Beginning in January 2025, the Alumni Association, in cooperation with the Cracow Club of “Tygodnik Powszechny”, are launching a new project under the common title: “Portraits of America.”
The United States of America is not only politics, economy, military sector and mass media. According to us, it is above all a diverse society and a multicolored culture and art. During the meetings, together with invited guests and the audience, we want to talk about contemporary America, its internal problems, great ideas, dynamic society and multi-level culture. We want to show different “Portraits of America” while trying to reveal its true face.
For our talks, interviews and discussions we have invited members of the Alumni Association, as well as scholars, journalists, specialists and fascinators for whom the United States and its society have no secrets.
We meet once a month, or more precisely on the last Thursday of a given month, at the Powszechna Cellar in Krakow. The meeting is reported LIVE on social media on the websites of the Alumni Association and the “Tygodnik Powszechny” Club.
During the first meeting of the “Portraits of America” series, we discussed the famous socio-political weekly “The New Yorker”. Is it a mirror of the Big Apple, as New York is colloquially called? Is it the conscience of New Yorkers, or is it a New York provocateur? We asked our guest what was the primary reason for his research on this weekly, and how much time did he have to spend in its deep archives?
The interview with Prof. Michal Choinski of Jagiellonian University (Fulbright, 2022) was conducted by Anna Piekarczyk (Edward R. Murrow Program, 2023) of Radio Krakow.
Facebook: https://fb.watch/xI9UFTv8cM/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/KvdmZkRAvPs?si=dtS_ZInWX_VTM8nw
During the second session of the new series, we reflected on religions and churches in America. About the influence of religion in the social life of the United States of America. To what extent is religion united or separated from politics in the U.S.? Is religion as important to American society today as it was to the Founding Fathers?
These thought-provoking questions were explored by interviewer Michal Robak of the “Tygodnik Powszechny” Club and Dr. Paulina Napierała of the Jagiellonian University.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StowarzyszenieAlumni/videos/1028446475780138
YouTube: https://youtu.be/9zulKtEyv_g?si=jW8AA245z_Kmtu69
At the following meeting of this series we told the story of Edward Mandell House, an American diplomat, politician and foreign policy advisor to Woodrow Wilson. Thanks to his intervention, President Wilson included the issue of Polish independence in his speech outlining the new American foreign policy. First, the documentary film “Colonel House” was shown, and then there was a conversation and discussion with Jack Stawiski, the editor and co-author of the documentary. The conversation about the film and Colonel House with Dr. Jacek Stawiski, head of the foreign programming team at TVN24 BiS and director of the Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow, was moderated by Anna Piekarczyk of Radio Krakow.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StowarzyszenieAlumni/videos/1567029027321125
YouTube: https://youtu.be/T3vNMfjA3Zw?si=UZP6ZgMblJPfHOLI
During the next meeting of “Portraits of America,” we listened to a discussion related to the social aspects of artificial intelligence. We wondered how much A.I. is artificial, and how much is intelligent? We wanted to know if artificial intelligence is already hosted in our homes? In which spheres of everyday life will A.I. develop the fastest: medicine, science, art, or perhaps entertainment? What are the trends in its development, and what are the threats.
These and other issues were discussed by editors Zbigniew Bartuś of Dziennik Gazeta Prawna and Forsal.pl, and Michal Kowalkowski – owner of SalesPlayX.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/G9azcB8JToY?si=sgkZisSlRsOg-IiC
During the May edition of the series, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of the esteemed American writer Flannery O’Connor. We talked about her rich oeuvre, reflected on Polish themes and historical events and characters that inspired the writer.
We invited distinguished researchers and scholars to join the conversation: Prof. Miroslawa Buchholtz of Nicolaus Copernicus University, Dr. Michał Choiński of Jagiellonian University. Performative reading of excerpts from Flannery O’Connor’s work was presented by actress and director – “Ziuta Zającówna” (Prof. Józefa Jamróz-Zając).
YouTube: https://youtu.be/d2vq-W0WZk8?si=fe85jbAqmSBDJAUf
In the course of the sixth meeting we spoke about “Country-Images of America”. Our guests have visited the United States more than once, discovering its beauty, space and color. During the conversation, they shared their practical experiences of traveling to the US, showed their “The Best”, i.e. the places that were most engraved in their memory, and shared the emotions that were associated with these places.
We invited Alumni Association members Joanna Wegrzycka and Piotr Zimoch to share their memories of visiting the United States. The conversation was moderated by Michal Robak of the “Tygodnik Powszechny” Club.