photo of editor Mikesch Muecke wearing a pink t-shirt that says My Job is Books. His face is hidden behind the camera taking the photo

Chief Editor, Designer, and Publisher

Mikesch Muecke, Chief Editor at Culicidae Press, grew up in Germany in the small hamlet of Spork-Eichholz (now Detmold) within sight of Hermann, the Cherusci chief’s statue in the Teutoburg forest. After completing his secondary education in the Engelbert-Kämpfer Gymnasium (German high school) in the renaissance town of Lemgo, he traveled through Canada, the United States, and Mexico, learning—and appreciating—what it means to live with few resources but many experiences.

He returned to Germany for five years to complete his civic service, working as a maintenance man in an orphanage and living in a commune and a renovated circus trailer, before moving to the United States for good. There he started his academic career, earning first a Bachelor of Design (Major in Architecture) and then a professional Master of Architecture degree from the University of Florida (1989 and 1991). After teaching for a year at Iowa State University, he moved to the east coast, where he earned a Master of Science in Architectural History and Theory (1995), and a Ph.D. in Architectural History and Theory (2000) from Princeton University.

From 1995 until 2025—and when he’s not elbow-deep into editing, designing, and publishing books—he taught design studios, history/theory seminars, and advanced courses on digital applications in the Architecture Department at Iowa State University. Since 2025 he is working full-time for Culicidae Press and its imprints from their main office in Madison, Wisconsin.

As polytekton he maintains a design/build practice and continues to create at every scale, from photographs and posters via books and pamphlets to full scale interior designs and small buildings. More information about his design work can be found online at polytekton.com. He has published several books through his personal imprint at Obvious Press. For more information click here.

Editor

Sami Strait has been an intern for Culicidae Press since 2020, and editor since 2024. She grew up in Illinois and moved to Madrid, Iowa in 2015. She is married to Connor and together they have a nine-year-old, Gunner, and a two-year-old, Atlas. They live with their family dog, chickens, and a duck.

Since she was a little kid, Sami constantly had a book in her hands, and both of her parents are the same way. No matter what genre, Sami appreciates the hard work and creativity authors put into their art. Her book shelf is colorful with a broad range of genres anywhere from Bram Stoker to J. D. Salinger, contemporary romance, and psychological thrillers.

Peer-Review Readers

Any manuscript flying in through our transom is sent to at least two peer reviewers who respond with their assessments/recommendations of the text, unless the author has a substantial record of previous publications. The chief editor then compiles the findings and sends them back to the author(s) with either a positive (publish) or negative (don’t publish) evaluation. Often times the answer is “don’t publish yet but continue to improve the text.”