Moving A Country

Jade Amoli-Jackson fled Uganda nine years ago. Staunchly opposed to the guerrilla warfare that was claiming the lives of her fellow country-folk, Jade offers these poems about her experiences in Uganda.

A Flawed Election Day

In 1990, a parliamentary government was fairly elected by the Burmese people with Aung San Suu Kyi at its head. Burma’s military junta ignored the election and placed Suu Kyi under house arrest. Since then, the military and its generals have ruled Burma with little regard for the freedoms its people deserve.

This flawed election day will be the first held in Burma in the last 20 years, but under the nation’s constitution and electoral laws there seems to be little hope for change.

Gade Tsering’s New Poem from High Peaks Pure Earth

Gade Tsering, a Tibetan blogger, writer, and poet, was one of the most recent contributors to High Peaks Pure Earth because of his outspoken voice in all his writings. He runs a widely popular Chinese language blog called Tibet, or After the Last Sky. Tsering aims to spread awareness about issues going on throughout the Tibetan region through his poetry

How to Help Imprisoned Burmese Journalist Zaw Thet Htwe

Zaw Thet Htwe is a Burmese sports journalist. In 2008, Htwe was working with Burmese comedian Maung Thura -also known as Zargana- to deliver aid and support to the victims of Cyclone Nargis, which struck Burma on May 2, 2008. While working as humanitarians for the Burmese people, Htwe and Zargana were placed under arrest by the Junta government.

Photo of the Week: Carl Phillips Teaches at the Cave Canem Writers Workshops

This past Thursday Cave Canem held writers’ workshops in City of Asylum/Pittsburgh’s houses. That evening, they attended a reading by Colleen J. McElroy, Carl Phillips, Claudia Rankine, and Sapphire under a tent on Monterrey Street.

Burma: Arbitrary Jail Terms

Following the May 2010 release of Saw Wei, a Burmese poet imprisoned for two and a half years after “inducing crime against public tranquility,” Sampsonia Way writer Brian Honigman reflects on other Burmese authors imprisoned for their work.

Happenings at City of Asylum/Pittsburgh: Free Poetry Reading on the Northside

City of Asylum/Pittsburgh presents Poetry on the Northside, a free poetry reading featuring Cave Canem poets Colleen J. McElroy, Carl Phillips, Claudia Rankine, and Sapphire.

Poet of the Week: Toi Derricotte

This week’s featured poet is Toi Derricotte. As both a nationally-recognized poet and English professor at the University of Pittsburgh, Derricotte co-founded Cave Canem and serves on the board of directors for City of Asylum/Pittsburgh. Cave Canem offers a home for African-American poetry and aims to help colored poets grow both artistically and professionally.

Join the Conversation: The Omnipresence of Government Censorship in Iran

Moniro Ravanipour is an Iranian author and writer-in-residence at the City of Asylum Las Vegas. Ravanipour was detained and interrogated by the Iranian government after a reading of one of her eight published books. In this video interview, Ravanipour discusses Iranian censorship, the political situation, and their effects on her writing.

Happenings at City of Asylum/Pittsburgh: An Update on Khet Mar’s New Life

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.