Bill Lueders
It’s champing at the bit. Not chomping at the bit. That’s just one of the many copyediting catches Michana Buchman has made over the years, and the many lessons she’s passed on to reporters and editors.
After nearly 32 years at Isthmus, Michana is retiring. Next to founder Vince O’Hern, who sold the paper in 2014, she is the longest-running Isthmus employee. We will greatly miss her vast knowledge of grammar, syntax and obscure facts. And then there’s her talent at turning a phrase — who else would describe mussels as “winsome bivalves”?
Michana was also the invisible hand behind the “Edited by” bylines that once accompanied the calendar listings. One week it was Richard Chelimo, who had also, miraculously, just won a controversial medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics; another time it was Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who must have been able to step away from his work at the United Nations for just a bit.
Michana spent a significant chunk of her childhood in Mexico and Guatemala, where her father was a mahogany exporter; she attended bilingual schools, becoming fluent in Spanish, and would later bring a global perspective to her work. She is also a proud science nerd with a major in biology from Lawrence University.
When Michana started at Isthmus in 1985, we had typesetters on staff and designers laid out the paper on paste-up boards. She was instrumental in establishing the editorial department’s computer system and an efficient workflow. In her role as associate editor, she’s been a trusted sounding board, offering solid advice on matters of taste and esthetics. And she met the love of her life here, former Isthmus writer David Medaris.
An avid climber and paddler, Michana plans to spend time on the water and at Boulders Climbing Gym, as well as with her family, which includes two grandchildren she adores. In August she will really get her geek on when she travels to Missouri with her sister Sally to see the total solar eclipse. Felicidades, our friend.
