“Bill Johnston… was from another world. When many of us were dreaming about leaving Poland, here he was, settling right in!” – So recalls Tamara Trojanowska of her early encounter with an English teacher who mastered the Polish language.
Designer Oleńka Lisiecka blends old time folk and city chic to great effect. Original and fun. Justine Jablonska casts a fashion eye on Lisiecka’s enterprise.
Getting the vote is all well and good. But what if women want more than that? Beth Holmgren looks at Poland’s interwar cabaret culture.
Mazowsze is arguably the most beautiful folk dance troupe in the world. Maja Trochimczyk poses the question: Does authenticity matter?
Jan Karski is a hero not just for our times but for all times, says Irene Tomaszewski as she recalls her first meeting with the modest hero. He represents the best in humanity and the collective will of a nation that would not submit.
Where is Szymborska going?
Benjamin Paloff suggests that she is, in fact, staying; she has a lasting place in our literature, her poems have that special quality that enables them to unfold into variations of themselves.
The regime was harsh, the system absurd but rules made up in Moscow were no match for the individualistic Poles. Magda Romanska’s delightful piece shows us how it was done. Elegantly, of course.
General Edward Rowny, at 96, continues his life of service to his own country while honoring the life and legacy of a great Pole, Ignacy Jan Paderewski.
Poland’s magnificent non-violent revolution altered the course of history. Justice demands that this history be not forgotten.
She learned a lot while studying in Europe, says Kinia Adamczyk, one of the most important being the mastery of urban cycling skills.
Pushing the boundaries for the past six decades, Bogusław Schaeffer was still blazing the way at the Edinburgh Fringe last year with “one of the best productions since the festival was launched several dozen years ago.” Magda Romanska profiles a Renaissance man.
A harrowing 20-thousand kilometer odyssey ended with an unforgettable welcome in Mexico. Piotr Piwowarczyk, who is making a film about it, tells the story.
Polish Happy Hour in DC has a community-building aspect to it but it’s an event without speeches. Co-founder Marcin Zmudzki, who also started the Polish Global Village mailing list, stresses the spontaneity and inclusiveness. Justine Jablonska attended on assignment – but is going back for the sheer pleasure of it.
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