Kicking back over beer on the patio with fellow writers the other night, it struck me how diverse our membership has become in the decade since I joined PWAC. Whereas our members once consisted of mainly magazine and newspaper writers, we now have a range of expertise from social media gurus to travel bloggers to beer aficionados. That combination creates a wonderful environment for mixing complementary skills.

At our JulyCheers with Peers, for example, editors were mingling with copywriters, veteran magazine journalists were learning about the social media landscape, and one PWAC member was celebrating his recent Kenneth R. Wilson award for a story on outstanding web sites. We learned a bit about how to build a better blog, how to introduce more authenticity into our networking (though you can’t get more authentic then sharing a cold drink on a hot summer night), and what it takes to collaborate with other writers, translators, and editors to put together a government Request for Proposal (RFP). Best of all, we experienced this within a casual, inclusive environment that welcomes all writers, members and non-members alike.

So, for those of you who haven’t made it out to our summer Cheers with Peers yet, please join us on August 19th at the Central. You will have a good time. You will meet interesting, passionate people. And you might even take home a nugget of wisdom you can apply to your freelance business the very next day.