2015 News, Reviews & Events

December 27, 2015 – Bibliotekos Advance Review of Echoes of Tattered Tongues – Bibliotekos has posted an awesome review of our upcoming March 2016 release Echoes of Tattered Tongues: Memory Unfolded by John Guzlowski, based on the Advance Review Copy of the book. Reviewer Gregory Tague, Professor of English at St. Francis College and Editor of Battle Runes: Writings on War and Common Boundary: Stories of Immigration, says among other things: “These are poems whose images and metaphors have undergone the finest grinding, becoming crystal lenses to magnify the inner and outer lives of his parents. The clear poetic/narrative voice is remarkably strong yet elegant—this is not a random collection but the story of a family across generations dealing with the consequences of world war.” Calling the book “a magnificent elegy to civilian lives lost or shattered in war and thereafter,” Professor Tague concludes: “Guzlowski has successfully undertaken a monumental, moral obligation.” In an accompanying email, Professor Tague said “I could not praise it enough—masterfully done. Really reads almost like a novel.” Read the entire review as pdf OR online…

December 10, 2015 – The Guy Mason Recreation Center, Washington, D.C. – Author Julian Kulski was invited to present a program on his experiences as a boy soldier in the Polish Underground during World War II and his book The Color of Courage. Mr. Kulski spoke to an enthusiastic audience that included many young Boy and Girl Scouts.

November 19–22, 2015 – Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies Annual Convention, Philadelphia – Aquila Polonica exhibited at the 2015 ASEEES annual convention in Philadelphia—marking our sixth year at ASEEES! For photos and a more complete report…

November 20, 2015 – 2015 Aquila Polonica Prize winners announced, Philadelphia – There were so many excellent entries in this year’s competition for the 2015 Aquila Polonica Prize, that the independent committee of judges chose three winners: Piotr Kosicki, Lisa Jakelski, and Agnieszka Pasieka. Winners were announced by Polish Studies President Brian Porter-Szucs at the PSA’s annual meeting, held in conjunction with the 2015 ASEEES convention. For more info and to download the press release…

November 13–15, 2015 – New Orleans, LA – Aquila Polonica titles were showcased at the Polish Perspectives booth at National Council for the Social Studies annual convention. The booth is sponsored each year by the American Council for Polish Culture. Cecilia Glembocki, one of the organizers of the booth, reported, “Your books were so very successful. If you could have seen the enjoyment on the faces of these young men teachers who loved the books. One young man asked three times if I were for real. He said he got his Christmas gift very early.”

October 29, 2015 – New York, NY – Rounding out a busy week of travel and presentations, author Julian Kulski presented a special program at the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York City, about his experiences as a boy soldier in the Polish Underground Army during World War II, and his book The Color of Courage. He was introduced by Kosciuszko Foundation President and Executive Director, Professor John Micgiel.

October 28, 2015 – New Britain, CT – Author Julian Kulski was invited as a special guest speaker at Central Connecticut State University by Professor Mieczyslaw Biskupski, who has used Mr. Kulski’s book The Color of Courage as course reading in one of his history classes at the university. The evening event was open to the public, well attended by an enthusiastic audience of about 80 people.

October 27, 2015 – West Point, NY – Author Julian Kulski was invited as a special guest speaker for two classes at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. This was the second time Mr. Kulski has been invited to speak at West Point this year.

October 23–25, 2015 – St. Louis, MO – Author Julian Kulski gave the keynote address at the 2015 Central Slavic Conference sponsored by St. Louis University. Earlier during the conference he participated in a roundtable session with historians. “His visit was an unmitigated success,” reported Professor David Borgmeyer, Director of the St. Louis University Center for International Studies, who chaired the conference. “His talk was great. We had nearly 100 people attend and were pulling out chairs to find them for the overflow crowd.”  The audience gave Mr. Kulski a standing ovation at the end of his keynote presentation, which included a 20-minute excerpt from his award-winning documentary “Legacy of the White Eagle.”    For more info on the Conference…

September 29, 2015 – Philadelphia, PA – Alice Waydenfeld Faintich was invited by the Lippincott Ladies Book Club in Philadelphia to present a one-hour multimedia program on the WWII Soviet forced deportations of Polish civilians to Siberia, based on her father’s book The Ice Road.

