Romanistan

On this episode of Romanistan, we introduce a non-Roma international relations guest, , Logan Dulski, and the inclusive tarot deck they created, the Community and Connection Pocket Tarot Deck . We also hear from Romani artist contributors, Lane Friend , Robin Badaire , and Aurora Luna (aka Baby Recklesss) .  Logan Dulski (they/she) is a queer multidisciplinary designer, illustrator, writer, and ci...

What hidden wisdom lies within the centuries-old practice of Romani fortune telling? Join us as Paulina and Jez preview their debut book, Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling . In this book, they not only share the spiritual techniques and business insights of fortune telling but also unravel the cultural significance and personal stories steeped in Romani heritage. Picture yourself in a Romani fortu...

We had such a beautiful interview with Ion Zanca, interwoven with music from his new album, ROMANI: The Untold Story.  Ion Zanca is the founder of the Dallas String Quartet, a Billboard-charting Classical Crossover ensemble with over 700 million streams on streaming platforms. They have performed for multiple sitting U.S. Presidents, with superstars like Ed Sheeran, Luke Combs, Jason Aldean and As...

Hello and welcome to Romanistan! We’re off schedule but doing our best! We have some current event updates and a short interview on the book we wrote, Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling, available for preorder now. Current events: https://www.errc.org/news/hungarian-governments-new-decree-threatens-ukrainian-romani-refugees https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/femme-enceinte-tuee-dun-coup-de-fusi...

We interviewed allies Lorely French and Carina Kurta who are experts on artist, writer, activist, and Holocaust survivor, Ceija Stojka. In an effort to preserve and share her work, there will be an exhibit of Ceija Stojka's artworks in conjunction with the events that are going on for the Culture Capital of Europe 2024 in the Salzkammergut. The exhibition,  “Hope that was what strengthened us...

Welcome to our second pride month interview! Ruth Sullivan is a director of Traveller Pride, a UK based organisation that brings together Traveller people from the various UK communities to celebrate every aspect of our identities. Ruth is Queer and from a mixed Romany and Gorger family. She discovered her Romany ethnicity in her teens when her Grandad finally opened up about his life to his famil...

Happy Pride! Happy Gypsy, Roma, Traveller History Month! We were delighted to start off the season by chatting to Nico! Nico is a queer, disabled Romani from the UK who has lived across multiple continents and is currently based on the southeast coast of England. They’re passionate about human rights and equality, and have a lifelong interest in criminal and forensic psychology. They collect taxid...

We have a minisode honoring Romani Resistance Day, May 16th, and the resistance fighter Raymond Gurême.  Resources:  https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/history/raymond-gureme/ https://eriac.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/RAYMOND-GUREME-new.pdf https://www.romarchive.eu/en/voices-of-the-victims/genocide-holocaust-porajmos-samudaripen/ Roma Words, Roma Worlds hybrid book group through...

Known for their innovative approach to progressive music, Luiee Bloo (they/him) is a multi-instrumentalist, independent solo artist, producer, and audio engineer from the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, CA. Drawing inspiration from a diverse range of musical styles and influences, Luiee's sound is a captivating fusion of world rhythms, intricate melodies, and soulful emotions. He honed hi...

Enjoy this interview with Deny Dobobrov and Janos Sztojka of World Roma Federation! WRF is hosting a flag raising ceremony in Chicago on April 8th for International Roma Day.  To honor and share their work, we talked to them about their organization’s beginnings, upcoming events, and their vision for the future. Follow, support, & join World Roma Federation through their website at https://www...

Our book Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling is available for preorder! You can order from major booksellers or request that your local bookstores and library carry it when it's released October 1st, 2024. Our interview on dealing with the haters in Bold Journey . Current Events: Volunteer Ministers of the Church of Scientology of Budapest Continue Their Outreach to Underserved Romani Families...

Welcome to season 4, our 4 year anniversary, and Valentine's Day! We're celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Scarlet Witch by talking with Robin Badaire about Romani comic book character representation in Marvel and DC! Robin Badaire is a writer and an artist of Cale Romani descent from Boston, Massachusetts. As an avid reader of comic books and graphic novels, Robin has spent the bet...

Welcome to our holidaze episode,  featuring a special short story “Black Friday” by Caren Gussoff Sumption . We also recommend Jewish Voice for Peace for more information on how to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/ Happy holidays to everyone! Check out Jez’s tarot reading in Bustle on navigating the holidays, and listen to Foretold featuring Paulina. We’ll be back fr...

