Editor's Note

Little did we know a few days after my Viva last July, when I gladly accepted Dick's challenging proposal for me to edit a Brazil-based second issue of our EPCentre Newsletter, that I would only find the time and the energy to start the present editing job in December, after my Graduation Ceremony in Lancaster. It all seemed quite feasible then, as I was starting my 'post-PhD' life! But, in fact, I faced a heavy teaching load and quite an active Exploratory Practice term back in Rio de Janeiro.

With editorial support from my EPCentre colleagues I organised the information that was contributed by the growing worldwide EP community as well as the substantial contributions from the Exploratory practitioners in Rio de Janeiro. I especially wish to thank Dick for working long hours as 'volunteer' co-editor and for being as willing as ever to patiently attend to all my emerging doubts. His vast experience and thoughtfulness over the most delicate content and formatting decisions to be taken created innumerable learning opportunities that I will always try to remember. Zongjie was also there for me whenever I needed his wisdom, time and technical expertise. I regret that, despite all my efforts, I was forced to produce the last web version of the Newsletter in Rio de Janeiro. I also found at-a-distance support from Morag Samson, Judith Hanks and Graham Hall, who gave their feedback to the very last web site version.

So, seven months later, the present 'Brazil-based' issue of our Newsletter is finally out to share our latest work at the Exploratory Practice Centre and the collaborative developments of 'decentralised' Exploratory Practice in general.

As a group we have been quite keen on finding ways to reach out 'as far as possible'. We have taken the apparently redundant decision to spread this Newsletter both by e-mail and through our EPCentre website. We have been constantly reminding ourselves, however, that despite the apparent globalised access to the internet, it should not be taken for granted in every professional context in all parts of the world. On the contrary, it is still surely only a relatively small, if growing, minority who do have access to the internet. For this reason, please help us by circulating/posting a hard copy of this issue to share our EPNews with students, colleagues, and/or friends.

A related concern with overloading computer-mediated information has also led us to reflect on the relationship between the Newsletter and the website. We have included some short substantive material in the body of the Newsletter and have 'linked' more extensive documents to the webpage. We count on your feedback in our search for the best possible balance!

Inés Miller 'Brazil-based' editor for this issue