Seasoned with Spirit, the 5-part PBS series proudly accepts a New England Emmy Award in the Informational / Instructional category. The series invites viewers to partake of this culinary celebration of America's bounty combining Native American history and culture with delicious, healthy recipes inspired by indigenous foods. Each 30-minute episode of Seasoned with Spirit is a visually stunning, cultural adventure across the American landscape where viewers meet Native American peoples, see their breathtaking environs, learn their history and traditions, and, best of all, taste their cuisine.

Take a delectable journey with host Loretta Barrett Oden (Citizen Potawatomi Nation), renowned Native American chef, food historian and lecturer. With infectious humor and unstoppable enthusiasm, Loretta travels around the country and immerses herself in the lives and traditions of numerous Native American tribes, blending her passion for delectable food and engaging storytelling to create a fascinating series for viewers of all backgrounds.

The series, co-produced by NAPT and Connecticut Public Television in association with Resolution Pictures, will be fed to public television stations each Tuesday between June 5 and July 3, at 9:30 ET. Viewers should check local listings for specific air dates and times, or contact your local PBS station. Seasoned With Spirit is available on DVD from VisionMaker Video, www.visionmaker.org.

P.O.V., television's longest-running showcase for independent non-fiction films, celebrates its 20th anniversary season this summer. NAPT is pleased to present the documentary Standing Silent Nation as part of this landmark season on PBS. Directed and produced by Suree Towfighnia and Courtney Hermann, Standing Silent Nation tells the compelling and confounding story of a Lakota man, Alex White Plume, and his family's struggle to develop a hemp industry on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

Standing Silent Nation will be premiere on July 3 at 10 PM Eastern on POV. (Check local listings.) Visit the POV website for more information.

The program will be available on DVD from VisionMaker Video, www.visionmaker.org, in conjunction with the broadcast.

Project grants will support the Native Radio Theater project and the VisionMaker Film Festival. The National Endowment for the Arts awarded $10,000 to support NAPT's audio theater project in partnership with Native Voices at the Autry.

The Nebraska Arts Council awarded $2,735 Multicultural Awareness project grant to support the VisionMaker Film Festival, scheduled for November 16-29, in partnership with the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center. The festival will feature both narrative and documentary works.

Native American Journalists Association will hold their annual convention in Denver, June 7-9.

Saturday, June 9 at 1:45 p.m., NAPT and P.O.V. presents Beyond the Broadcast. The impact of a documentary seen on PBS doesn't start and end with the broadcast. One thing that sets PBS apart from other networks is its commitment to community engagement, which expands the life and impact of PBS programs.

Within this framework lies the opportunity for strategic partnerships between public broadcasters, content producers, newspapers, online media services, and community organizations.

Representatives of Native American Public Telecommunications and POV / American Documentary will screen samples of upcoming public affairs programming on subjects affecting Native Americans, and discuss ways that tribal newspapers, Native communities and service organizations can collaborate to utilize their respective resources to impact social change in their communities. For more information: www.naja.com