We’re writing a book! So we’re going on a little hiatus through November so we can make our deadline. Our book will be on Romani fortune telling and will be published by Weiser Books October 2024. In the meantime, catch up on our past 3 seasons. We’ll be back in December. ❄️  Support the show

Welcome to our spooky listener stories episode! The Creature Feature! This episode is brought to you by Paulina, and our editor, Cherub! Jez couldn’t make this recording, so it gives you a wonderful opportunity to get to know Cherub a little better. She is our podcast Lord and Savior, after all. 👼🏻 Be chilled by the terrifying tales our listeners sent us. Thank you to everyone who shared a story...

We spoke with Joanna Talewicz about the Netflix Poland show Infamy (Infamia), on which she was an advisor. It was a fascinating conversation about navigating media representation, behind the scenes with other Roma involved in the series, activism, and more! Read our review of Infamy here !  Joanna Talewicz, PhD, is co-founder and president of the Foundation Towards Dialogue [Fundacja w Stronę Dial...

We had such a magical time talking to Katelan Foisy, and our musician Viktor Pachas took over for Paulina in a pinch! We hope you enjoy this chat on art, magic, and spooky stories! Katelan V. Foisy is a visual artist, and writer who specializes in vintage style mixed media art and photography. Her art is featured on The Smashing Pumpkins Tours such as Shiny & Oh So Bright, Spirits on Fire, and...

O Verda Darano takes over Romanistan! We talk with Pierce & Raquel Horvath, brother & sister duo of Dead Scared Entertainment, and the Romani storytelling podcast O Verda Darano. Raquel & Pierce tell some of their favorite scary stories to kick off spooky season with us, and be sure to catch season 3 of O Verda Darano too. We’ll be popping up in one of their episodes too. Follow their...

We got to interview Toby G about the Netflix series Infamy, and his incredible work with Street Factory. Read our review of Infamy here ! Toby Gorniak MBE (Aka- Toby G) is a Multi-award-winning transformational coach, Author, Tedx Speaker, Hip-hop artist, Entrepreneurs & Netflix Actor. Using his personal life experiences, Hip Hop culture, love, kindness to transform the lives & mindset of...

We were so lucky to speak with Soltan about his track, "Romany Adventures" from the album Gorilla Warfare, a collaboration with Shaq. You can listen to the song in its entirety anywhere you listen to music.  Soltan is the stage name for bass music's most enigmatic producer from the Middle East. Soltan first called the attention of the bass music scene in November 2014 with the relea...

We're so delighted to share this conversation with Ethel Brooks! We discuss feminism, Romani history, women's labor, fortune telling, and more! Ethel Brooks is Chair of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Associate Professor of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies and Sociology at Rutgers University. Brooks is a Tate-TrAIN Transnational Fellow at the University of the Arts L...

In this episode, Paulina and Jez catch up and discuss some current events.  We love the substack The Earth and Sky Know, especially this post on how Roma don't do small talk.  https://www.theskyandearthknow.com/p/the-romani-dont-do-small-talk Why is the Czech Republic pitting Roma and Ukrainians against each other? By Una Hajdari for Euro News https://www.euronews.com/2023/07/08/why-is-the-cz...

It’s time to talk chib! We spoke with Erik Decker, our Romani language teacher, about all things language. Erik Decker is a Romani language teacher of Roma and Sinti origin and Director of the Branislava “Papùsha” Weiss Romani Language Online School, a project of the World Roma Federation (WRF) Heritage and Cultural Institute. He taught International Baccalaureate language courses in Spanish and F...

In this episode Paulina and Jez catch up on current events, listener questions, and talk a bit about what we can and can't do with the podcast. We love you. Articles we mention: Jez's Bustle articles on tarot for the month of July 2023 and for summer love . ROMA FACING ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM IN A TIME OF CLIMATE CATASTROPHE— ERRC Ivanna Nikolic's Instagram post for her fundraiser for...

We're back to our beloved interviews! Florian Tacorian is a Romani educator, actor and student at the University of Florida. He has built a large platform on TikTok and YouTube under the name @florida.florian where he teaches millions of people about Romani people, history, and culture, as well as, the importance of proper and accurate Romani representation in media. Florian is from a mixed R...