The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs published on its website a note about changes to the consular posts maintained by Poland worldwide. Among other changes described in the note, the Consulate General in Los Angeles would move to San Francisco and the Consulate General in Vancouver, BC would move to Edmonton. No timetable was given for the moves.

     

More: Ministry of Foreign Affairs note about consular changes.

posted Dec 12, 2012

After a big success of the first Polish Festival at the Seattle Center, the Polish community received an invitation to organize it there in 2013 as well. At a recent meeting at the Polish Home with Stephen Sneed, Managing Artistic Director for Cultural Programs at the Seattle Center, Saturday, July 13, 2013 has been agreed as the Festival date. The Festival is not yet part of the main line up of ethnic festivals called Festal, however it has been upgraded to a bigger and better place at Armory / Center House and the adjacent area. Congratulations!

 

Where: 2013 Festival at the Armory / Central House of the Seattle Center

More: 2012 Polish Festival, or contact Danuta Moc, the 2012 Festival director, for more info.

posted Dec 6, 2012

Polish Home Assn is the most important Polish organization in Seattle, among others it owns and runs the Polish Cultural Center / the Polish Home in Seattle. The yearly elections at PHA come on January 26, 2013; all the candidates for the PHA elected positions should register with the PHA Election Commission by January 5, 2011. Please see 2012 Election Committee Announcement for details.

 

More: PHA website

posted Nov 22, 2012

Dr. Jacek Mikołajczyk is the Polish Fulbright Lecturer at the UW for the academic year 2012/2013. Dr. Mikołajczyk is with the Cultural Sciences Institute of the Silesian University in Katowice and his specialty is theatrology. He is also a director and translator. His autumn course at the UW was on the contemporary Polish theater. The winter course is Terrorism in Eastern Europe.

   

More: The Fulbright position is supported in part by the UW Polish Studies Endowment Committee

posted Nov 22, 2012

      Ms. Romana Wal, an active member of the Polish community and accomplished Polish folk artist died on Sep 22, 2012. She was 93.

 

      Born Romana Hanytkiewicz in Warsaw in 1919 and raised in Bialystok, during WWII, Ms. Wal was deported by NKVD to Siberian camps for being a member of the Polish underground. Saved by Hitler's attack on the Soviet Union, she joined Gen. Anders's Army and in 1943 joined Royal Air Force Woman Auxiliary in London as an officer. There she married Mr. Roman Wal, a RAF fighter pilot and later an engineer. After WWII the family emigrated to Canada and then settled in Seattle in 1958, where she worked for the King County Library System.

 

      Ms. Wal was very active in the Polish community. Among other things she was a co-founder of the Ladies Auxiliary at the Polish Home Assn and an avid supporter of the Polish Home, including its recent expansion project. Always a Polish patriot, she was the one who inspired Lynn Olson and Stanley Cloud to write their book "A Question of Honor" at a WWII veterans' dinner in Washington, DC. Please read more about Ms. Wal at her Polish Home profile page.

 

      Ms. Wal is survived by her daughter Danuta Lockett with son-in-law Brian Locket and grandchildren Alexandra & Peter Lockett.

 

      Memorial Mass will be held at 11 am on Saturday Oct 13 at Sacred Heart Church in Bellevue.

A buffet luncheon at the church will follow. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Polish Studies program at the University of Washington in Seattle.

 Posted August 14, 2012

Seattle Polish Film Festival is happy to announce that the winner of the 2012 SPFF poster competition for the 20th Festival is Joanna Wroblewska. Congratulations!

 

Also: Volunteers needed to run the Festival. SPFF runs October 12-21 this year.

 

More: SPFF, SPFF poster competition, SGSCA

posted Sep 27, 2012

      Mr. Janusz Zoltowski, an active member of the Polish community in Seattle died of cancer. He was 68.

 

      Born in fateful 1944 and raised in his native Warsaw, Mr. Zoltowski left Poland in 1969 for Italy and in 1971 he arrived in the United States. His fiancé Barbara joined him in 1973, and they married and settled in Los Angeles. In 1978 the couple moved to their home in Kirkland where they raised two daughters and established a successful antique restoration business Old World Antique Restoration.  

