Back to All Events

Book Discussion: Frank Garrett - Witness: Inside Jehovah Witness Inside Catholic Poland Inside a Gay Life

  • Deep Vellum Books 3000 Commerce Street Dallas, TX, 75226 United States (map)

We're hosting local translator Frank Garrett and his new release 'Witness: Inside Jehovah Witness Inside Catholic Poland Inside a Gay Life'. Join us to celebrate the launch of this book in English, hear Frank's experiences in the translation process, and snag a signed copy of the book!

About the Book

Award-winning journalist Robert Rient chronicles his childhood inside Poland's hermetic Jehovah’s Witness community and describes how he eventually comes to terms with his life and identity after leaving his religion. Witness bears witness to a double isolation: first, the boy with a “feline faith” is ostracized by his peers in staunchly Catholic Poland in the 1990s, and second, after he decides to leave the faith, he is rejected by friends and family who remain in the religion. Through his writings, friendships, and training in psychology, Rient manages to survive, but only after completely shedding his former name and identity. Rient’s book is more than just a memoir; it is an important exposé of the psychological abuses suffered in the name of religion.

About the Author

Robert Rient is a journalist and a psychologist recommended by the Polish Psychological Association. His work has appeared in Polish publications such asCharaktery [Characters], CoachingPrzekrój [Cross Section], Sekrety Nauki [Secrets of Science], Sens [Sense], among others. His novel It Was About Lovecame out in 2013. Witness was published in Poland in May 2015 and will be the basis of a new film directed by Borys Lankosz.

About the Translator
Frank Garrett holds a PhD in philosophy and literary theory. He trained as a translator at the Center for Translation Studies (University of Texas at Dallas) and at Philipps-Universität Marburg after earning advanced certification in Polish philology from the Catholic University of Lublin. In 2001 he was a Fulbright scholar in Warsaw. As an independent philosopher and translator, his work has been published most recently by Black Sun Lit, Duquesne UP, Spurl Editions, and Zeta Books, while his critical reportage has appeared in 3:AM Magazine and Transitions Online.

Earlier Event: November 24
Happy Thanksgiving!
Later Event: November 29
Dark Moon Poetry: Owl Magick