doesn’t make a distinction between author and...
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Bangladeshi Cartoonist Arifur Rahman on Calling a Cat “Mohammad” http://www.sampsoniaway.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Arifur-Rahman-Sleep-Dream-e1386603198208.jpg "Radical Muslims felt that I had...
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“If I’m Not Speaking That Means I’m Dead”: An Interview with Liao Yiwu
Liao Yiwu (right) with Tienchi Martin-Liao in front of House Poem. Photo: TJ Murphy On a warm May day in Pittsburgh in 2013, Liao Yiwu sat down with his long-time friend and colleague Tienchi...
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In Memoriam: An Interview with the Late Amiri Baraka
On January 9, 2014 Amiri Baraka, poet and activist, passed away at the age of 79. Below is an interview with Amiri Baraka that Sampsonia Way published in 2011, after he came to read with Cave Canem at...
View ArticleThe Writer’s Block: A Video Q&A with David Harris-Gershon
In this segment of The Writer’s Block, David Harris-Gershon discusses his writing process, the consequences he faced for publishing his memoir, and writer’s responsibilities towards society. On January...
View ArticleWriters in the Garden: Dave Newman
On July 17th, City of Asylum Pittsburgh presented Writers in the Garden, an annual celebration of local poets and the Northside community. Curated by Jim Daniels, this year’s featured writers were...
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An Excerpt from Not God After All by Gerald Stern
Gerald Stern and Oliver Lake. Photo: Renee Rosensteel, 2014. Often compared to Walt Whitman, Pittsburgh native Gerald Stern has captivated audiences for decades with his poetry. Throughout his full...
View ArticleThe Writer’s Block: A Video Q&A with Gerald Stern
In this segment of the Writer’s Block, poet Gerald Stern analyzes his personal English, dishes out advice for young writers, and talks about using his cat as an audience. Gerald Stern (Pittsburgh,...
View ArticleAudience Q&A: Judith Torrea
In this Q&A with audiences at a City of Asylum Pittsburgh Salon Reading, journalist Judith Torrea discusses her work reporting on drug trafficking in Cuidad Juárez, Mexico, one of the most...
View ArticleA (Micro) Interview with Pascal Rambert
French director Pascal Rambert discusses the process of creating and directing A (micro) history of world economics, danced. City of Asylum‘s Pittsburgh presentation of the performance occurred on June...
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A (Micro) Interview with Pascal Rambert, Transcribed
The Pittsburgh production of A (micro) history of world economics, danced. Photo provided by: City of Asylum/Pittsburgh. Director Pascal Rambert talked to Sampsonia Way about creating and directing his...
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Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon: A Q&A with Alexandra Oliver
Image via: Art + Feminism At 10 am Saturday March 5, 2016, Art + Feminism will be hosting an online edit-a-thon at the University of Pittsburgh’s Frick Fine Arts Library. The event requires a free...
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Harry Wu: An Amazing Survivor
Harry Wu on Human Rights Day. Image via Wikimedia Commons Tienchi Martin-Liao pens a different obituary for a former colleague and recently deceased legendary Chinese defender of human rights. The...
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Literature as Conversation: A Q&A with Idra Novey
Idra Novey is the author of Ways to Disappear and translated New Directions’ 2012 edition of The Passion According to G.H. Idra Novey’s debut novel, Ways to Disappear, is the winner of the 2016...
View ArticleMajor Jackson reads “My Children’s Inheritance”
“Major Jackson has the talent to free himself to become whatever kind of poet he wants,” writes George Held, of the Philadelphia Inquirer. His poetry is grounded in the sights, sounds, and communities...
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Happy Labor, Sad Labor: An Interview with Ross Gay
Photo by Natasha Komoda In February, Ross Gay visited Alphabet City to launch his newest release, The Book of Delights, an essay collection in which he explores the ordinary and beautiful moments,...
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Diversidad y Unidad
Identity and Community in the Latinx & Proud! series One mid-February evening, an audience gathers in City of Asylum’s cozy Word Cellar for the third installment of the Latinx & Proud! series....
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Lost in Winter
by Gwendolyn A. Mitchell Every once in a while, I get lost in the winter evening just after dusk. I am Downtown waiting for the 82 Lincoln, standing across the street from what should be Gimbels where...
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