September 23, 2015 – Los Angeles, CA – Aquila Polonica president Terry Tegnazian was invited to teach a class in Professor Pat Oliver’s Rhetoric of Women course at Loyola Marymount University. Professor Oliver uses Aquila Polonica’s award-winning book The Mermaid and the Messerschmitt, by Rulka Langer, as required course reading, with an analytical paper on the book due during the course. Ms. Tegnazian’s multimedia presentation, which included maps and four short videos, including some of the Digital Extras from The Color of Courage, set the historical background for Rulka Langer’s memoir. Ms. Tegnazian was joined by Lidia Tulodziecka, a student at the University of Warsaw, who was visiting Los Angeles. Ms. Tulodziecka was able to answer questions about present-day Poland and how history is impacting the current political situation in Eastern Europe.

September 19, 2015 – London, England – Jarek Garlinski, translator of The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery, by Captain Witold Pilecki, was interviewed live on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, the UK’s most popular news breakfast programme (TV or radio). September 19th is the 75th anniversary of the day that Captain Witold Pilecki began his historic undercover mission as a prisoner at Auschwitz.

September 18, 2015 – Jimmy Lakey on KCOL-AM600 – Radio host Jimmy Lakey on KCOL-AM600, covering northern Colorado, interviewed Aquila Polonica president Terry Tegnazian about Captain Witold Pilecki and The Auschwitz Volunteer, on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the beginning of Pilecki’s historic undercover mission as a prisoner at Auschwitz.

September 10, 2015 – Washington, D.C. – The Color of Courage author and Warsaw Uprising veteran Julian Kulski was one of the featured speakers at the Polish Embassy event commemorating the 71st Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising.,The Polish Ambassador, Ryszard Schnepf, decorated Mr. Kulski with a commemorative medal. After the ceremony Kulski, who fought in the Uprising as a 15-year-old boy, recounted his uprising experience, More info on the event…

September 9, 2015 – The Auschwitz Volunteer Sold in Finland – Aquila Polonica recently sold Finnish rights to its award-winning book The Auschwitz Volunteer to Minerva Kustannus Oy, Helsinki. For more info…

August 2, 2015 – Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw Uprising Mural Dedicated – Julian Kulski, author of The Color of Courage, was one of the featured speakers at the dedication ceremony on Sunday afternoon, August 2, 2015, for a mural commemorating the 1944 Warsaw Uprising at the Polish National Home in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The other speakers included Polish Consul General Urszula Gacek and N.Y. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney. The mural features the image of Mr. Kulski, who fought in that Uprising as 15-year-old Commando in the Home Army. More info and photos…

July 23, 2015 – Sarmatian Review praises Aquila Polonica – “Aquila Polonica is probably the finest and most successful publisher of Polish books in the United States,” says Sarmatian Review in a Facebook post reporting on Aquila Polonica’s sale of simplified Chinese rights for The Auschwitz Volunteer. The post continues: “This is truly a road marker. Chinese views of Europe have not congealed yet, and books like ‘The Auschwitz Volunteer’ have a chance to influence those views.” Read the entire post… 

AND for more info on the sale of simplified Chinese rights…

July 6, 2015 – The Auschwitz Volunteer Chinese Rights Sold – Aquila Polonica recently sold simplified Chinese rights to its award-winning book The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery by Captain Witold Pilecki to Beijing World Publishing Corporation, Beijing. For more info…

July 1, 2015 – The Mermaid and the Messerschmitt now in Ebook – Aquila Polonica’s award-winning title The Mermaid and the Messerschmitt by Rulka Langer is now available in all popular formats of ebook, including Kindle and Nook.

June 25-30, 2015 – San Francisco – American Library Association Annual Convention – The Color of Courage was on display at the Independent Book Publishers Association booth during the 2015 Convention of the American Library Association.

