Imogen Bright Moon: Weaver, Writer, Artist-Maker

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 better part of a decade writing, researching, and speaking out about the representation of Romani people and history in American superhero comics. In addition to consulting and editorial work, Robin runs a webpage where they pen critical essays and answer questions about Romani subjects in comics and other pop culture, which gained notoriety amongst the Marvel fandom during the release of Marvel Studios' WandaVision, which featured whitewashed depictions of prominent Romani characters. Drawing on their background in both fine arts and digital illustration, Robin also uses tarot illustrations, cosplay photography, and fanart to perpetuate more authentic and inclusive images of Romani characters.

• BDS reference links: https://bdsmovement.net/boycott-captain-america; https://bdsmovement.net/Act-Now-Against-These-Companies-Profiting-From-Genocide
• Robin's Writing at Scarlet Wiccan
• Art & cosplay Instagram and Twitter
• Video essay on WandaVision, whitewashing, and the history of the Scarlet Witch, on which Robin served as a consultant and script editor 
• Robin's Medium essay about the 60th anniversary of the Scarlet Witch

Thank you for listening to Romanistan podcast.

You can find us on Instagram and Facebook @romanistanpodcast, and on Twitter @romanistanpod. To support us, Join our Patreon for extra content or donate to Ko-fi.com/romanistan, and please rate, review, and subscribe. It helps us so much. 

Follow Jez on Instagram @jezmina.vonthiele & Paulina @romaniholistic. 

Keep an eye out for our upcoming book on Romani fortune telling published by Weiser Books available October 2024. 

Email us at romanistanpodcast@gmail.com for inquiries. 

Romanistan is hosted by Jezmina Von Thiele and Paulina Stevens

Conceived of by Paulina Stevens

Edited by Cherub

With Music by Viktor Pachas

And Artwork by Elijah Vardo

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 from hiatus on Valentine’s Day!

Thank you for listening to Romanistan podcast.

You can find us on Instagram @romanistanpodcast, and on Facebook under the same name, and on Twitter @romanistanpod. Join our Patreon for extra content. 

We started a Ko-fi fundraiser to help us grow. Our goal is to release more episodes more often, and we would eventually like to expand so we can produce content by other Romani & Sinti creators. We are hoping to cover production costs, like paying for our hosting site, website, editing and producing, and all the rest. We would love it if you could contribute and spread the word. The link, Ko-fi.com/romanistan, is in our bio on Instagram, and will be in the show notes

Please rate, review, and subscribe. It helps us so much. 

If you would like to advertise with us, email us at romanistanpodcast@gmail.com. We offer sliding-scale for Romani, Sinti & related businesses, so reach out!

You can find Jez on Instagram @jezmina.vonthiele, and on Twitter, TikTok, and Patreon, and you can find Jez’s vintage and curiosities shop Evil Eye Edit on Instagram @evileyeedit & Etsy.

You can find Paulina Verminski on Instagram @_paulina_v_ and at https://romaniholistic.com/. Follow Paulina’s store, Romani Holistic, in Newport Beach, CA, on Instagram @romaniholistic 

Romanistan is hosted by Jessica Reidy/Jezmina Von Thiele and Paulina Verminski

Conceived of by Paulina Verminski

Edited by Cherub

With Music by Viktor Pachas

And Artwork by Elijah Vardo

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. ❄️ 

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!

Paulina also shouts out ally Moth and Candle for their lovely candles to set the mood. 

Thank you for listening to Romanistan podcast.

You can find us on Instagram @romanistanpodcast, and on Facebook under the same name, and on Twitter @romanistanpod. Join our Patreon for extra content. 

We started a Ko-fi fundraiser to help us grow. Our goal is to release more episodes more often, and we would eventually like to expand so we can produce content by other Romani & Sinti creators. We are hoping to cover production costs, like paying for our hosting site, website, editing and producing, and all the rest. We would love it if you could contribute and spread the word. The link, Ko-fi.com/romanistan, is in our bio on Instagram, and will be in the show notes

Please rate, review, and subscribe. It helps us so much. 

If you would like to advertise with us, email us at romanistanpodcast@gmail.com. We offer sliding-scale for Romani, Sinti & related businesses, so reach out!

