Ithaca City of Asylum (ICOA) will celebrate literacy and freedom of expression and commemorate Banned Books Week 2017 with “Ithaca Out Loud,” an evening of literature and theater, on Wednesday, September 27 at 7:00 p.m. at the Tompkins County Public Library (TCPL), located at 101 E. Green Street in Ithaca, NY. The event is free and open to the public, and refreshments will follow.

ICOA, a not-for-profit project of the Center for Transformative Action, provides refuge in Ithaca for dissident writers and promotes freedom of expression and human rights. Founded in 2001, ICOA is a member—one of only two in North America —of the International Cities of Refuge Network, a worldwide consortium of cities of asylum. ICOA is also a community partner of TCPL.

An Ithaca version of the National Public Radio show “Selected Shorts,” the September 27 event will feature stories, poems, and drama by six of Ithaca’s most beloved authors read aloud and brought to life by six of the region’s most celebrated actors. Among the featured works is a story by Raza Rumi, ICOA’s emeritus writer-in-residence, a Pakistani journalist and policy analyst who has authored a memoir, Delhi by Heart, and a political history of Pakistan, A Fractious Path, both published by HarperCollins India. Rumi is currently teaching at Ithaca College and has taught recently in the Cornell University Institute of Public Affairs. He also serves as consulting editor of the Pakistan weekly The Friday Times and contributes to international media outlets, including the Huffington Post, New York Times, al Jazeera, and others. Since he arrived in Ithaca, he has participated in numerous local events, including Spring Writes and the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival.

Greg Bostwick, professor of acting at Ithaca College with more than 70 regional roles to his name, will perform a passage from Rumi’s memoir Delhi by Heart.

Also appearing in Ithaca Out Loud 2017 are:

Godfrey Simmons, artistic director of Civic Ensemble, performing a short story by Anthony Di Renzo, who teaches writing at Ithaca College.

Cynthia Henderson, professional actor and associate professor in Ithaca College’s Department of Theatre Arts, performing a folk tale by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alison Lurie.

Kate Klein, Actor’s Workshop of Ithaca graduate, performing a poem by Diane Ackerman, author of two dozen award-winning works of poetry and nonfiction including The Zookeeper’s Wife.

Camilla Schade, actor and teaching artist, performing “Don’t/Dream,” a monologue by playwright and scholar Saviana Stanescu, assistant professor in Ithaca College’s Department of Theatre Arts.

Katie Spallone, co-director of the Actor’s Workshop of Ithaca, performing a poem by Katharyn Howd Machan, author of 32 published collections and professor of writing at Ithaca College.

This event is made possible in part with funds from the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County.