 The Piast Institute invites the public to hear author Imogene Salva share the true-life story of her mother Jozefa (Ziuta) Nowicka, and her family, who survived the WW II ordeal of deportation from their homeland of eastern Poland to a Siberian labor camp. Her book is called, “One Star Away.” Salva, an educator, said, “I am honored to tell my mother’s story. Growing up in New York City, I realized that my mother’s wartime experiences were shared by thousands and remain relatively unknown to the rest of the world.” Piast Institute is proud to host Salva, Thursday, March 9, from 6-8 p.m. at the Warren Civic Center Library, 1 City Square. A link to Eventbrite: https://rb.gy/gox7jk has been added for individuals to RSVP for this special lecture, although walk-ins are also encouraged to attend. Her appearance is the first of a two-part lecture series sponsored by Piast to mark its 20th anniversary year. In the Soviet labor camp, the Nowicki family suffered near starvation, disease, separation and arctic temperatures, until the father Konstanty (Kostek) was further emboldened to secure the escape of his wife Teodora (Tola) and six children from the camp. Their love for each other and their strong faith sustained them through the arduous journey toward freedom. Eventually, Ziuta, with her older sister, Jadwiga (Jadzia) and their brother, Jozef (Jozek) found a second homeland during the years of 1942-1947 in an unlikely part of the world – India. This major accomplishment was due to the efforts of Polish General Sikorski who reached out to other countries to take in 500 Polish refugee children. And a generous benefactor in the form of an Indian Maharajah responded to his request.  Throughout her childhood, author Imogene Salva, traveled yearly to Poland. She studied in France and earned an M.A. in TESOL or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. A resident of Colorado, she has taught Spanish, Polish and French, K-12, in New York City and Colorado. A nonprofit organization, the Piast Institute has grown for 20 years into a national research and policy center for Polish and Polish American Affairs and is one of 48 Census Information Centers in the country. For more information, call the office at (313) 733-4535 or visit www.piastinstitute.org.  Comments are closed.
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