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    Romanistan

    Do you love rebels? Do you want to live in a place where outcasts shine their brightest? Welcome to Romanistan! We're your friendly neighborhood Gypsies, celebrating Romani identity and outcast culture, and practicing good diplomatic relations with other marginalized communities. We love the rebels who are living their truth, even if it clashes with tradition. We also love tradition and honoring our roots. This podcast is for everyone who loves and supports Roma & related groups, and anyone who feels like a misfit and wants to uplift others to create a beautiful community. We feature pioneers in culture, fashion, art, literature, music, activism, cuisine, and everything good. We adore the intersections of gender, sexuality, spirituality, ability, and identity. We cover all topics, from the difficult to the glorious. Let's sit crooked and talk straight. Hosted by Paulina Verminski and Jessica Reidy. We reclaim the slur Gypsy, but if you aren’t Romani, we prefer you don't use it. xoxo.The Romani people are a diasporic ethnic group originally from northwest India, circa the 10th century. Now, Roma live all over the globe, and due to centuries of oppression, slavery, genocide, and other atrocities, Roma are still fighting for basic human rights. We seek to raise awareness of who Roma are, and highlight Romani resilience, creativity, & culture. 
    en-us62 Episodes

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    Episodes (62)

    Robin Badaire, The Scarlet Witch, and Romani comic book characters

    Robin Badaire, The Scarlet Witch, and Romani comic book characters

    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.

    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

    Holidaze

    Holidaze

    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

    Romanistan Hiatus!

    Romanistan Hiatus!

    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. ❄️ 

    Romanistan
    en-usNovember 06, 2023

    Halloween Creature Feature Listener Stories

    Halloween Creature Feature Listener Stories

    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

    Joanna Talewicz and Infamy

    Joanna Talewicz and Infamy

    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

    Katelan Foisy: Artist and Witch

    Katelan Foisy: Artist and Witch

    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

    Spooky Stories x O Verda Darano Crossover!

    Spooky Stories x O Verda Darano Crossover!

    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

    Toby Gorniak, Infamy, and Street Factory

    Toby Gorniak, Infamy, and Street Factory

    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





    Soltan on Romany Adventures

    Soltan on Romany Adventures

    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

    Romani Feminism with Dr. Ethel Brooks

    Romani Feminism with Dr. Ethel Brooks

    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

    Good Morning Romanistan 5: We're Not Rich... Yet

    Good Morning Romanistan 5: We're Not Rich... Yet

    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

    We also got wonderful letters from Sharon Svec @sharonimous about her artwork shown by ERIAC @eriac_romamoma, and from Jake Cieslinski @cieslinkskigoods about finding a fellow Rom at work. 

    Thank you for listening to Romanistan podcast.

    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

    Romani Language with Erik Decker

    Romani Language with Erik Decker

    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 French, as well as English as a New Language, in Indianapolis Public Schools from 2019 through 2023 and taught English Language Communication, Human Rights, and Cultural Studies at George Coșbuc [Jòr-jay Koh’sh-bewk] National Bilingual College in Bucharest, Romania from 2013 through 2019. Recently he accepted a position as a teacher at an international school in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He received a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, French, and Spanish and a Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from Hamline University in 2013 and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Indianapolis in 2022. His interests include heritage language learner education, heritage language preservation and revitalization, translanguaging, plurilingualism, teaching proficiency through reading and storytelling (TPRS), and language attitudes and language ideologies.

    The Romani crushes this episode are professor Roxana Marin and our beloved poet, grandmother of Romani literature, Papusza (Papùśa). 

    If you want to join Erik’s class through The World Roma Federation, go to wrf-gov.org/learn-romani .

    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

    Good Morning Romanistan 4: No Dark Secrets

    Good Morning Romanistan 4: No Dark Secrets

    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 Dikh He Na Bister. You can donate here and please share widely. And thank you, Naomi, co-founder of Dikhlo Collective, for sharing your experience in the program.

    Cosmopolitan published “What does it mean to be queer and a Traveller? Four people explain”

    You can join the Roma Words, Roma Worlds virtual book club starting October 5 at 7 PM EST by emailing the New Providence Memorial Library for the Zoom link. They’re starting with The Stopping Places by Damian LeBas.

    If you can solve our riddle, write to us at romanistanpodcast@gmail.com. The first person to figure it out gets a discount code for our merch store!

    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

    Florian Tacorian and Social Media Representation

    Florian Tacorian and Social Media Representation

    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 Romani family of the Kalderash (coppersmith) clan of Roma in Romania. His videos aim to dismantle common anti-Roma stereotypes, empower Roma youth, and represent our Romani people in a new light that focuses on our strength, resistance, and cultural beauty.

    Some recommended resources are TV Siklana, Magda Matache and the Roma Program at the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard, The European Roma Institute of Arts and Culture (ERIAC) and Re-Thinking Roma Resistance, @romani.ed on TikTok, and @roma.culture on Instagram.