June 6-7, 2015 – Reading, PA – Author Julian Kulski at WWII Weekend – Author Julian Kulski was at the famous Mid-Atlantic Air Museum’s 25th Annual WWII Weekend for two days to sign his book, The Color of Courage. This exciting weekend extravaganza, packed with all things WWII, ran from Friday, June 5, through Sunday, June 6, at the Reading Regional Airport, Reading, PA, and attracted more than 100,000 WWII enthusiasts. In a very busy two days, Mr. Kulski—who wore his WWII Polish Army battle dress jacket with Polish Army cap and his numerous medals—attracted many dozens of attendees and signed more than 100 copies of his book – photo at right with some of his fans.

 WBAI-FM 99.5 – “Cutting Edge” radio host Dred Scott Keyes interviews Julian Kulski – Aired June 2, 2015 on WBAI-FM 99.5 in New York City, and sydicated on numerous radio stations throughout the U.S.. Radio host Dred Scott Keyes traveled to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on May 1, 2015, where author Julian Kulski was a featured speaker at the 12th Annual Tadeusz Kosciuszko Conference, in order to interview Mr. Kulski about his new book, The Color of Courage, and his experience as a teenage soldier fighting the Germans in World War II Poland. Listen to the interview (approx. 54 minutes):

June 2015 – News of Polonia front-page feature on The Color of Courage – In its final issue, the News of Polonia based in Southern California ran a front-page feature about The Color of Courage and its double win at the 2015 Benjamin Franklin Awards. Read the article…

May 29, 2015 – Publishers Weekly BEA Show Daily – Feature Article on Aquila Polonica – In a feature article titled “The Polish Eagle Has Landed,” Publishers Weekly spotlighted Aquila Polonica and its newest book, The Color of Courage. “The company’s latest release, Julian Kulski’s The Color of Courage, is one example of the little-known part of WWII that was suppressed by postwar communist propaganda campaigns aimed at keeping the West from supporting Poland, one of its allies during the war,” says Publishers Weekly. Read the complete article online or pdf…

May 27–29, 2015 – New York City – Aquila Polonica at Book Expo America – Aquila Polonica president Terry Tegnazian attended Book Expo America (“BEA”) in New York City, the largest book show in the U.S. It was a great opportunity to meet people, renew acquaintances and explore publishing resources. Aquila Polonica books were featured in three booths at BEA: The Color of Courage and The Auschwitz Volunteer were on display by Aquila Polonica’s distributor, National Book Network; The Color of Courage was featured at the Independent Book Publishers Association booth as a Ben Franklin winner; and all of Aquila Polonica titles were shown at the booth of the Polish Cultural Institute. Two stunnng half-page ads in the Day 2 Show Daily showcased The Auschwitz Volunteer and The Color of Courage—click for The Auschwitz Volunteer ad and The Color of Courage ad. Shown at left, Aquila Polonica display at the NBN booth. Below, IBPA booth, Award Winners Showcase, and close-up of The Color of Courage, which won both a Gold Award for Interior Design and Silver for Autobiography/Memoir. At right, Aquila Polonica books shown at the Polish Cultural Institute booth.

May 16, 2015 – Call for Entries: 2015 Aquila Polonica Article Prize – The Polish Studies Association has just published its call for entries to the Aquila Polonica Prize for the Best Article in Polish Studies. It is time once again for the biennial Aquila Polonica prize for the best English-language article in the field of Polish studies. To be eligible for this $500 award, an article must have appeared in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal between August 2013 and August 2015.  The scholarship can be in any discipline, as long as it deals primarily with Polish studies, understood in the broadest possible sense. The selection committee will consist of three members of the Polish Studies Association, representing the social sciences, the humanities, and history. To be competitive, an article should speak across disciplinary boundaries. If you would like to nominate an article for consideration (and self-nominations are more than welcome), please send a PDF of the text along with a complete publication citation to . The winner will be announced at the ASEEES convention this coming November. Good luck! Here’s the announcement…

May 15, 2015 – Los Angeles, CA – The Color of Courage Finalist in IndieFab Book of the Year Awards – The Color of Courage has been shortlisted for Foreword Reviews’ IndieFab Book of the Year Award in the category of Nonfiction War & Military! Winners will be announced on the evening of June 26, 2015 in San Francisco, in conjunction with the American Library Association Annual Conference. Read more…

