Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling: A Conversation with Author Jezmina Von Thiele

Join author, fortune teller, and cultural educator Jezmina Von Thiele for an evening book talk about Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling, co-authored with Paulina Stevens. This talk offers an introduction to the Roma, an Indian diaspora people more commonly known by the slur/misnomer “Gypsies.” Professional divination is one of many Romani survival trades through centuries of persecution, and Roma have shaped this popular practice but are rarely acknowledged, and our culture is often appropriated. Jezmina will also share what it’s like growing up in a fortune telling family and being raised to do this work. Signed copies of Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling will be available for purchase. This program is hybrid: attend in person in the Mayer Room or by Zoom. Register for the Zoom invitation here. Jezmina Von Thiele (they/she) reads tarot, palms, and tea leaves in their mixed Sinti-Romani family tradition, and leads creative and spiritual workshops, rituals, and events in person and online. With Paulina Stevens, Jezmina is the cohost of Romanistan podcast, coauthor of Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling (2024) and the forthcoming Secrets of Romani Tarot (2027). Jezmina has also published award winning fiction and creative nonfiction in Narrative Magazine, Prairie Schooner, The Poetry Foundation, The Kenyon Review, and elsewhere.