From Receptionist to Editor – Farewell to Long Time Editor, Margaret Michniewicz

by Sue Gillis, Publisher

The best thing about loss, loss of any kind, is that a new form of change begins which presents new opportunities for all involved.

That said, it is with mixed emotions that I announce that the issue you are now holding is the last for long time editor, Margaret Michniewicz. While we are excited for her and her new endeavor we are at the same time saddened by her departure and her loss is near impossible to measure.

Margaret has been by my side in one capacity or another for all four of my publications over thirty years. We have shared a remarkable journey together including the peaks and valleys of the business intertwined with the heartaches and joys of our personal lives. In addition to working on the first incarnation of Vermont Woman from 1985-1990, Margaret was my assistant on three more start-up publications; two weeklies, Vermont Times 1990, The Provincetown Banner 1995 and Vermont Woman 2003-to present.

Margaret proved to be a quick study becoming proficient in all the phases of creating a newspaper from scratch. Starting as receptionist and administrative assistant, she moved on to classified and personals manager, then into production, photography and writing – culminating eight years ago with her seamless step into the editor’s desk of Vermont Woman.

Thinking back to 1988 when I first interviewed Margaret she was a sight that could have sent me tearing for the nearest exit. From Doc Martins with mismatched knee socks over hot pink tights covered ever so slightly by a cotton peasant mini skirt (it was winter) some kind of strange jacket adorned with various textured scarves and pins. Her hair seemed to somehow match with irregular lengths and colors. Hey – this was the mid-eighties and we believed that Vermont Woman was part of a serious revolution – and she simply did not look the part. Still, there was something about Margaret. Perhaps it was the intensity of her feminist politics and that she was a native Vermonter (from Rockingham), or maybe it was those piercing green eyes which communicated a passion and determination to work for Vermont Woman. She got the job.

Not long after Margaret started, she took a call from the Vermont Women’s Health Center urgently asking our staff to join a human chain around the clinic to protect patients inside – Operation Rescue was besieging the clinic. We all rushed to help, and encountered a hostile crowd of mostly (loony-looking) men. Things came to a head when the police had to break down the door of the clinic to forcibly remove the Operation Rescue militants who had barricaded themselves inside, trapping patients and staff upstairs… Suddenly, I noticed smack in the middle of the fray, Margaret crouched below, camera clicking furiously as she photographed the tumultuous encounter of the police and the rabid-looking protestors.

Out of that moment two life-altering events occurred: 1) one of her clinic-invasion photos made the front page of The Rutland Herald and 2) Margaret was officially initiated into the world of newspapers, politics, and photojournalism.

In the eight years that Margaret has been editor of Vermont Woman she has personally interviewed some of the great legends of our time, from feminist icon Gloria Steinem to jazz musician Marian McPartland (for which she won a prize). She has profiled and photographed many of Vermont’s movers and shakers, covered hundreds of community events and arts performances. In this issue she has interviewed both Fran Stoddard for the cover and the legendary Laurie Anderson, soon to be performing at the Flynn. She has developed an excellent stable of freelance writers whose contributions have brought a variety of perspectives to our pages.

Most importantly, Margaret has for eight years developed editorial content that has been widely recognized and appreciated by our 40,000 per issue readers. In addition, during her tenure, she and her writers have been honored by our industry peers for writing and photography excellence. Just this year Margaret was awarded first place for Feature Writing by the Vermont Press Association in the non-daily category, competing among Vermont’s 38 weekly newspapers.

Margaret has also navigated the conscience of Vermont Woman, evolving the paper into the standard bearer it is today, resulting in Vermont Woman being named Newspaper of the Year for 2007, 2008, and Most Distinguished Newspaper for 2009/2010 by the New England Newspaper and Press Association, in addition to frequent awards in General Excellence from the press associations.

So thank you, Margaret for all you have done, for your hard work, for your thousands of miles traveled, for the long hours, for the hundreds of photos and millions of emails, and loads of research, for the thousands of Vermont women you have reached and lives you have touched, all for low wages. It took courage, optimism, resourcefulness, enthusiasm, passion, loyalty, and friendship, and finally endurance to achieve the high level of excellence that has occurred under your stewardship.

The time has come for you to move on to your new position, which will draw on all your past experiences and bring fresh, well-deserved opportunity and rewards to you. We will miss you and feel your loss. I will miss my sidekick. We wish you all the best as you go on to your next adventure.

So now we at Vermont Woman look forward to the changes ahead and to working with Rickey Gard Diamond as Interim Editor. A newspaper is a living breathing entity that from time to time is refreshed and recreated by new staff reflecting all the experience, skills, and talent these individuals bring with them.

Rickey Gard Diamond – the founding editor of Vermont Woman (1985 to 1988), a former professor at Union Institute and University, and author of several books – will take the reigns as Interim Editor. An ongoing search to fill the editor position is in progress.