This article is from page 12 of the 2008-03-25 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
yesterday that a number of “malicious” letters and e-mails directed both and himself
and the centre had been circulated anonymously to people in the Irish arts community.
The Western Writers Centre will this weekend host the Forge, Gort’s first ever literary festival.
“People from Dublin have been coming up to me thinking that we are running a mad-house down here in the west. This correspondence is malicious and it is damaging,” said Mr Johnson.
“We have heard from people in the Arts Council that it is having a dam- aging effect. Everything this person
says in these letters and e-mails is a lie but I guess that if you throw enough mud some will stick.
“Over the last four year both myself and the Western Writers Centre has been the subject of this anonymous correspondence sent to a variety of different people in the art commu- nity and beyond. Last year, for exam- ple, I was due to take up a residence at the Princess Grace Irish Library of Monaco and they received some of this anonymous correspondence about me and the centre.”
Fears have been raised, however,
that bad publicity as a result of the smear campaign may make the west less attractive to writers.
“The intent of this is to frustrate me and the work of the centre,’ contin- ued Mr Johnson.
“The Arts Council have received these letters, they know what going on as does the county council. A lot of important people in the artistic community have seen these letters and they are damaging. It’s mali- cious, it creates a bad impression of art in the west and some investiga- tion needs to take place.”