Show some love to freelancers this month

February is the month we acknowledge our loves and friendships, but there is another special group of people we must show gratitude to this month — freelancers.

According to the National Today website, Freelance Writers Appreciation Week is celebrated the second week of February each year.

I have some talented freelancers who certainly deserve some recognition this month. Every month, in fact.

While I may be the backbone of the publications as editor of the Life on Capitol Hill and Washington Park Pro le newspapers, the freelancers I work with certainly can be considered the rib cage. Without them, many of the wonderful stories you read each month would not be in publication. I have a sentimental story for how each of them became acquainted with me and/or the newspaper. As a journalist, it has been instilled in me since Day 1 of J-school to always report without bias. But I will admit, I am biased when it comes to my freelancers — nobody can tell a story like they do. My freelancers are such a bright and talented group of people. Each have their own style in their writing talent and it is a lot of fun to work with each of them to develop it — them learning from me, and me learning from them.

I do assign stories to them sometimes, but I particularly enjoy working with them on their unique story ideas. Some of these begin with a simple something they observed