New York, N.Y. (PMN)—The Polish Book Institute in Krakow, Polish Cultural Institute in London, Polish Cultural Institute in New York, and W.A.B. Publishers in Warsaw have announced Bill Johnston as the recipient of their first "Found in Translation" Award. Established in 2007, the award is given for the best translation of a work of Polish literature into English that was published as a book in the preceding year.

The first Found in Translation Award was given to Bill Johnston for his translation of "New Poems" by Tadeusz Rozewicz (Archipelago Books, March 2007), which was also nominated for a 2007 National Book Critics Circle Award. New Poems is a collection of Rozewicz’s three latest volumes in their entirety: Recycling (1998), The Professor's Penknife (2001), and The Gray Zone (2002).

Johnston, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and Second Language Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington, is, along with such masters as Clare Cavanaugh and Stanislaw Baranczak, one of the leading translators of Polish literature in the English-speaking world.

The award ceremony took place on April 18, 2008, during "New Directions, New Connections: Polish Studies in Cross-Disciplinary Context," the 2nd International Conference on Polish Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington. The award was delivered to Johnston by Grzegorz Gauden, director of the Polish Book Institute in Krakow, and Monika Fabijanska, director of the Polish Cultural Institute in New York.

The $5,000 award was funded by the W.A.B. Publishers. The winner also receives a three-month Polish Book Institute scholarship in Krakow.

Glendale, Calif. (PMN)—Youngsters are among the major targets of Suligowski’s Regiment of the Polish Commonwealth, a group of reenactors who endeavor to raise Polish historic awareness at various Renaissance Faire, Military Timeline and Polish-American events.

Rik Suligowski, leader of the "Regiment," was recently commissioned to appear in late March, 2008, as a "knight"' at a Glendale, California, elementary school as part of a promotion for an upcoming "Mother and Son ‘Knight’".

Joined by another reenactor for the school event, it became utter chaos when the two were introduced … in a good way. About 200 elementary school kids from about grades 4-6, sitting on the playground quad at about 9:00 a.m., after Flag Ceremonies and general announcements, went ballistic, jumping out of their seats. As the "knights" made their entrance, after high-fiving one or two kids, the rest swamped them in their armor.

Suligowski describes it as "sort of like being the band Kiss amongst their most ardent fans for about 20 minutes." They even got these 200 kids to repeatedly scream "Dzien dobry" at the tops of their lungs.

The reenactors did some impromptu saber dueling to promote the upcoming school event and we were the hit of the day for the kids. The best part, said Suligowski was "seeing the reaction of the kids to a different kind of knight that they never heard about or ever saw. The [hussar] wings really flipped them all out."

Portland, Oregon (PMN)—A phenomenon with "Nasza-klasa.pl" started 15 months ago, when a couple of students of the University in Wroclaw, Poland, released an internet program at http://www.nasza-klasa.pl . Now, over 11 million of people in Poland use the Nasza-klasa.pl program.

Every evening, one third of the Poles in Poland sit in front of PCs sharing photos and messages using Nasza-klasa.pl.

The original idea with Nasza-klasa.pl was to bring together former students from the same schools. People were able to keep a personal page with information about their name, age, study subjects and courses. Now, apart the original idea, it is used as a forum for discussions, sharing photos, finding cultural events in particular cities, selling properties and finding work. The Poles love the program. It looks the program meets their style of socializing and sharing information.

There are also over 100 members from Portland, Oregon, registered in Nasza-klasa.pl.You can register as well at http://www.nasza-klasa.pl . It is free of charge, but the instructions are in Polish.

"Nasza Klasa" translates to "Our Class." In the Polish language it has other connotations, as it does in English, as "our school class" or "our high quality/style."

Philadelphia, Pa. (PMN)—Dr. Thaddeus V. Gromada has announced that the 66th Annual Meeting of the Polish Institute of Arts & Sciences of America (PIASA) will be held on Friday and Saturday, June 13-14, 2008. The meeting will take place at the Holiday Inn Historic Philadelphia, 4th and Arch Street, in the "Nation’s Most Historic Square Mile."

The two day multi-disciplinary conference on Polish and Polish American studies is being organized in cooperation with the Polish American Cultural Center in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia area committee representatives include Michael Blichasz and Richard Klimek of the Polish American Cultural Center Museum, who is working closely with representatives of PIASA to organize a successful and enjoyable meeting in historic Philadelphia. Participation in the conference is not limited to members of PIASA; all persons interested in the intellectual and cultural heritage of Poland and Polonia are invited to attend.

PIASA has reserved a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn Historic Philadelphia, at a special group rate of $149 per room. To make a reservation, call the reservations department at 1-800-843-2355 and identify yourself as a participant of the Polish Institute’s Annual meeting. The group code is PAC (Polish American Center). On Saturday evening, a banquet will take place in the Grand Ballroom. Further information is posted on PIASA’s website at http://www.piasa.org and is also available by emailing tgromada@mindspring.com .

Washington, D.C (PMN)—The Washington Metropolitan Area Division of the Polish American Congress (PAC) announced the start of its "Polish Craftsmen in Jamestown Colony Art Contest" on April 21, 2008.

The art contest highlights the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Polish pioneers in Jamestown on October 1, 2008. These skilled craftsmen were recruited by the Virginia Company of London to establish the first industries in the nine-month old Jamestown Colony. Although few in number, they were skillful and industrious, and soon after their arrival the colony began producing glass, pitch, tar, soap ash and other products for export to England.

The Art Contest has two categories. The Coloring Contest for youth ages 3-14, grouped by age, features drawings showing these Polish craftsmen at work producing either glass or pitch, tar and soap ash. The Free Design Contest for students age 12 and older, including university students, requires an original work by the contestant, possibly suitable for use in commemorative materials.

The contest runs from April 20 to August 15, 2008. Winners will be announced by September 30, 2008, and will be awarded a cash prize, certificate, and a book about Polish Pioneers in Jamestown. Contest rules and coloring contest drawings are available on the PAC’s Washington Metropolitan Division’s website at http://www.pacwashmetrodiv.org .

"The Polish American Congress Washington Metro Division is sponsoring this contest to educate Polish Americans and our non-Polish neighbors, especially youth and students, about the contribution of Polish pioneers to the earliest history of our country," explained Division President, Dr. Susanne Lotarski. "Virginia is part of our division’s service area, so we feel a special responsibility for publicizing these achievements," she added.

The contest was announced at the conclusion of a lecture by Purdue University history professor, Dr. James S. Pula, who examined available historical evidence and what we know and do not know about these earliest Polish arrivals in the New World. Dr. Pula’s lecture at Georgetown University was sponsored by the PAC Washington Metro Division in cooperation with the Georgetown University Polish Club.

New York, N.Y. (PMN)—Adam Skarzynski was honored by Bronx Community College (BCC) of the City University of New York at the New York Botanical Garden on April 16, 2008. He received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at a Gala Dinner celebrating BCC’s 50th Anniversary. This award, one of the highest honors given by BCC, recognizes achievement in business and community service.

A native of Bialystok, Skarzynski is the founder and president of Adam’s European Contracting, one of New York City’s leading firms in the restoration of ornamental stonework for historic buildings. His work has been recognized many times by the New York Landmarks Conservancy including the Lucy C. Moses Preservation Award for the restoration of the Curtis High School Buildings in Staten Island. The company is now working on the largest terracotta restoration job in New York City-the three buildings of the Evander Childs High School in the Bronx.

Bronx Community College of The City University of New York is celebrating its 50th Anniversary. The College serves over 9,000 students from 109 countries. It now occupies the former New York University (NYU) Campus in the University Heights section of the Bronx.