On Thursday, July 22, Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures, in collaboration with the City of Asylum/Pittsburgh, presents The Immigrant Stakes, an American Shorts events at the WYEP Community Center.  The event  “…explores Pittsburgh’s past, present, and future response to immigration and addresses the high stakes for Pittsburgh in rejuvenating our community through the engine of immigration.  Combining personal, creative, and historical narratives through readings and conversation, “The Immigration Stakes” examines themes of relocation and innovation, focusing on this central question:  How do we keep the world’s best brains in Pittsburgh?”

The Immigrant Stakes event will include three authors, the screening of a short film, and a DJ.

One of the featured authors, David Laskin, is the author of the recently published book entitled “The Long Way Home:  An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War“, about the immigrant experience in the First World War.   The book tells the stories of 12 men from Europe, including two Poles, who came to America at the turn of the last century and fought with American forces in the trenches of France and Belgium in 1917-1918.  The book has been getting strong reviews (see the listing on Amazon) and has been warmly received by Polish-American community.  Mr. Laskin lectured this past March at the Polish Museum of America in Chicago to a large audience, and he tells us that his talk here, which is scheduled to start at 7 pm, will focus on the Polish-American experience in the Great War.

The Immigrant Stakes, Thursday, July 22, at 7 pm
WYEP Community Broadcast Center, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, PA  15203 (South Side)