Jazz in Pittsburgh
Top: One of the City of Asylum houses in Sampson Way. Photo by David Kent.
Bottom: After Yusef Komunyakaa read "Ode to the Saxophone" (a poem he wrote for Jazz Poetry) in collaboration with the Big Band, each of the poets read a translation of the last verse in their own languages, accompanied by the band. left to right: Oliver Lake (saxophone), Yusef Komunyakaa (U.S.), Khet Mar (Burma), Maryia Martysevich (Belarus), Hinemoana Baker (New Zealand). Photo ©Renee Rosensteel, 2010
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is establishing itself as a site where jazz intersects with art and literature. Section editor Lauren Camp's work is the subject of a solo exhibit, The Fabric of Jazz, March 4–20 at the Society for Contemporary Craft Satellite Gallery, One Mellon Center, Pittsburgh. The exhibit is in honor of Bank of New York Mellon Jazz's silver anniversary and includes nine works from Camp's The Fabric of Jazz: A Tribute to the Genius of American Music.
Later in the year, on September 10, City of Asylum/Pittsburgh will host its fifth annual jazz-poetry event, which brings musicians and poets together in performance. The concert includes poets speaking in their native languages with translations provided on an overhead screen. Some poets who have performed their poetry at the event include Hinemoana Baker (Aotearoa/New Zealand), Horacio Castellanos Moya (El Salvador), Huang Xiang (China), Yusef Komunyakaa (U.S.), Khet Mar (Burma), and Maryia Marysevich (Belarus).
The concert occurs in Sampson Way, the alley running alongside four houses the City of Asylum/Pittsburgh rehabilitated to provide homes for writers living in exile. The houses' façades have artwork and texts on them, which City of Asylum/Pittsburgh calls "house publishing," an effort to create a public library people can read while walking past the houses.
To view video from the 2007 concert:
www.cityofasylumpittsburgh.org
To read a review of the 2010 event:
www.post-gazette.com
March/April 2011
Table of Contents
SPECIAL SECTION: Neustadt Laureate Duo Duo
- Duo Duo’s acceptance speech and biographical profile
- Duo Duo new poems, trans. Yibing Huang
- Michelle Yeh, “Monologue of a Stormy Soul: Duo Duo, 1972–88"
- Yibing Huang, "Duo Duo: Master of Wishful Thinking"
SPECIAL SECTION: Jazz Poetry
Guest edited by Lauren Camp
- Introductory essay by Lauren Camp: "What's in the Notes: The Sound of Jazz in Poetry"
- Poetry from Lauren Camp: “Thelonious Monk on a Subway” and “What You Might Hear” plus web exclusive audio clips
- Virgil Suárez (Cuba/US): “Latin Jazz on the Go in Havana”
- Adrian Matejka (Germany/US): “Behind the Yashmak"
- Nii Parkes (Ghana/Great Britain): “Our Love Is Here to Stay” & “Hymn"
- Virgil Mihaiu (Romania; tr. Adam Sorkin): “Finesse de Brasil," “Universal Canticle,” and a web exclusive concert recording.
LETTERS
NOTEBOOK
- Author Profile: E.C. Osondu (Nigeria)
- City Profile: Seoul, South Korea
- First Words: Luma Sarhan, “Approaching Zainab”
- WLT Online Bookclub: The United States of Africa by Abdourahman A. Waberi
- New books: recent translations
CRIME & MYSTERY
- J. Madison Davis, “Scarface Al and His Pals”
POETRY
- Romeo Çollaku (Albania), Two poems, tr. Peter Constantine
- Stuart Friebert (US), “Good Leg Up, Bad Leg Down"
- Jan Wagner (Germany) Two poems, tr. Chenxin Jiang
Q&A: WLT INTERVIEWS
- Erwin Koch (Switzerland) by John K. Cox
ESSAYS
- Adrianne Kalfopoulou (Greece/US), “Ruin”
Web Exclusive: PHOTO GALLERY: Athens Street Art - Web Exclusive: "But It Was Beautiful" by Erwin Koch
FICTION
- Luay Hamza Abbas (Iraq), “Spit Out What Is in Your Mouth,” tr. Yasmeen Hanoosh
WORLD LITERATURE IN REVIEW
OUTPOSTS: Literary Events & Landmarks
