City of Asylum/Pittsburgh, which "provide[s] sanctuary to endangered literary writers", is hosting the day-long "Exiled Voices of China and Tibet" on June 8. The website says it's a
series of free talks, readings and performances featuring Independent Chinese PEN Center President and Sampsonia Way columnist Tienchi Martin Liao, poet and musician Liao Yiwu and human rights activist and lawyer Chen Guangcheng. Hosts and moderators include New York Times Beijing correspondent Andrew Jacobs, Pittsburgh World Affairs Council President and CEO Steven E. Sokol, and WESA’s Paul Guggenheimer. At 8 PM, enjoy Rock & Rap for Freedom, a concert featuring JasiriX and Tibetan exiled rockers Melong Band, with a special appearance by City of Asylum poet Huang Xiang.It runs from 1 pm to 10 pm at the Tent on Monterey Street on the North Side (map). It's free, but reservations are necessary. The event's webpage has a schedule and more information.