 

      Mr. Zoltowski was an active Polonia member. In LA he served as the vice-president of the H. Modjeska Arts & Culture Club. In Seattle, he built many scenography sets for theater performances at the Polish Home, the Overlake School and elsewhere. He was also the founder and the president the Viva Polonia! Association that produced several Viva Polonia! black tie balls as fundraisers for the Polish community. He was an avid dancer, master craftsman and a collector of pipes, some of which he also made.

 

      Mr. Zoltowski is survived by his wife of 39 years, Barbara, their daughters Agnieszka and Natalia with her husband Michael and two grandsons.

 

      Memorial service will be held at 1:30 pm on August 20, 2012 at the Clise Mansion located in Marymoor Park in Redmond.

 Posted August 14, 2012

Each month, the Slavic Library of the University of Washington receivevs new items in Polish. July brought over 200 new Polish books, with several books documenting different aspects of the post 1989 transition, by modern autors such as Hugo-Gader, Dehnel, Withowski i Tulli, etc. and a reprtint of the David Psalter and hymnbook from 1588.  For the complete list visit the new book page.
  
Members of the general public not already affiliated with UW (faculty, staff, students, or alumni association members) can get a borrower's card valid for one year by donating $100 to the UW Libraries. Donors can indicate that their donation should be used to support new acquisitions in Polish studies.
 
Inquiries, comments, requests and suggestions are always welcome and may be directed to:
 Michael Biggins, Slavic, Baltic, and East European studies librarian
Tel. (206) 543-5588, mbiggins@uw.edu

posted Aug 15, 2012

Seattle Polish Film Festival is pleased to announce a poster competition for the upcoming 20th Annual Seattle Polish Film Festival. Deadline for entries is September 2, 2011.  Please visit Seattle PFF site for competition rules, poster requirements and awards.

Also: Volunteers needed to run the Festival. SPFF runs October 12-21 this year.

 

More: SPFF, SPFF poster competition, SGSCA

posted July 26 2012

Mr. John (Bogdan) Orlinski is running for Congress as an independent Republican in the 9th Congressional District. This is his second attempt at a Congress seat. He is a centrist and volunteered for Ron Paul in the primaries. He supports smaller Federal government, balancd budget and taking casre of the illegal immigration problem. Please read more about his platform here..

 

More: John Orlinski's facebook page

posted July 26 2012

Prof. Katarzyna Dziwirek has become the first Polish professor ever to chair the University of Washington Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. Her term started on July 1, 2012 and lasts for five years. Dr. Dziwirek joined the UW in 1993 and teaches Polish and linguistics; her special interest is in cross-linguistic variation in emotion expression. She is also very well known in the Polish community for her involvement in the UW Polish Studies Endowment Committee. Congratulations!

 

More: about Prof. Dziwirek

posted July 12, 2012

Seattle-Gdynia Sister City Assn invites members, friends, relatives, Seattle citizens, Gdynia citizens as well as professional photographers from our area and Gdynia to participate in the photo project entitled Seattle-Gdynia: Our Lives. The images will be included in a special magazine documenting lives and styles in Seattle & Gdynia. The deadline for submission is Aug 5, 2012.

 

More: about the Photo Project, SGSCA

posted July 12, 2012

Each month, the Slavic Library of the University of Washington receivevs new items in Polish. May brought about 20 recent Polish films on DVD, including Czarny czwartek by A. Krauze, and over 140 new Polish books on multiple subjects, including social conditions for Polish blue-collar workers since 1989, more on Tadeusz Kantor, a guidebook to cinematic Lodz, photography of Polish post-socialist landscapes, energy issues in the Baltic Sea Region, and much more.  For the complete list visit the new book page.
  
Members of the general public not already affiliated with UW (faculty, staff, students, or alumni association members) can get a borrower's card valid for one year by donating $100 to the UW Libraries. Donors can indicate that their donation should be used to support new acquisitions in Polish studies.
 
Inquiries, comments, requests and suggestions are always welcome and may be directed to:
 
Michael Biggins, Slavic, Baltic, and East European studies librarian
University of Washington Libraries, Box 352900, Seattle, WA 98195-2900
Tel. (206) 543-5588, mbiggins@uw.edu

posted June 28, 2012

A concert would be better, but this new CD is also appreciated. Entitled Wesele poety / Wedding of a Poet, the CD includes ten compositions by Tomasz Aleksander set to poems by Polish poets from Norwid through the title Baczynski to Szymborska. They are performed by the composer (piano) and Marzanna Bachowska (vocals). The two artists are well known to the Polish communities of Pacific NW and their dynamic duo takes the listener on an unforgettable journey.

