Alexian Santino Spinelli, musician, composer, writer, poet and university professor. The first Italian Roma to be appointed Commendatore of the Italian Republic for artistic and cultural merits. Spinelli with the Alexian Group holds numerous concerts in Italy and abroad. With his son Gennaro, he is the first Roma to have played at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan and at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples with the soloists of the Scala, the San Carlo and the G. Rossini Symphony Orchestra of Pesaro. He has played worldwide for Pope Benedict XVI and several times for Pope Francis. Founder and president of the cultural association Thèm Romanò, he is an ambassador of Romani culture in the world. His poem Auschwitz is on the Roma Memorial in Berlin inaugurated with Chancellor Angela Merkel. He currently teaches Romani Language and Culture at La Sapienza University in Rome.

Listen to the Alexian Group here and wherever you get music.

Romani crushes this episode are Raјko Đurić, Marcel Courthaid, Ian Hancock Esme Redzepova, Roby Lakatos, and Marian Serban.

Thank you for listening to Romanistan podcast.

You can find us on Instagram, TikTok, 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.

You can get our book Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling, online or wherever books are sold. Visit romanistanpodcast.com for events, educational resources, merch, and more. Please support our book tour fundraiser if you can.

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 Viktor Pachas

With Music by Viktor Pachas

And Artwork by Elijah Vardo

Daughter of printmakers and painters – an English Romany father and Scottish-English-Irish mother – Lynn Hutchinson Lee is a multidisciplinary artist and writer based in Toronto, Canada. Lynn spent her childhood summers in a forest surrounded by marshes and bogs, and their lush beauty and magic haunt her writing. She was first place winner of the 2022 Joy Kogawa Award for Fiction. Her writing is published in Room; Weird Horror; Northern Nights; KIN: An Anthology of Poetry, Story and Art by Women from Romani, Traveller and Nomadic Communities; Prairie Fire’s 50 Over 50; Wagtail: The Romani Women’s Poetry Anthology; Guernica’s This Will Only Take a Minute (winning the Editor’s Choice Award); and elsewhere. She is co-editor of Through the Portal: Tales from a Hopeful Dystopia (Exile Editions). Following her novella Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens, her novel Nightshade, shortlisted for the Guernica Prize, will be released by Assembly Press in 2026.

No major spoilers about Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens, but we do discuss the plot at length from 26 mins-45 mins.

Romani crushes for this episode are Mihaela Drăgan of Giuvlipen and the late and great Ronald Lee.

Thank you for listening to Romanistan podcast.

You can find us on Instagram, TikTok, 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.

You can get our book Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling, online or wherever books are sold. Visit romanistanpodcast.com for events, educational resources, merch, and more. Please support our book tour fundraiser if you can.

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 Viktor Pachas

With Music by Viktor Pachas

And Artwork by Elijah Vardo

Here's the edited release of Tales from Romanistan: A Night of Romani Storytelling, our first live show, in New Orleans, LA at Cafe Istanbul, 3/28/2025!

Hosted by Paulina Stevens and Jezmina Von Thiele, Produced by Bimbo Yaga, Cast includes Tsarina Hellfire, Moonbear, Milly Raccoon, Bimbo Yaga, and our editor and musician, Viktor! Photos by Arian Aragon. Special thanks to our cast, crew, and everyone who attended! Special shoutout to the sweet couple who flew in from Ohio! And thank you to our sponsors for this event, Weiser Books and Emerald Comics Distro.

Jezmina's poem "White Caravan" first appeared in Zoeglossia.

Thank you for listening to Romanistan podcast.

You can find us on Instagram, TikTok, 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.

You can get our book Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling, online or wherever books are sold. Visit romanistanpodcast.com for events, educational resources, merch, and more. Please support our book tour fundraiser if you can.

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 Viktor Pachas

With Music by Viktor Pachas

And Artwork by Elijah Vardo

Welcome to our teaser for our first live show recording, and a recap! We hosted our first Welcome to Romanistan Festival in New Orleans, featuring six events that brought together incredible queer and trans Romani performers from across the country. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME! The festival showcased Romani culture through academic panels, live performances, fortune telling, ancestral rituals, and traditional cuisine. It also celebrated the release of our first book, Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling!

• Kicked off with "Romani Tropes and Contributions in Pop Culture" panel at the Hotel Monteleone as part of the Tennessee Williams Festival
• Hosted "Tales from Romanistan" live show featuring Millie Raccoon (fiddle/vocals), Moon Bear (drag), Serena Hellfire (burlesque), and Ylva/Bimbo Yaga (ritual performance)-- soon to be released!
• Conducted "Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling" pop-up at the Mystic Resource Center
• Led "Stewarding Traditions" with Lilith Dorsey, featuring a literary panel and blessing ritual with a community fire
• Taught our "Tarot and Ancestor Communication" workshop! You can take more workshops online and/or in person here!
• Concluded with "Bibi's Kitchen" featuring traditional Romani cooking, music, and tea leaf reading as part of the Tennessee Williams Festival

Special thanks to our sponsors: Weiser Books, Emerald Comics Distro, Cottage Magic, and especially to Bimbo Yaga (Ylva) who was instrumental in making the festival happen. AND THANK YOU TO DONORS AND ATTENDEES! Photos from the events are available on our Instagram @romanistanpodcast

Thank you for listening to Romanistan podcast.

You can find us on Instagram, TikTok, 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.