You can find Jez on Instagram @jezmina.vonthiele, and on Twitter, TikTok, and Patreon, and you can find Jez’s vintage and curiosities shop Evil Eye Edit on Instagram @evileyeedit & Etsy.

You can find Paulina Verminski on Instagram @_paulina_v_ and at https://romaniholistic.com/. Follow Paulina’s store, Romani Holistic, in Newport Beach, CA, on Instagram @romaniholistic 

Romanistan is hosted by Jessica Reidy/Jezmina Von Thiele and Paulina Verminski

Conceived of by Paulina Verminski

Edited by Cherub

With Music by Viktor Pachas

And Artwork by Elijah Vardo

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 Dialogu]. She is a researcher, educator, author, and activist. For twenty years she has been working for the benefit of the Roma community and minority rights. While her work focuses on Roma communities in Europe, her main topics relate to the Roma Holocaust and Roma refugees. A Doctor of Cultural Anthropology, she has also worked as an assistant professor in Jagiellonian University and University of Warsaw and is a graduate of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program at Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge. Joanna is a member of the Polish delegation in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), and a Batory Foundation Award winner for constant integration, educational, psychological, legal and activation assistance for refugees of Roma origin. She was nominated by the US Embassy in Poland to the “Award for Global Anti-Racism Champions”. 

Her associations and experiences additionally include: the Alliance for Historical Dialogue and Accountability Program at Columbia University; the Leadership Academy for Poland; a grantee of the Fulbright scholarship; the Tom Lantos Institute; the European Commission Marie Curie program - Conferences and Training Courses on Multi-Disciplinary and Cross-National Approaches to Romani Studies; the Central European University; and the International Leadership Visitor Program of the U.S. State Department.

Foundation Towards Dialogue https://fundacjawstronedialogu.pl/en/home/

You can support the organization here.

Find on social media under the name Fundacja w Stronę Dialogu

Reports on Romani rights issues:
https://fundacjawstronedialogu.pl/en/reports/

https://fundacjawstronedialogu.pl/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Report_They-Are-Not-Refugees_They-Are-Travellers.pdf

Information on Edward Paczkowski : https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/rocznica-wyzwolenia-auschwitz-edward-paczkowski-rom-ktory-przezyl-zaglade/wyznn8t

Romanistan is hosted by Jessica Reidy/Jezmina Von Thiele and Paulina Verminski

Conceived of by Paulina Verminski

Edited by Cherub

With Music by Viktor Pachas

And Artwork by Elijah Vardo

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 The World is a Vampire as well as William Patrick Corgan's solo album Ogilala, as well and merchandise for the tour, backdrops, and the “Neath the Darkest Eves” video.  She designed the starburst and stage, logo, archive series records, tea cans, cups etc for Madame Zuzus 2.0 and consulted on the interior design. She also created the logo for William Patrick Corgan's Thirty-Three podcast and recently designed the Inaugural Women's Television Belt for the National Wrestling Alliance. Her illustrations are featured in the Sibyls Oraculum  and Hoodoo Tarot with Tayannah McQuillar, Inner Traditions/Simon & Schuster 2018 and 2020. Chaos of the Third Mind with Dr. Vanessa Sinclair will be published by Trapart Books 2024.

Romani crushes this episode are Luludi by Meghan Ores, Loly by Zita Moldovan, Oksana Marafioti, Lucy Doe Designs, Morena Pedriali Errani, Klaudia Farkas, & Elijah Vardo. 

You can find us on Instagram @romanistanpodcast, and on Facebook under the same name, and on Twitter @romanistanpod. Join our Patreon for extra content. 

We started a Ko-fi fundraiser to help us grow. Our goal is to release more episodes more often, and we would eventually like to expand so we can produce content by other Romani & Sinti creators. We are hoping to cover production costs, like paying for our hosting site, website, editing and producing, and all the rest. We would love it if you could contribute and spread the word. The link, Ko-fi.com/romanistan, is in our bio on Instagram, and will be in the show notes

Please rate, review, and subscribe. It helps us so much. 

If you would like to advertise with us, email us at romanistanpodcast@gmail.com. We offer sliding-scale for Romani, Sinti & related businesses, so reach out!