   

Where: You can purchase an actual CD or its digital version on CD Baby.

More: more info and music on T. Aleksander's site and his Facebook page,and M. Bachowska's site

posted June 21, 2012

This will be the first ever Polish Festival at the Seattle Center. The  Seattle Center is the most popular place for cultural festivals and similar events in Seattle and getting an approval wasn’t easy. The Polish community wants to stage the best Festival possible to become a regular at the Seattle Center. The organizing committee calls for volunteers to help with planning the Festival. Please see more info on the Polish Festival page.

   

Where: Intiman Theatre at the Seattle Center; admission & entertainment free

More: 2012 Polish Festival, please contact volunteer managers Anna Borodenko & Henia Posluszny or the Festival director Danuta Moc.

posted June 14, 2012

The Polish News is 10 years old! The first email bulletin under the title Polish News from Puget Sound went out on May 17, 2002 to 48 people. The Seattle Polish News website launched in April 2004. The bulletin has been run from inception by Ryszard Kott as the Editor, the website was designed and run for several years by Hanna Gil, who also served as co-editor for some time. Some people were helping with proofreading. Today the bulletin has over 1,100 subscribers, the website stats show about 5,000 page clicks per week and the readership grows all the time!

Thank you, all the Readers for your unwavering support and great news tips over the years. We hope to serve you even better in the years to come!

      The Editor.

posted June 5, 2012

Update: The visit, originally scheduled for June 18 & 19, has been extended to June 20 & 21, 2012. This helped all the people on the waiting list and you can still make a reservation. If you made a reservation and cannot come, please notify Mr. Strutynski.

 

The Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles kindly informs that the consular visit to Seattle to process passport applications and to handle other matters that require Polish citizens to talk to a consul in person is scheduled for June 18-21, 2012 (Monday & Tuesday). The visit is coordinated as usual by Mr. Marian Strutynski who provides detailed info to people who sign up. Typically the Consul is available from early morning to the late afternoon hours but demand is high, so reservations are required.

Please note: A similar visit to Portland is scheduled for September 10, 2012.

     

Where: At the Polish Cultural Center / Polish Home in Seattle; reservations required - please send email to Mr. Strutynski.

More: FAQ info on Polish passports; contact to Mr. Strutynski, or tel. 425-746-3037.

posted Apr 18, 2012, last update on June 12, 2012

Each month, the Slavic Library of the University of Washington receives from 100 to 200 new items in Polish. These new positions can be seen here http://guides.lib.washington.edu/newbooks-reecas

 

For example, new in March 2012 to the UW Librariesʼ Polish collections: witch-hunting in early modern Poland, Wit Stwoszʼs altarpiece in Krakowʼs St. Maryʼs Basilica, newly published Milosz correspondence, a biography of Skolimowski, new fiction by Pilipiuk, Szwaja and Chwin, a dozen or more books by the Instytut Pamieci Narodowej; and much more.

 
Members of the general public not already affiliated with UW (faculty, staff, students, or alumni association members) can get a borrower's card valid for one year by donating $100 to the UW Libraries. Those who wish can stipulate that their donation be used entirely to support new acquisitions in Polish studies.
 
Inquiries, comments, requests and suggestions are always welcome and may be directed to:
 
Michael Biggins, Slavic, Baltic, and East European studies librarian
University of Washington Libraries, Box 352900, Seattle, WA 98195-2900
Tel. (206) 543-5588, mbiggins@uw.edu

posted Apr 18, 2012

       Prof. Janusz K. Zawodny, a long-time Washington State resident, died on April 8, 2012.

 

       Born in Poland in 1921, in September 1939, Mr. Zawodny fought against Soviet Russia; taken prisoner, he escaped and was with Polish resistance throughout the WWII; this included fighting in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising as a lieutenant. Released from German camps, he moved to Great Britain and in 1948 to the USA. He made his PhD and later was a professor at Stanford Univ., San Francisco State University, the Claremont Graduate School and Pomona College and fellow at the Princeton Univ.

 

      Prof. Zawodny never ceased fighting for Poland. His first scientific article in the USA regarded, disputed at the time, Soviet Russia's responsibility for the WWII Katyn massacre. He was also the author of the first book on this war crime, Death in the Forest: The Story of the Katyn Forest Massacre (1962), and a book on the Warsaw Uprising, Nothing But Honor. He was also active in American politics as an expert and advisor; in particular, in 1979-1984, during the Carter and Reagan administrations, he was an advisor at the National Security Council.

