Uzbekistan Crossroads with Aybike Ahmedi

Join writer and oral historian Aybike Ahmedi for an illuminating exploration of Central Asia’s rich history, personal memory, and unexpected global connections. Tracing the cultural crossroads of the Silk Road from ancient hubs like Samarkand and Bukhara through the Soviet era and independence, Ahmedi shares her family’s migration story and explores connections with influential Black intellectuals—including Langston Hughes, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Audre Lorde—who traveled to and wrote about the region. Through personal narrative and historical inquiry, this talk offers a compelling look at solidarity, displacement, and the shared threads that link Central Asia to broader global movements.

Aybike Ahmedi is an Uzbek, Turkish, American writer focusing on her Central Asian heritage through oral history projects and documentary work. She teaches Creative Writing at The City College of New York, where she received her MFA in Creative Writing. Aybike is an Editorial Fellow at Teachers & Writers Magazine and an Editorial Intern at Electric Lit.

This is a virtual-only event on Wednesday, August 26 at 7 pm. . To attend, please RSVP below, and we will send you the link shortly before the event.
RSVP at: https://forms.gle/JGgfdYEeoNfs5mcn9