You can find Jez on Instagram @jezmina.vonthiele, and on Twitter, TikTok, and Patreon, and you can find Jez’s vintage and curiosities shop Evil Eye Edit on Instagram @evileyeedit & Etsy.

You can find Paulina Verminski on Instagram @_paulina_v_ and at https://romaniholistic.com/. Follow Paulina’s store, Romani Holistic, in Newport Beach, CA, on Instagram @romaniholistic 

Romanistan is hosted by Jessica Reidy/Jezmina Von Thiele and Paulina Verminski

Conceived of by Paulina Verminski

Edited by Viktor Pachas

With Music by Viktor Pachas

And Artwork by

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 work here: https://www.deadscaredentertainment.com/

Thank you for listening to Romanistan podcast.

You can find us on Instagram @romanistanpodcast, and on Facebook under the same name, and on Twitter @romanistanpod. Join our Patreon for extra content. 

We started a Ko-fi fundraiser to help us grow. Our goal is to release more episodes more often, and we would eventually like to expand so we can produce content by other Romani & Sinti creators. We are hoping to cover production costs, like paying for our hosting site, website, editing and producing, and all the rest. We would love it if you could contribute and spread the word. The link, Ko-fi.com/romanistan, is in our bio on Instagram, and will be in the show notes

Please rate, review, and subscribe. It helps us so much. 

If you would like to advertise with us, email us at romanistanpodcast@gmail.com. We offer sliding-scale for Romani, Sinti & related businesses, so reach out!

You can find Jez on Instagram @jezmina.vonthiele, and on Twitter, TikTok, and Patreon, and you can find Jez’s vintage and curiosities shop Evil Eye Edit on Instagram @evileyeedit & Etsy.

You can find Paulina Verminski on Instagram @_paulina_v_ and at https://romaniholistic.com/. Follow Paulina’s store, Romani Holistic, in Newport Beach, CA, on Instagram @romaniholistic 

Romanistan is hosted by Jessica Reidy/Jezmina Von Thiele and Paulina Verminski

Conceived of by Paulina Verminski

Edited by Cherub

With Music by Viktor Pachas

And Artwork by Elijah Vardo

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 people from a range of backgrounds, especially those who feel there is no hope.

He empowers them to Discover their individual Genius, Exceed Their Potential & Fall in Love with Their Purpose. Over the last 18yrs, Toby G has helped 1000’s of people to live their best lives, re-enter education, employment, & most importantly, be good people, giving back to their community!

Toby G has received an MBE honour from the Queen for his outstanding community contribution, an Honorary fellowship degree, this year he is ran with the Queen's Baton for the commonwealth games , BBC unsung hero, Nelson Mandela award & many more accolades for his transformational work.

He was nominated for these honours by his community, as they respect how he uses his horrific beginnings in life, as a former teenage refugee fleeing violence, as his superpower to now reach the unreachable & bring people into the light.

Follow him @ TobyGorniakMBE on all platforms.

You can find us on Instagram @romanistanpodcast, and on Facebook under the same name, and on Twitter @romanistanpod. Join our Patreon for extra content. 

We started a Ko-fi fundraiser to help us grow. Our goal is to release more episodes more often, and we would eventually like to expand so we can produce content by other Romani & Sinti creators. We are hoping to cover production costs, like paying for our hosting site, website, editing and producing, and all the rest. We would love it if you could contribute and spread the word. The link, Ko-fi.com/romanistan, is in our bio on Instagram, and will be in the show notes

Please rate, review, and subscribe. It helps us so much. 

If you would like to advertise with us, email us at romanistanpodcast@gmail.com. We offer sliding-scale for Romani, Sinti & related businesses, so reach out!

You can find Jez on Instagram @jezmina.vonthiele, and on Twitter, TikTok, and Patreon, and you can find Jez’s vintage and curiosities shop Evil Eye Edit on Instagram @evileyeedit & Etsy.

