Reprinted from The Cape Cod Journal, February 22, 1999 issue.
WoMann of Words
From science to the written word,
life has come full circle for Alicja Mann
|
By Carolyn Watts THE CAPE COD JOURNAL |
Filed 2/22/99 |
FALMOUTH -- When
Alicja Mann was choosing her career in communist Poland, becoming a
writer was out of the question. "I do not like to lie. I knew I
could not be right at that time," the straightforward Falmouth
author explains.She instead chose science -- a discipline where one
didn't have to stretch the truth or tow the party line.
"As a scientist I
could be creative and free. There I learned the truth, either
something is or it is not. Science let me be who I wanted to be at
the time. It gave me freedom without compromising," Mann explains.
It also provided her with international contacts and the opportunity
to travel, a rarity at the time in her home country. In 1968, she
traveled to Missouri to take part in a year-long educational
exchange program. The experience changed her life.
"It was a very
significant year -- a crucial year historically. Vietnam was going
on, Bobby Kennedy was killed. I was here for all of that," she
explains. For Mann, it was also a momentous time personally -- she
fell in love with an American student. After returning to Poland and
struggling to get a visa, she married and immigrated to the United
States in 1972.
Re-rooted in Woods
Hole, she got a job at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution as a
microbiologist. She had two children and later moved to the National
Marine Fisheries Service, first working as a biologist and later as
a translator for the Russian and Polish scientists (Mann is fluent
in both languages) who were part of the service's scientific
exchange program. Her shift into the world of words was made.
Gradually she made the transition from translating to writing.
Her first published
piece, " 'Pilgrim' thankful for being home," was printed in The Cape
Cod Times in November 1982. The column, about Mann's gradual
incorporation of the Thanksgiving holiday into her own life and her
experience as a "pilgrim," set the tone for future pieces she would
write for the paper -- many of them dealing with the struggle to
adapt not only to a new culture, but also to a new political system.
Mann's weekly
column for the Times, which she wrote for three years, was often
peppered with astute observations on the United States and Eastern
Europe. Her goal -- to examine and educate.
In 1985, Mann began
her own company,
Word Studio.
Specializing in writing, advertising and publishing, the Falmouth
company's work has been used in a number of environmental trade
journals. It is work that Mann says she believes in and "doesn't
require selling your soul." The company also publishes the
semi-annual literary magazine "The Onset Review."
In addition to
running her company, Mann continued to write freelance articles,
including features and profiles for Cape Cod Life magazine. Her
longstanding interest in Native American culture led to her
proposing a feature on Wampanoag women to the magazine.
"I was always
influenced by Native Americans, their gentle approach to the
environment, their acceptance of contradiction," Mann says. "I was
raised in a culture that was very logical. The view of the communist
government was that we can impose our will on the environment."
During that 1986
assignment, Mann met Earl Mills, the chief of the Mashpee Wampanoag
Tribe. The two became fast friends and in 1996 they co-authored the
book "The Son of Mashpee."
"I think Earl came
to the point that he wanted to put together his memories about
Mashpee. He is the storyteller, I am the story writer," Mann says,
explaining their collaboration.
The project marked
yet another turning point in Mann's life. With a clear vision of how
she wanted the book to look, she made the decision to publish it
herself. She is more than satisfied with the results.
"I am very proud of
that project. The book is exactly how I wanted it," she says.
The book, a
combination of Earl Mills' personal memoirs and a historical look at
the town of Mashpee, has been a success. It is currently in its
third printing and is being used by the University of
Massachusetts-Amherst as an anthropology textbook. It is available
in most of Cape Cod's bookstores. Mann is currently working on
marketing the book off-Cape.
Mann's interest in
cultural issues and her own experience with discrimination has led
her to become an active member of the Cape Cod Neighborhood Support
Coalition, particularly its culture awareness subcommittee. She is
currently spearheading the group that is working on a multicultural
cookbook, due out next Christmas.
"It's a very good
group and they coordinate a lot of community activities. We focus
our work in Mashpee and East Falmouth because those towns have the
most diverse populations. Discrimination goes in many directions. It
is very important for people to be tolerant and open," Mann says.
It's been a long
journey but the light at the end of Mann's tunnel is shining
brighter than ever. Her next goal -- to be publisher for the people.
"I would like to be
a publisher who saves things from oblivion. I would love to be
publisher for the community, to show the beauty of the community,"
she says. "I want to publish for people who might not be able to
publish somewhere else. I think today we need small publishers. I am
opposing sensationalism. I am interested in issues, concepts and
beauty."
