Shows
RomanistanLynn Hutchinson Lee on water spirits, storytelling, and her debut novella Origins of Desire in Orchid FensDaughter 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...2025-06-1757 minRomanistanTales from Romanistan: Live from New Orleans!!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" f...2025-05-231h 17RomanistanWelcome to Romanistan Festival NOLA recap teaserWelcome 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 th...2025-04-2908 minRomanistanOrhan Tahir on Pariahs, Outcasts, and Political ScienceOrhan 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...2025-04-231h 15
Conversational Witchcraft with Dawn the Kitchen WitchConversational Witchcraft: Jezmina Von Thiele & Paulina StevensPaulina Stevens Rooted in a Muchwaya Romani heritage of fortune-telling and healing, Paulina has blended ancestral wisdom with modern holistic practices. Her expertise in tarot, palmistry, and energy healing forms the foundation of her comprehensive wellness coaching. Paulina serves clients globally, offering personalized guidance incorporating spirituality, herbalism, and fortune-telling online, and at her California-based private practice, Romani Holistic. Paulina is the subject of the L.A. Times podcast Foretold. The podcast follows Paulina as she navigates the consequences of her decision to leave her arranged marriage, and community, to redefine her identity. She is the cohost of Romanistan...2025-04-0756 min
The Witch Wave#147 - Paulina Stevens & Jezmina Von Thiele, Secrets of Romani Fortune-Telling AuthorsPaulina Stevens and Jezmina Von Thiele are the co-hosts of Romanistan, a podcast that celebrates Romani identity, culture, and tradition. They are also the co-authors of the book, Secrets of Romani Fortune-Telling: Divining with Tarot, Palmistry, Tea Leaves, and More.Paulina Stevens is a California-based author, activist, and spiritual entrepreneur. She was the subject of the LA Times podcast Foretold, which chronicles her powerful personal journey of breaking away from her insular community and reclaiming her voice. She is also the founder of Romani Holistic, a spiritual wellness business offering intuitive readings, herbal remedies, and handcrafted holistic go...2025-04-021h 19RomanistanChronic Pain and Healing with Klaudia Farkas of Romani RootsKlaudia 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 J...2025-03-261h 08
The Archetypal Tarot PodcastSecrets of Romani Fortune: Interview with Paulina Stevens and Jezmina Von ThieleOn this captivating episode of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast, host Cyndera engages in an intimate conversation with Romani guests Paulina Stevens and Jezmina Von Thiele. Together, they explore the powerful intersection of Romani heritage and the world of tarot, discussing their bold decision to publicly identify as fortune tellers—a choice that invites both recognition and backlash. Amidst the complexities of their journey, Paulina and Jezmina reveal how their activism intertwines with their practice, confronting racism and the challenges of reclaiming their cultural narrative. This is a profound discussion on identity, resilience, and the transformative power of embracing one's ro...2025-03-2534 minRomanistanSharon Svec on "Seeking Warmth," an art exhibit featuring Ceija Stojka and Daniel Baker"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...2025-03-0456 minRomanistanAmaro Voice Crossover with Sejnur MemisiSejnur 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...2025-02-0940 minRomanistanMadeline Potter on Nosferatu and Romani Representation in Gothic LiteratureIn this episode, we dive into Romani representation in Robert Eggers' Nosferatu with Madeline Potter, Romani scholar of 19th century Gothic literature! We also get into vampire lore, Romani folklore, mulo, strigoi, and Romani tropes in Gothic literature and media. Madeline Potter is a research and teaching fellow at the University of Edinburgh, in the literature of the long 19th century (Romanticism to Victorianism). At Edinburgh, she teaches on a range of courses, including one on vampire literature in the long 19th century, which she has designed. Her work primarily looks at Gothic literature and theology: her f...2025-01-311h 02