Minutes Ordinary Meeting 2012

1. Notices
The President, Franca Ruggieri, informs the meeting of the publication of papers presented at the Graduate Conferences organised by The James Joyce Italian Foundation. Following the publication of James Joyce Metamorphosis and Re-Writing – the peer-reviewed no. 11 edition of ‘Joyce Studies in Italy’, containing papers presented at the II James Joyce Graduate Conference – there will be James Joyce, Tradition and Modernism comprising papers given at Dublin in February 2010 at the III James Joyce Graduate Conference.

2. Approval of the 2011 budget
The President presents the 2011 budget. The accumulated funds of €3,129.79 for this year include a donation of €1,000.00 from Rosa Maria Bosinelli, which is much appreciated by all members present. After some discussion, the President asks for a vote to be taken on the 2011 budget, which is passed unanimously.

3. Activities planned for 2012
The discussion centres on the relationship of the Foundation with Irish universities, and in particular with University College Dublin regarding the annual James Joyce Birthday Graduate Conference which the Foundation has organised in recent years. John McCourt informs members of a proposal which was made at the recent conference in Belfast: the VI Graduate Conference will be held in Rome on 2nd February 2013. After agreeing upon details with Anne Fogarty, the following conference will be held in Dublin on 2nd February 2014; on 2nd February 2015 it will again be held in Rome. In 2014  an event can also be organised In Italy on a theme yet to be decided and on a different date so as not to coincide with the February Dublin conference. In the general discussion which follows, a willingness to accept this proposal is expressed and at the same time a need is stressed to organise an annual event in Italy which will bring the members of the Foundation together and encourage the regularity of member enrolments. The meeting therefore votes and approves unanimously the proposal to organise an annual conference in Italy; every other year this will be held in February, and be called, in this particular case, the Birthday Conference.

4. The Giorgio Melchiori Grant 2012
The President informs members of the urgent need to assign the study grants for the current academic year. It is decided that neither a fixed sum nor a fixed number of grants should be offered, but that such decisions should be made on a yearly basis depending on the eventual funds available and the applications for grants which are made. Grants are to be awarded to applicants who can document their participation at conferences. This year there will be three study grants of €300 each.

5. Regulations
The meeting does not deem it necessary to draw up regulations given that the present Statute does not appear to be lacking. The motion is passed unanimously.

6. Other business
Representing all members of The James Joyce Italian Foundation, John McCourt reads a declaration condemning the recent pirate publication of Cats of Copenhagen by the publishers Ithys Press (priced €300 and €1,200), in support of Fritz Senn and The James Joyce Zürich Foundation. The meeting approves the document presented unanimously.

The meeting finishes at 6.30pm.