Jezmina Von Thiele has dealt with it her whole life.

The racist stereotypes. The assumptions. Others labeling her as a nomad, runaway, and a thief.

But rather than shun her Romani heritage, Jezmina leans fully into it. Through her podcast, social media channels, and new book, Jezmina represents swaths of "outcasts" in this country. A nonbinary woman of Romani heritage, Jezmina uses her platforms to fight for the world she's dreamt of feeling safe in -- a world where people of all belief systems, sexual orientations, and physical appearances can live in harmony.

But for that world to exist, the rest of us non-Romani people (gadje) need to understand first who the Romani people are, where they come from, and why -- in an era when we're heightened to the experiences of outcasts -- no one seems to care about the Romani people.

In today's conversation from my makeshift home studio in downtown Portsmouth, Jezmina Von Thiele and I discuss this subject and much more, including:

• Who are the Roma? (00:00 )


• Identifying as queer + nonbinary (11:56 )


• How COVID ravaged Jezmina's life (19:50 )


• Grappling with a new life (26:53 )


• Jezmina's new book (34:52 )


• Palm reading, Evil Eye, and talking to horses (37:40 )


• The normalization of anti-Romani racism (46:30 )


• Book tour details (51:37 )


• What's your mission? (54:12 )

Jezmina Von Thiele is a popular Seacoast-based Romani fortune teller, podcaster, writer, and now, an author! Jezmina's new book (co-written with Paulina Stevens), "The Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling," is now available on Amazon. You can also check out her Romanistan podcast or follow her on Instagram @jezmina.vonthiele.

This podcast is hosted, written, researched, and produced by Spotify's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Troy Farkas⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. To support this show, please leave a review of "Seacoast Stories" on our Apple Podcasts page.

BACKGROUND LISTENING:

• Jezmina's appearance on "The Found Generation" podcast in 2023


• The LA Times podcast "Foretold," which centers on Jezmina's co-author Paulina Stevens