May 6, 2015 – Washington, D.C. – Georgetown Neighborhood Library – Author Julian Kulski and Polish Defense Attache Brigadier General Jaroslaw Strozyk presented a multimedia program about Mr. Kulski’s award-winning new book, The Color of Courage, at the Georgetown Neighborhood Library, a branch of the Washington, D.C. public library system. After the program, Mr. Kulski signed books for the enthusiastic audience members. Download the event flyer…

May 1-2, 2015 – West Point, NY – U.S. Military Academy – Author Julian Kulski was a featured speaker at the 12th Annual Tadeusz Kosciuszko Conference at the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY. The event was sponsored by the nonprofit American Association of the Friends of Kosciuszko at West Point. The full-day conference on Friday, May 1, was followed the next day by a solemn Mass, a U.S. Military Academy ceremony honoring General Tadeusz Kosciuszko, and a gala luncheon.

April 24, 2015 – Washington, D.C. – West Point Cadets Meet with Julian Kulski – Author Julian Kulski met with a group of West Point Cadets in Washington, D.C. on Friday, April 24, 2015 at the Kosciuszko Foundation office. Kulski discussed with the Cadets his new award-winning book, The Color of Courage, and his wartime experiences as a teenage soldier in the Polish Underground Army. “The Cadets were impressed with his remarks,” reports Colonel Steve Olejasz (U.S. Army ret.), who organized the event on behalf of the American Association of the Friends of Kosciuszko at West Point. The Cadets are members of the Kosciuszko Squadron of the United States Military Academy, which honors the accomplishments and memory of General Tadeusz Kosciuszko. Kosciuszko is both a Polish and an American hero. A Polish military engineer, he volunteered to serve with the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Among his many contributions to the American war effort, Kosciuszko designed and built the critical fortifications at West Point, which prevented the British from proceeding up the Hudson River. As part of its annual visit to Washington, D.C., the Kosciuszko Squadron also visited the Pentagon and the Polish Embassy.

April 10, 2015 – Bringing Home the GOLD and the SILVER! – The Color of Courage won both a GOLD and a SILVER Award at the 2015 Benjamin Franklin Awards! Winners were announced at the Independent Book Publishers Association awards ceremony on Friday evening, April 10, 2015. The Color of Courage took the top Gold Award in the category of Interior Design (1-2 Color), and the Silver Award in the category of Autobiography/Memoir. Read more…

March 28, 2015 – Back to Books reviews The Color of Courage – “This is a book that should always be available for people to read,” says blogger Nicola Mansfield about The Color of Courage in her Back to Books blog. “Particularly heart-wrenching and eye-opening as it gives an eyewitness account of Poland’s WWII years through the eyes of a child as he grows to adolescence…Of particular note are the volume’s visuals: there are many photographs from the era like nothing I’ve seen before… I highly recommend this book.” Read the review — online OR pdf…

March 27, 2015 – Los Angeles, CA – 2015 Pioneer Women of the Year Award – Aquila Polonica president Terry Tegnazian was honored with a 2015 Pioneer Women of the Year Award by Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz and the Los Angeles Commission on the Status of Women. This award honors the contributions of remarkable women leaders who have made exceptional contributions in the service of the community. Read more…

March 23, 2015 – Los Angeles, CA – The Joan Quinn Profiles – Los Angeles cable TV show host Joan Agajanian Quinn interviews Aquila Polonica president Terry Tegnazian for her show The Joan Quinn Profiles, which will air later this year. Shown at right, the show’s director Raul Alonzo, Joan Quinn and Terry Tegnazian.

March 18, 2015 – Los Angeles, CA – The Color of Courage Finalist in Prestigious Benjamin Franklin Awards – The Color of Courage has just been named as a finalist for the 2015 Benjamin Franklin Awards in two different categories: Autobiography/Memoirs, and Interior Design (1-2 Color)! The winners will be announced in a ceremony held in Austin, Texas, the evening of April 10, 2015. Read more…

March 12, 2015 – Los Angeles, CA – Loyola Marymount University – Aquila Polonica president Terry Tegnazian taught a class in Professor Patricia Oliver‘s course on the Rhetoric of Women. Professor Oliver assigns Aquila Polonica’s award-winning book The Mermaid and the Messerschmitt: War Through a Woman’s Eyes, 1939-1940, as required reading for this course, with an analytical paper due at the end of the assignment. To help bring the narrative to life, Ms. Tegnazian gave a multimedia presentation that included photos, maps, the Siege DVD, three Digital Extra videos from The Color of Courage and her Lifetime TV interview about The Mermaid. She explained why Aquila Polonica decided to begin its publishing program with The Mermaid, and gave a brief review of Poland’s role as one of the Allies in World War II to set the context for the book.

