S.S. Merganser:
A Bird of Earth and Stars
Manifesto
- S.S. - This literary magazine is a ship.
- Merganser - As a waterfowl, the merganser doesn’t quite belong anywhere; it exists in the water (where it hunts), in the air (where it flies), and on the ground (where it nests), in each place part-time.
- A Bird - Radical empathy, hope, the thing with feathers.
- of Earth - Art runs on authenticity and accessibility. It's down to Earth.
- and Stars - And is an escape to a world beyond.
Site Guide
- Base Camp - Where the journey begins. Find new artists, new worlds, and new stories.
- Why We Built the Ship - Read our "manifesto." You’re doing that now.
- Last Launch - Read the latest issue or "launch" of Merganser Magazine.
- Past Launches - Explore previous launches of Merganser Magazine.
- Choose Where We Fly Next - Submit short fiction and poetry for publication. Fly the ship.
- Fuel Our Mission - Support the magazine. Follow us on social media.
- Join the Crew - Sign up to favorite stories, subscribe to our newsletter, and submit to the magazine.
The Founders
Jake Ott
(Editor, Founder)
Born and raised in Abbott, Texas (hometown of Willie Nelson), I’ve always been obsessed with cities and people. I live up north now in Boston, which is kind of a big city. I enjoy all kinds of stories and storytelling. I surround myself with high character people and let them push me forward. Books. Basketball. Dungeons and Dragons. Etc.
In 2004, I was the sole John Kerry voter in my Kindergarten class mock election, which I'm pretty sure earned my parents a call from a teacher for some reason I'll never understand but I'll always be motivated by. I like the idea of telling stories to prove people wrong. I’ve always stood for honesty, equity, authenticity, and optimism.
John T. Schumacher
(Chief Operating Officer, Founder)
Being the child of IBMers means I was raised up and down the East Coast, but I stayed put the longest in North Carolina, home of America’s most infamous pirates. My grandmother, a proud Texan, introduced me to my family history, folklore, and Southern Outlaw stories. She swore, as many Southerners do, we descended from Billy the Kid himself. I’ve spent my life drawn to how people make meaning out of even the littlest things, and how we use that meaning-making to find purpose and clarity in chaos.
I studied clinical psychology, but have worked all sorts of jobs: Researching autism, caring for disabled children, unloading trucks, and doing constituent casework for local government. I enjoy anything that means I get to work with people. Each one taught me something different about how people tell their stories and how much those stories matter. I co-founded Merganser because I think of how blessed I’ve been to travel both around the coast and into so many interesting fantasy worlds, and I want to share that with more people.
I live in the Hudson Valley now, and enjoy seeing and meeting all the different kinds of people who travel across it to get to New York City. I enjoy local history, antiquing, mythology, and bird figurines.