Every literary organization and periodical has a style guide that they use to make grammar and editorial decisions. For instance, here at 826michigan, our style guide is the Chicago Manual of Style, which we all feel very loyal to. However, for this month, we are going to temporarily declare our November 2016 Volunteer of the Month, Alexis Nowicki, as our Style Guide.
Even after her internship ended, Alexis has continued to copyedit endless student writing for us. As we celebrate the release of our OMNIBUS VIII this month, we owe so much to Alexis who thoroughly edited the entire publication at THREE different stages. She caught so many typos, errors, and booboos (including places where we had misspelled student names, truly the most gut-wrenching of any mistake we can make) that we fear what the book would have looked like without her. Alexis knows how to make grammar fun—–we recommend talking with her if you get the chance. It is exceedingly enjoyable to discuss current grammar controversies (i.e. they as a singular pronoun) and long-standing feuds (i.e. the Oxford comma) with our Style Guide.
Beyond her continual style guidance, Alexis also holds down a regular shift at Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair, always standing ready behind the counter to warmly welcome customers and to take on odd jobs when we have them. She has been a regular in-school volunteer and formerly served as our workshops intern as well. What can our Style Guide NOT do? We have yet to find out.