Nonprofit management, parenting, education, sustainability and advice for writers - we've got a little bit of everything for you this month.

We hope you enjoy the read and find at least one or two links where you want to linger, or interesting events to add to your diary.

And of course we'd love to see some of our Starlink readers at our Essence of Appreciative Inquiry workshops! :)

Cheers
Sue & Chris
BJ Seminars International

Our popular Essence of Appreciative Inquiry workshop will be held again in Melbourne on 27-28 of September at the Abbotsford Convent. Early Bird registration is until 2 August.

We're also delighted to announce that on 11-12 October, we're taking the workshop to Sydney for the first time! So if you live in or near Sydney and you're interested in Appreciative Inquiry, you may like to consider registering.

Visit our website for more information and to register.

For the wordsmiths and writers among our readers - or for teachers of writing - here are some good resources.

Firstly, an article on Traditional Publishing vs Self-Publishing is a longish read. but an interesting one. And if you have some time to browse, there is a very comprehensive list of articles, tips and resources in the Writing Advice Database.

If you enjoy playing with words, take a look at the videos you'll find on the website of the O.Henry Pun-Off World Championships. This event has been held every year since 1977 in the grounds of the O. Henry museum in Austin - jest for a wordy cause! :) You can also spend a few moments delighting in the wordplay you'll find at the Anagram Hall of Fame.

Finally, for some interesting food for thought about writing, you may like to pop by these short YouTube interviews with Stephen King, Martin Amis, or Amy Tan. And if you've time to join him in a comfy armchair and say hello to his cat, you may enjoy the Conversation with Ray Bradbury.

Appreciating Successful Failure

A Life Alone

Goals Gone Wild

Free Range? Not Egg-zactly!

Memoir: 71,551 plus words

Secondary Students: Small Groups vs Large Groups

NIB Foundation Community Grants
Up to $50,000 to a maximum of 10 organisations
Applications close 27 July 2012

6th Australasian Better Boards Conference
27-29 July, Melbourne VIC

Lifeline Australia's Stress Down Day
27 July 2012

National Tree Day
29 July 2012

Homeless Persons Week
6-12 August 2012

English is a such a very weird language! :)

When we transport something by car, it's called a shipment, but when we transport something by ship, it's called cargo. And a fat chance and a slim chance mean exactly the same thing!

According to the cartoonist Doug Larson, if the English language made any sense, lackadaisical would have something to do with a shortage of flowers and a catastrophe would be an apostrophe with fur!

But don't ever be afraid to step boldly into the tangled maze of English. Take heart and say to yourself, as George W. Bush once said, In my sentences I go where no man has gone before… I am a boon to the English language.