March 5, 2015 – The Joan Quinn Profiles and The Auschwitz Volunteer – Los Angeles cable TV show host Joan Agajanian Quinn, of The Joan Quinn Profiles, interviews actor/writer/director Marek Probosz about his background, his starring role as Witold Pilecki in the film The Death of Captain Pilecki, and the Aquila Polonica book The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery, following the multimedia program presented by Mr. Probosz and Aquila Polonica president Terry Tegnazian at Hillel at UCLA on March 1, 2015.

March 4, 2015 – Brazilian Rights Sold for The Color of Courage – Editora Valentina, Rio de Janeiro, snapped up Portuguese-language rights for Brazil to The Color of Courage. “It’s one of the most extraordinary war memoirs we’ve ever seen,” says Rafael Goldkorn, Valentina’s Editor. Read more…

March 1, 2015 – Los Angeles, CA – Captain Witold Pilecki at Hillel at UCLA – Actor/writer/director Marek Probosz and Aquila Polonica president Terry Tegnazian presented a multimedia performance about Captain Witold Pilecki and the resistance movement in Auschwitz to an audience of 150 or more at Hillel at UCLA in Los Angeles.The program was introduced by Dr. Michael Berenbaum of American Jewish University. For more info and photos…

February 25, 2015 – Jewish Journal on The Auschwitz Volunteer – In an article titled “Auschwitz’s Volunteer Prisoner,” the Jewish Journal in Los Angeles says “The long-lost story of Capt. Witold Pilecki and his heroic actions during World War II is finally coming to light…To honor his efforts, Hillel at UCLA is hosting a multimedia performance March 1 of Pilecki’s reports.” Read the article online or pdf…  For more on the Hillel event…

February 4, 2015 – USA Radio Networks, the Steve Deace Show – Talk show host Steve Deace interviews author Julian Kulski about his new book The Color of Courage and his experiences as a teenage soldier in World War II on the USA Radio Networks, West Des Moines, Iowa.

February 3, 2015 – KLZ-AM560 – Radio host Ken Clark interviews author Julian Kulski on KLZ-AM560, Aurora, Colorado, about his World War II experiences as a teenage soldier, chronicled in his new book The Color of Courage.

February 2, 2015 – WCGO-AM1590, The Franklin Raff Show – The Color of Courage author Julian Kulski is interviewed on The Franklin Raff Show on WCGO-AM1590 in Chicago about his experiences as a teenage soldier in World War II.

February 1, 2015 – New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof – In a powerful op-ed titled “Heroes and Bystanders” that ran in the Sunday Review section of the New York Times on February 1, 2015, highly respected columnist Nicholas Kristof singles out Captain Witold Pilecki as “one of the great heroes of the 20th century.” Read the op-ed online or online pdf version, or the print version.

January 14, 2015 – WJRW-AM1340 with Colonel Denny Gillem – Host Colonel Denny Gillem interviews author Julian Kulski about his World War II experience as a teenage soldier and his new book, The Color of Courage, for Frontlines of Freedom on WJRW-AM1340, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

 January 10, 2015 – WBOB-AM600 with Forest Wilson – Radio host Forest Wilson on WBOB-AM600, Jacksonville, Florida, interviews author Julian Kulski about his new book, The Color of Courage, and his experience as a teenage soldier in World War II.

January 2, 2015 – New York City, Amicus Polanaie Award – The 2014 Amicus Polanaie Award was presented to Aquila Polonica president Terry Tegnazian by the Polish American Historical Association, at a ceremony at the Polish Consulate in New York City on January 2, 2015. More…

Check the News, Reviews & Events Archive in Media Room for other years.