L.A. Times to Debut ‘Foretold’ Podcast Series on April 11

On April 11, the Los Angeles Times will debut a podcast series that will take listeners behind the stereotypes and myths of Romani culture through the eyes of a Romani American woman who left her community to redefine her identity.

Hosted by Times Reporter Faith E. Pinho, “Foretold” tells the story of Paulina Stevens, who was raised in a traditional Romani family but broke out of her predetermined life as a young mother and fortuneteller to change the course of her fate.

“Foretold” explores the history and context of Romani culture, and Stevens’ place in it. At 12 years old, Stevens, who grew up in Morro Bay, Calif., was pulled out of school per Romani tradition to prepare for life as a wife, mother and fortuneteller. Married at 17 and a mother of two at 20, she decided to take dramatic steps to leave the only community she’d ever known. Her journey, while fraught with complications and challenges, takes listeners past the neon “psychic” signs and trendy tarot cards to unravel preconceived notions and stereotypes that have followed the Romani people for centuries.

Pinho first met Stevens as a reporter for the Daily Pilot, back in 2019, when the young woman left her a voicemail hoping to spark coverage ahead of her custody battle.

“When Paulina and I met in person, it became clear to me that there was a much larger story — about family, traditions and the world of fortunetelling and Romani culture,” Pinho said.

The podcast will be accompanied by a multimedia initiative, which will include op-eds from several Romani contributors such as Dr. Ethel Brooks, who served as a cultural consultant for the podcast, Oksana Marafioti and others. Additionally, a variety of Romani experts in academia, music and literature contributed to the project, including Vadim Kolpakov, who composed the theme music.

“Romani people have been historically under-covered and misrepresented in mainstream media,” noted Pinho. “The purpose of this multimedia effort is to do our part in the L.A. Times corner of the media landscape to better include and platform Romani contributors.”

Pinho believes listeners will come away from the series with a deeper understanding of the Romani diaspora and the way that history, tradition and marginalization have shaped daily life — particularly for the podcast’s main source, Stevens.

“My hope is that the story doesn’t end when listeners take out their earbuds,” Pinho said, “but that they continue to ask questions like, what does it mean to keep and preserve a culture, and how can one be an individual inside a culture?

“In short, I hope this podcast will do what the best kind of storytelling does — explore universal themes through a richly told, deeply personal story.”

Listen to the trailer and follow “Foretold” on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.