You can find Paulina Verminski on Instagram @_paulina_v_ and at https://romaniholistic.com/. Follow Paulina’s store, Romani Holistic, in Newport Beach, CA, on Instagram @romaniholistic 

Romanistan is hosted by Jessica Reidy/Jezmina Von Thiele and Paulina Verminski

Conceived of by Paulina Verminski

Edited by  Viktor Pachas

With Music by Viktor Pachas 

And Artwork by Elijah Vardo

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 release of his debut artist title EP, Soltan on Sectionz Records. After releases on Firepower Records and remixes for Seven Lions, Zomboy, and Pegboard Nerds captured the attention of industry leaders like Dillon Francis, Skism, Kill the Noise, and many more. Setting up his live debut in 2018 at the Animalz Music Festival in Paris, France, Soltan is the tip of a spear in an elctronic music movement he pioneered by his unique approach to sound, inspiring EDM growth and even genres and taking the industry into emerging markets with emerging markets with signature Middle Eastern influences.

Find Soltan's work, social media, and follow his tour at https://soltansound.ca/

You can find us on Instagram @romanistanpodcast, and on Facebook under the same name, and on Twitter @romanistanpod. Join our Patreon for extra content. 

We started a Ko-fi fundraiser to help us grow. Our goal is to release more episodes more often, and we would eventually like to expand so we can produce content by other Romani & Sinti creators. We are hoping to cover production costs, like paying for our hosting site, website, editing and producing, and all the rest. We would love it if you could contribute and spread the word. The link, Ko-fi.com/romanistan, is in our bio on Instagram, and will be in the show notes

Please rate, review, and subscribe. It helps us so much. 

If you would like to advertise with us, email us at romanistanpodcast@gmail.com. We offer sliding-scale for Romani, Sinti & related businesses, so reach out!

You can find Jez on Instagram @jezmina.vonthiele, and on Twitter, TikTok, and Patreon, and you can find Jez’s vintage and curiosities shop Evil Eye Edit on Instagram @evileyeedit & Etsy.

You can find Paulina Verminski on Instagram @_paulina_v_ and at https://romaniholistic.com/. Follow Paulina’s store, Romani Holistic, in Newport Beach, CA, on Instagram @romaniholistic 

Romanistan is hosted by Jessica Reidy/Jezmina Von Thiele and Paulina Verminski

Conceived of by Paulina Verminski

Edited by Cherub

With Music by Viktor Pachas

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 London, where, in 2011-2012, she was the US-UK Fulbright Distinguished Chair. Brooks was appointed under President Obama to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, where she served from 2015-2020. She is Chair of the Board of the European Roma Rights Centre and member of the Bavarlipe Academy of the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture, the RomaMoma Think Tank, and the US Delegation to the IHRA and its Roma Genocide Working Group. In 2022, Brooks was a curator for One Day We Shall Celebrate Again, the RomaMoma/OffBiennale contribution to Documenta 15 and contributed art and performance to Documenta 15 and to the 2022 and 2019 Venice Biennales. From 2022-2023, Brooks served as an editorial consultant for the Los Angeles TimesPodcast, Foretold.  Since 2007, she is co-Director of the annual Feminist Critical Analysis course in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Brooks is the author of the award-winning Unraveling the Garment Industry: Transnational Organizing and Women’s Work. Her current book project focuses on encampment, claim-staking, and Romani futures.

Our Romani crush this episode is all Romani women.

You can follow Ethel Brooks on Instagram and Twitter.

Thank you for listening to Romanistan podcast.

You can find us on Instagram @romanistanpodcast, and on Facebook under the same name, and on Twitter @romanistanpod. Join our Patreon for extra content. 

We started a Ko-fi fundraiser to help us grow. We would love it if you could contribute and spread the word. Ko-fi.com/romanistan.

Please rate, review, and subscribe. It helps us so much. 

If you would like to advertise with us, email us at romanistanpodcast@gmail.com. We offer sliding-scale for Romani, Sinti & related businesses, so reach out!

You can find Jez on Instagram @jezmina.vonthiele, and on Twitter, TikTok, and Patreon, and you can find Jez’s vintage and curiosities shop Evil Eye Edit on Instagram @evileyeedit & Etsy.

You can find Paulina Verminski on Instagram @_paulina_v_ and at https://romaniholistic.com/. Follow Paulina’s store, Romani Holistic, in Newport Beach, CA, on Instagram @romaniholistic 

Romanistan is hosted by Jessica Reidy/Jezmina Von Thiele and Paulina Verminski

Conceived of by Paulina Verminski

Edited by Viktor Pachas

With Music by Viktor Pachas

And Artwork by Elijah Vardo