City of Asylum welcomes a new exiled writer-in-residence

 

Dear friends,  In a year filled with many noteworthy moments, one day stands out as the most memorable one since I started as Executive Director of City of Asylum.   On November 2, 2021, I drove to Pittsburgh International Airport and, for the first time, I welcomed an exiled writer to City of Asylum—Cuban Jorge Olivera Castillo and his wife Nancy Alfaya Hernandez, a persecuted human rights activist.   I had talked with Nancy and Jorge numerous times on Zoom and over the phone before their arrival in Pittsburgh. But nothing can prepare you for the moment when you meet the writer and their family in person. It was a profoundly moving experience. And it brought home to me just how important City of Asylum's mission is, what it means for a persecuted writer to have a safe place.   Jorge was arrested in 2003 and sentenced to 18 years in prison because of his writing and stance on freedom of expression. After spending 21 months in jail—many of them in solitary confinement—he was released from Guantanamo Prison on humanitarian and health grounds. But his sentence was never commuted.   Despite his release from prison, Jorge was not allowed to work or leave Cuba. This finally changed in 2016, when he was granted permission to participate in a one-year residency at Harvard. But when Jorge and Nancy returned to Cuba, they were targeted with increased harassment and persecution—and eventually imprisonment.   Recently, Cuba offered the couple exile in lieu of further imprisonment, which is how they were able to leave the country and come to Pittsburgh. Jorge's residency at City of Asylum will allow him to continue writing and provide a safe space for Nancy to advance her work as a human rights activist. We are honored to welcome Jorge and Nancy to Pittsburgh and look forward to introducing them to the City of Asylum community in the coming months. Sincerely, Andrés Franco Executive Director     Jorge Olivera Castillo is a Cuban poet, writer, television editor, journalist, and songwriter. He is a well-known dissident, and his work has been banned in Cuba. Olivera Castillo has published six books of poetry and two short story collections. His works have been translated into several languages, including Czech, English, Italian, and Polish. Jorge recently finished two books: a book of poetry and his third collection of short stories, based on his experiences as a soldier in the African jungle during the Angolan Civil War.   Jorge Olivera Castillo a writer-in-residence at City of Asylum and a Research Scholar at the Global Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh. He is married to Nancy Alfaya Hernandez, a Cuban human rights and women's rights activist.   City of Asylum's Exiled Writer Residency program is funded in part by a grant from an Anonymous Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation. Photos: Renee Rosensteel©, 2021   Support City of Asylum's Exiled Writer Program   Learn More about City of Asylum     Our mailing address is: City of Asylum 40 W. North Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15212