    Romani crushes for this episode are Loly by Zita Moldovan @loly_by_zita_moldovan, The Feminist Collective of Roma Gender Experts (DIKKO) @dikko.magasin, and Dikh He Na Bister @dikh_he_na_bister who are  raising funds soon for young Romani Holocaust Educators. 

    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, i

    Foretold Finale! Pick & Choose

    Foretold Finale! Pick & Choose

    Paulina and Jez discuss the last two episodes of Foretold (episodes 8 & 9), and share their feelings on how tricky it can be to try to represent a culture, even if it’s your own story. We’re grateful for the Los Angeles Times for taking on this story and spotlighting Romani people, and we encourage everyone to read the essay series that the LA Times published to accompany the podcast series. Opinion pieces are by Nicoleta Bitu, Oksana Marafioti, Ethel Brooks, & George Eli

    Thanks for joining us for these debriefs! We’ll be returning to our regular content. 

    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




    Foretold Debrief 6 and 7: Saw a Gypsy One Time in a Window

    Foretold Debrief 6 and 7: Saw a Gypsy One Time in a Window

    Paulina and Jez catch up on episodes 6 and 7 of the Los Angeles Times podcast series Foretold, with special attention to the backlash Paulina is getting, her boundaries, and thoughts about telling such a dramatic part of her story. We also discuss the pressure of representing all Roma, which we can't and don't claim to, and how we're handling a lot of emails. We're still really happy to hear from you though! Keep writing in with questions, cool Romani stories to share, and anything else. Just check to see if we've already covered it. 

    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



    Foretold Debrief 4 and 5: a detailed, decadent, dense slice

    Foretold Debrief 4 and 5: a detailed, decadent, dense slice

    Jez asks Paulina and special guest Gina Merino (episode 1 of Foretold) what they think about episodes 4 and 5 of the Los Angeles Times podcast series, Foretold. We discuss traditional marriage expectations, normalized abuse, and the complexities of representation. CN: sexual abuse/ assault. 

    Gina Merino was born and raised in the Muchwaya Romani Vitsa. A native of Southern California, she broke free from the restraints of her culture at 19 to pursue education and motherhood without the limits of her strict community. Gina graduated from Perdue University, and is currently living in Northern California, married with two beautiful adult children, a grandchild, and a promising career in real estate. Her passions are mentoring couples and young women who need guidance spiritually and emotionally. Gina is writing a memoir of her life as a young Gypsy girl in the 80s and 90s.


    Follow Gina at @accountableconsciousness on Instagram. 

    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

    Good Morning Romanistan 3: Fear of Hope

    Good Morning Romanistan 3: Fear of Hope

    In this 3rd episode of Good Morning, Romanistan! we share what's going on with us, and what's happening around the world, including Barvalo, prosperity spells gone awry, Ederlezi celebrations, kittens, and more! We suggest you check out season 1 episode 4: Ederlezi, Ivana Nikolic @roma__dancer, poet and teacher Diana Norma Szokolyai

    50 ways to support Black Lives Matter:
    https://www.rd.com/article/black-lives-matter-donate/
    And check out, black-led criminal justice reform, Black Lives Matter 5280, Equal Justice Initiative.

    Also, from activist Grattan Puxon: The World Roma Congress is taking place in Berlin from May 15-17 2023, and will be live streamed for those who can’t attend. This Congress aims to help link Roma across the globe and create a network that organizations everywhere can use to coordinate activities and action. And longer term to build a worldwide electronic voting system that will enable Roma everywhere to elect the political representation of their choosing. This under the head Democratic Transition. You can take part in this by emailing Romvote@gmail.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

    Foretold Debrief 2 and 3: Paulina was a f***ing delight as a 5 year old

    Foretold Debrief 2 and 3: Paulina was a f***ing delight as a 5 year old

    In this episode of Romanistan, Paulina and Jez debrief episodes 2 & 3 of Foretold, the LA Times podcast series centered on Paulina’s life. If you haven’t heard it yet, check it out on any podcast platform. In this episode, we discuss Paulina’s early years in school and what it was like having her kindergarten abd first grade teachers interviewed, and we discuss the complicated mess of early arranged marriages.

    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 Healing, 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



    Rowena Marin: Who Am I in the World?

    Rowena Marin: Who Am I in the World?

    Rowena Marin is a Romani woman, author of Who Am I in the World, and Global Agency Lead at Google, in New York. She is the co-founder of The School of Reinvention - a company meant to help people align with their passions and purpose. Rowena comes from a closed community of Silversmith Roma from Romania and managed to succeed in her career through education  based in Romania, Spain, France, India, and China. She writes about her story in order to encourage other young women from closed communities to pursue education, grow and define themselves beyond any labels.

    Our Romani crushes this episode are Giuvlipen and E-Romnja

     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 expand. Our goal is to continue releasing 2 episodes a month, including our advice column, 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 Jess on Instagram @jezmina.vonthiele, and you can find Jess’ 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