It is vital to meet other people who do what you do--and it especially vital for op-ed editors. Our pages should be hotbeds of innovation, reflecting fresh ideas from all over the place. But we often work in isolation, consumed by the daily nonsense. AOPE's annual gathering is the one and only way to mingle with your counterparts from across North America. In addition, we invite worthy writers, politicos and thinkers from national and local sources to join in.

We are a blissfully unbureaucratic group. We have no dues, no central office, no petty rivalries. We have four officers and a website and a listserv hosted by the College of Communications at the Pennsylvania State University. We exist primarily as an annual conference; all of our energy goes into this gathering.

Plus, Penn State sponsors and coordinates the annual AOPE contest, where the best op-ed pages submitted by any print media are recognized for design, editing and writing. We vie for bragging rights, a nice wooden plaque and something to show off to our bosses. See the contest link for more information.

--David Beasley, president, 2005-06, Atlanta Journal Constitution