Condolences To:

Joe Duggan whose father recently died after a long illness.

Congratulations to:

Madeline McCully, for being the overall winner of the ten writers selected to win this year's Downtown Radio short story competition sponsored by Eason. In addition to being awarded a silver plaque, the prize also included a £250 check and Eason gift certificates worth £100. Downtown Radio (102.4) will broadcast her story at 3-4pm on Thursday, 27 June.

Rosemary Quinn for publication of her short story, in Ireland's Own.

Madeline and Rosemary are shining examples of what happens when we are courageous enough to send our writing out for publication and/or performance

Margie Bernard, on her appointment to

The Playhouse Board of Management.

Perseverence Pays Award:

Madeline McCully is also in the running to win our annual Perseverance Pays Award! In the spirit of 'no submissions, no publication', this award is given to the writer who receives the most rejection notices during the year.

This year's award will be presented at our September Annual General Meeting, so, don't toss any rejection letters away, they may earn you this spectacular prize this year!

EuroCAT Project Ended:

Sadly, activities at the Old Convent on Pump Street have been terminated by the unanticipated denial of a £1.4 million grant requested from the Northern Ireland Department of Education &

Learning to continue the educational activities of EuroCAT. In this year's grant cycle the

EuroCAT (cont'd)

Department ended funding for nearly all community art educational programs in Northern Ireland, deciding instead, to concentrate on programs that might lead to eventual employment in Industry rather than the Arts.

Begun in 1996, this highly successful project was to continue until 2006 with funding slowly phased-out over this ten-year period, therefore, the unwarranted termination of funding came as a complete shock. EuroCAT was the main tenant of the Pump Street building (providing 90% of the rent) so this premature termination of funding placed The Playhouse Board of Management in the untenable position of having to forfeit the premises.

Derry Playhouse Writers mourns the termination of this highly successful project during which so many of us rediscovered and reclaimed our voice as artists.

DPW Meeting Venue Changed:

Our new meeting room will be in either the former EuroCAT office or the Green Room in The Playhouse building on Artillery Street. We will continue meeting every Wednesday from Noon until 4:00pm. Please join us.

Management Committee:

Officers:

Chair: Ellen Factor 028 71 284 984

Vice-Chair: Madeline McCully 028 71 350 612

Secretary/Treasurer: Margie Bernard 00353 77 60001

General Members:

Ann Keys Colton 028 82 247 404

Bridie Conefry 00353 75 51288

Joe Duggan 028 71 360 754

Eugene Floyd 0780 823 8709

Don McCamphill 028 25 638 682

Rosemary Quinn 00353 77 63035

Ann Crilly 028 71 260 060

Mentors: David Gothard, Brian Foster, and

Yabo Yablonsky.