 

       Prof. Zawodny has been decorated both for his valor on the battlefield and for his peace-time contributions. Among many orders he received were Polish orders Polonia Restituta, Commandory with Star of the Order of Merit and Virtuti Militari, and the American Order of Lafayette.

 

          There is no information about memorial services at this time.

 

More: Wikipedia bio, (EN), IPN bio (PL), article on Katyn and American morals  

Posted April 12, 2012

More: 2012 Pierogi Fest

posted Mar 22, 2012

These are the volunteering opportunities related to Polish Bazaar on March 31:

  

1) Come to make pierogi (or learn how to) before the spring bazaar:

      on March 14 & March 21 at 7 pm, contact Agnieszka Szymula,

2) Help with the Polish Library book sale during the bazaar, contact Monika Oczkowska-McNeal,

3) Help with greeting and fundraising for the Polish Home during the bazaar, contact Krzysztof Poraj-Kuczewski.

 

More: Polish Bazaar at the Polish Cultural Center

posted Mar 8, 2012

       Mr. Edward Kraemer, a well-known member of the Polish community in Seattle, has died.

 

       Born in Poland in 1931, Mr. Kraemer lost his parents during WWII and was brought up in an orphanage in Lodz. Nevertheless, he graduated from the Warsaw University and then worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1958 he asked for a political asylum in Germany and then came to the United States. He settled in Seattle and among other jobs, he taught Polish at the University of Washington  for a few years starting in 1965. Later he become a successful real estate investor. He was very supporting to all new Solidarity immigrants of the 1980s, renting apartments and interpreting when needed. Among his passions were cars and marathons. He was active till his last days and died suddenly on December 12, 2011.

         Mr. Kraemer was a long time member of the Polish National Alliance Lodge 489 in Seattle and of the Polish Home Association in Seattle. He also supported generously different Polish causes and local initiatives, including the recent Polish Home expansion project.

          Mr. Kraemer was preceded in death by his wife Toni. Mr. Kraemer didn't have any children.

 

Memorial Services:

       Memorial Service:     Mar 10, at 10 am at Evergreen Vashelli, 11111 Aurora Ave N., Seattle 98133

       Burial:                       Mar 10, following (around noon) at the Calvary Cemetery, Seattle

       Celebration of Life:    Mar 10, following (around 1 pm) at the Polish Cultural Center / Polish Home

 

More: the Seattle Times obituary, Vashelli obiturary  

Posted March 5, 2012

The proposed law has changed since October and also different is the way to show your support for the new law - please read:

Polish American organizations of the Pacific Northwest joined forces to contribute to nation-wide campaign supporting a new law related to the visa waiver program. Pursuing the proposed law we encourage everybody to send email to your congressional representative in support of the new legislation. You can show support via website: https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr3855 click ‘support’ and type your message which will automatically be delivered to your congressman or congresswomen. Thank you for supporting this important campaign to drop Visas for Poland.

 

Local update: Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA, 7th District, Seattle) and Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA, 9th District) have become a co-sponsor the bill.

NJ update: Mr. Bart Sadowski, VP CEO, Outwater Media Group, Publisher of Nowy Dziennik Polish Daily News asks for supporting the visa effort on www.DropVisasForPoland.org site as well.

 

More: Description of new legislation

posted Feb 16, 2012

The Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles kindly informs that the consular visit to Seattle to process passport applications and to handle other matters that require Polish citizens to talk to a consul in person is scheduled for June 18 & 19, 2012 (Monday & Tuesday). The visit is coordinated as usual by Mr. Marian Strutynski. Detailed info about the visit will be published closer to the date - typically the Consul is available from early morning to the late afternoon hours but demand is high, so reservations are required.

Please note: the date has been corrected to June, 2012. A similar visit to Portland is planned for October.

     

Where: At the Polish Cultural Center in Seattle; reservations required - please send email to Mr. Strutynski.

More: FAQ info on Polish passports; contact to Mr. Strutynski, or tel. 425-746-3037 (after Feb 22, 2012).

posted Feb 9, 2012

More: Movie site, Agnieszka Holland, Janusz Kaminski

posted Jan 26, 2012