I had expected this column to be without some opening reference to COVID but we are now in the fourth wave of the pandemic which may not be the last. Nonetheless, PIASA has reopened its New York office on East 30th Street for regular business on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Those who wish to enter the building to use our library and archives are welcome to do so. Unfortunately, we are still unable to host events attended by larger groups.
Meanwhile, our Board of Directors has hardly been inactive. The Board unanimously approved a non-discrimination policy statement which was long overdue. We also felt that we could not remain silent in the face of a poorly veiled assault on independent media contained in legislation passed by the Polish parliament but now held up in the Senate. As a non-profit academic and cultural organization, our long-standing practice has been to support principles such as democratic governance and civil liberties but to refrain from any involvement in partisan politics. We believe that our statement in support of independent media in Poland, accessible on our website, meets that standard.
A genuinely international organization in the making, PIASA has a bright future attested to by a growing membership, the expanding readership of The Polish Review, and our creation of new awards to recognize outstanding work in new areas of scholarship. That we have sustained this momentum during the COVID era is truly remarkable. But growth also brings challenges, which we will highlight in future newsletters. Stay tuned!

― Robert Blobaum, PIASA President