A Polish-Texan’s Story:

Joanna Sokolowska-Gwizdka

Interview Date: March 8, 2020

Literarily adept. Intellectually curious. A picture of grace. Joanna Sokolowska-Gwizdka stands proud as a Polish-Texan, and an immigrant whose travels have allowed her to explore her interests and share her Polish heritage with the world.

Since Joanna was a child, she has found interest and comfort in Polish history. At a young age, in her hometown of Lodz, Poland, she discovered ancestral documentation from centuries prior, in her family’s home. Joanna found documents about her great, great, great grandfather from 1808-1812 and the 1830 November uprising. Stemming from this discovery and her family’s Szlachta roots is a lifetime of dedication to literary preservation and Polish heritage. She has long been recognized as an intellectual, and our conversations display not only an intellectual nature but a fiery passion for Polish culture.

After the Soviets implemented martial law in 1981, Joanna recalls the rationing of food and how her father would trade his vodka rations with friends for more meat and fuel coupons.

Joanna said that two advantages that came from the communist system were: “pretty good healthcare and very good, high quality education at a university-level.” The lack of opportunity in other areas caused her to focus on her education and pushed her to study the arts because “it was easier to fool the communists with arts, where the intentions of messages are harder to understand.” This led her to achieve a Master of Arts in Polish Language and Literature from the

University of Lodz, where she went on to become a lecturer and also a literary critic for the local news station.

Since then, she has dedicated her life to sharing Polish literature and language. She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of “Culture Avenue,” an online magazine about Polish culture abroad. Her contribution to Polish culture through this site led her to receive the Maciej

Plazynski award from the Club Press Poland. Joanna wrote two books “What I received from God and from People—A Story about Helena Modjeska,” and “Teatr spelnionych nadziei.” In

2018, she was awarded the Golden Owl statuette from the Polish Intelligence Club in Vienna for literature. She was also recently selected as a “World Shaper” of what Poland is internationally.

The center photograph on her mantle features two smiling children receiving their first communion. The two who celebrated this moment together would later share in the celebration of matrimony, as well—the young boy is now her husband, Jacek. They rekindled their friendship over the internet, and a few years later, in 2001, Joanna joined Jacek in Toronto. In

Canada, Joanna was named to the “Who is who of Poles in Canada.” Joanna and Jacek immigrated to the USA in 2005, first to New Jersey, then to Austin, Texas in 2013. Here, Joanna has become a leader in local Polish culture for Texas. She serves as the Vice President of the

Austin Polish Society, and a director of the Austin Polish Film Festival.

Through these organizations and with her family, Joanna continues many Polish traditions. She said that Christmas is her favorite Polish tradition because she is able to cook and enjoy Polish traditional Christmas-cuisine with fellow Polish-Texans. She expressed that

Catholicism has, largely, shaped Polish culture, and is a deep-rooted aspect of Polish identity.

She enjoys attending the occasional Polish mass at a local church, where she feels reconnected to the sweet moments of family and fellowship who remain at home in Poland.

Among these opportunities to spread Polish culture has been a constant language challenge. Joanna says that it is difficult to express her knowledge to fellow Americans. Whereas she proves to be an academic, with a beautiful way with words in her native language, it can be discouraging that her lack of familiarity with academic English can lead others to not fully appreciate her interests and abilities. Nonetheless, she perseveres. Joanna educates the world on Polish culture and women in the arts, and what is clear to me is that she is an inspiring Polish woman of the arts, herself. She is strong, courageous, and humble. She is a Canadian, an American, a Texan, and a Pole. She is an educator, an inspiration, and a vibrant light of Polish culture in America.

Photographs of Joanna: (also available in JPEG format)