ABOUT THE HOSTS
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 challenges 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 Stevens and and Jezmina Von Thiele. We reclaim the slur Gypsy, but if you aren’t Romani, we prefer you don't use it. xoxo
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The Romani people are a diasporic ethnic group originally from north west 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.
You can listen to Romanistan on all podcast platforms. Subscribe, rate, & review. It helps us so much.
If you like what we do, you can donate to Romanistan Podcast via Ko-fi to help us keep going. https://ko-fi.com/romanistan. Right now we pay for all of our expenses, editing, site hosting, and equipment out of pocket and through your generous donations. You can also join our Patreon for extra content. Thank you!
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The card images below are from of one of our favorite decks, The Living Altar Oracle Deck, which is queer, non-binary, trans, and Romani made by Ylva Mara Radziszewski & Kiki Robinson.
https://ko-fi.com/romanistan
Jessica Reidy/
Jezmina Von thiele
Jessica Reidy (they/she) is a writer, educator, and fortune teller in their mixed Romani tradition. They write poetry, fiction, and nonfiction published in Prairie Schooner, The Kenyon Review Online, Narrative Magazine, and elsewhere. They also offer editing and creative coaching/consulting and services for artists and writers of all types. Under the name Jezmina Von Thiele, they read tarot, palms, and tea leaves online, and in-person at Deadwicks Ethereal Emporium in Portsmouth, NH. Jezmina also tells fortunes and performs with The Poetry Brothel—Boston. They are co-host of Romanistan, a podcast celebrating Romani culture, alongside co-host Paulina Verminski. They are also owner and operator of the online vintage Etsy shop, Evil Eye Edit.
Paulina verminski
Paulina Stevens Verminski was raised within her Muchwaya Romani family’s fortune telling and wellness traditions. She was inspired by the holistic health movement, and in 2018, I earned a wellness coaching certificate, and later began collaborating with nutritionists and herbalists to serve clients. She opened Romani Holistic Healing in Newport Beach, CA, a spiritual shop that also offers readings, house cleansings, and one on one coaching with clients. She is the co-host of Romanistan Podcast, and also featured on the LA Times podcast, Foretold, which tells the story of Paulina’s decision to leave her arranged marriage and community, fight for custody of her children, and start a new life, walking between the Roma world and non-Roma world. She is currently a student of biotechnology at Miracoasta College.
