I met Kwiatkowksi over a series of events in September and October of 2025, as he traveled in the US with the Cheuse Center at George Mason University and Yale University. Grzegorz Kwiatkowksi is the Cheuse Center’s Visiting Writer from Poland, and the center is collaborating with him on a series of events that mark the tenth anniversary of the Cheuse Center, founded in 2016. The center was named after Alan Cheuse, whose father was a Jewish refugee to America, from Stalin’s Russia (now Ukraine).

It was fun doing a book conversation with Olufemi Terry on October 19, 2025. Perhaps it was the venue—I’ve always enjoyed doing readings at the 14th Street Busboys and Poets. The event’s room, with pictures of Gandhi, MLK and other inspirational figures on the walls, makes one feel a sense of high seriousness and purpose. A surprise, Olufemi Terry’s parents, on the verge of their 90s, were there to lend their support to their son’s debut novel. The event was organized by the Cheuse Center and its director, Leeya Mehta, did the introductions. Most of its board members were there, including Kris O’Shee, the late Alan Cheuse’s wife. 

Olufemi Terry talks about his novel Wilderness of Mirrors with William "Bill" Miller on the Upstart Crow podcast, revealing the influence of Freud, and living in Germany, and it's impact on his writing and the provenance of his characters.