You can get our book Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling, online or wherever books are sold. Visit romanistanpodcast.com for events, educational resources, merch, and more. Please support our book tour fundraiser if you can.

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 Viktor Pachas

With Music by Viktor Pachas

And Artwork by Elijah Vardo

Orhan Tahir is a Romani lawyer, scholar and journalist, originally from Bulgaria, who has lived in Western Europe for the past 10 years. He is currently engaged as a PhD researcher in Political Science at the Heidelberg University in Germany. Orhan's focus is on the construction of "Gypsies" as an outcast "Pariah people" in European imagination in line with the Orientalist narratives of colonial India, and the impact of this concept on modern perceptions of Roma. He is among the first scholars in Europe to examine the situation of the Roma from the perspective of "caste" - a new approach still unpopular in European academia.

Orhan's LinkedIn

Our Romani crush is the artist and anarchist, Helios Gomez

Some information about enslaved African's language heritage https://wordscr.com/what-language-did-slaves-speak/

https://www.nps.gov/ethnography/aah/aaheritage/sysMeaningA.htm

Thank you for listening to Romanistan podcast.

You can find us on Instagram, TikTok, 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.

You can get our book Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling, online or wherever books are sold. Visit romanistanpodcast.com for events, educational resources, merch, and more. Please support our book tour fundraiser if you can.

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 Viktor Pachas

With Music by Viktor Pachas

And Artwork by Elijah Vardo

Klaudia Farkas is a Romani woman, Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) since 2010, a self-taught herbalist since 2014, and an esthetician since 2020. She is the founder and owner of Romani Roots and Romani Roots Skincare and Herbal Remedies, based in the heart of Noe Valley, San Francisco. With a passion for holistic wellness, Klaudia blends her extensive knowledge in healthcare, natural remedies, and skincare to empower others on their journey to health and self-care.

Visit her website https://romani-roots-skincare.chrone.work/ and follow her at @romaniroots on Instagram.

Romani crushes this episode are Meghan Ores of Luludi and Jennileen Joseph of Sastimos Holistic Health (listen to our interviews with both of them!)

Also shoutout to ally and poet Liv Mammone who writes powerful poetry about disability, werewolves, and more.

Thank you for listening to Romanistan podcast.

You can find us on Instagram, TikTok, 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.

You can get our book Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling, online or wherever books are sold. Visit romanistanpodcast.com for events, educational resources, merch, and more. Please support our book tour fundraiser if you can.

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 Viktor Pachas

With Music by Viktor Pachas

And Artwork by Elijah Vardo

"Seeking Warmth," an art exhibit curated by artist Sharon Svec, held at Art At The Cave in Vancouver, WA running March 4-29, 2025, aims to explore humanity's need for emotional and physical warmth, especially during times of extreme circumstances such as those caused by genocide, war, oppression and neglect. Ceija Stojka (1933-2013) was a child survivor of the Romani Holocaust (Samudaripen) who began sharing her experiences in written and painted format in 1988 at age 55. She is recognized as a bold activist of Roma, who continue to face persecution today. Sam Marroquin works in collage and paint to expose current and historical trauma within society, emphasizing systems that mask the atrocities against humanity. Daniel Baker examines the role of artistic practice as a form of social agency with a focus on Roma aesthetics.

Read The Memoirs of Ceija Stojka, Child Survivor of the Roma Holocaust, translated by Lorely French

Follow @sharonimous, @cave.gallery.vancouver, @ceijastojka_int_association, @danielbakerarts

Our Romani crush is Susie.

CN: from minute 42-44 we discuss a story involving suicide. Skip ahead if you don't want to listen. Reach out for support if you feel vulnerable. You are not alone. Here are Crisis Hotlines That Don't Call The Cops

Welcome to Romanistan Festival March 28-30, 2025 in New Orleans! Visit our website for tickets and events!

Thank you for listening to Romanistan podcast.

You can find us on Instagram, TikTok, 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.

You can get our book Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling, online or wherever books are sold. Visit romanistanpodcast.com for events, educational resources, merch, and more. Please support our book tour fundraiser if you can.

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 Viktor Pachas

With Music by Viktor Pachas

And Artwork by Elijah Vardo

Sejnur Memisi is a journalist & Roma activist from Germany. He is originally from Kosovo, and escaped 1999 with his family to Germany because of the Kosovo war. He studied Media Management and since April 2020 has produced Podcasts about Sinti & Roma. He began the podcast (Sinti Roma News, formerly RYMEcast) in the German language. 3 of his German speaking Podcast episodes were nominated for media prizes, CIVIS Media Prize & the German Podcast Prize. Since 2023 he is in the Commission Audio for the Civis Media prize, where he can use his vote to nominate other podcasts. In March 2024, he started a new English-language Podcast, “Amaro Voice” about European Roma.

Watch Amaro voice on YouTube, and listen wherever you get podcasts. You can listen to part 1 of this crossover, when Sejnur interviews us, on Amaro Voice. Follow @amaro_voice on Instagram.

The Romani crush this episode is everyone.

Welcome to Romanistan Festival is March 28-30, 2025 in New Orleans!

Thank you for listening to Romanistan podcast.

You can find us on Instagram, TikTok, 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.

You can get our book Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling, online or wherever books are sold. Visit romanistanpodcast.com for events, educational resources, merch, and more. Please support our book tour fundraiser if you can.

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 Viktor Pachas

With Music by Viktor Pachas

And Artwork by Elijah Vardo