This is the premier publication for professional facilitators, the peer reviewed "Journal of the International Association of Facilitators." This issue 7 of the International Association of Facilitator's Journal contains articles: Facilitator Education-Learning from group counselor education; Difficult Conversations-Authentic Communication Leads to Greater Understanding and Teamwork; Exploring the language of facilitation; and a facilitation classic by Sam Keltner, Facilitation-Catalyst for Group Problem Solving. There is a book review of The 9 Disciplines of a Facilitator: Leading Groups by Transforming Yourself by Jon C. Jenkins and Maureen R. Jenkins. For the full list of articles from all seven volumes to to http: //www.iaf-world.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3504

Governmental decision makers, politicians, civic groups, and other stakeholders in public decision making are seeking mechanisms for engaging citizens in public policy decisions. The size and visibility of "Listening to the City," the largest face-to-face public participation event ever held, and the political, social, and emotional needs that it responded to, provide an attractive opportunity to draw attention to broader issues regarding public engagement, group facilitation, and the future of democracy. This special issue provides an in-depth case study of "Listening to the City" and uses it as a departure point for broader discussions of the role practice of public participation. Reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experience of the 25 contributing authors, which include both academics and practitioners, the content is descriptive, evaluative, and speculative. The first three articles present a thorough description of the underlying philosophy, organization and implementation of "Listening to the City," a large-scale public participation event involving 5.000 face-to-face and online participants. The design was purposefully "high tech" and "high touch: " these articles make clear how this was accomplished. The next eleven articles present a variety of perspectives on the event, based on the experiences of facilitators who worked with groups of participants. Some are personal reflections on the role of facilitating public participation; some offer practical advise for working with diverse groups, some are evaluative. The remaining eight articles take a critical look at public participation, examining its purposes and effectiveness

Everyone knows that the hero always saves the damsel in distress. Well, it's time for that to change! These distressing damsels don't need a hero, they can save themselves! Featuring 20 stories inspired by classic fairy tales, this anthology shows that not every damsel needs a prince in shining armor to rescue her. Including stories inspired by Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Thumbelina, Snow White, The Little Match Girl, Puss in Boots and more!