"In Vino Veritas" by E.E. King (excerpt) full short story (5 min. read): mergansermagazine.com/story/in-vino-veritas/ E.E. King's newest novel, Gods & Monsters, has been featured on SFWA’s recommended books and is on the Nebula and Bram Stoker recommended reading lists!

"A Good Cause" by Arvee Fantilagan (excerpt) read the full story at mergansermagazine.com/story/a-good-cause/! and find more of Arvee's work at sites.google.com/view/arveef 🐈‍⬛💻🪙🫰

"The Things the Sea Returned" by Nick Badot (excerpt) Read the full story at: mergansermagazine.com/story/the-th... and follow Nick Badot at @nickbadot.bsky.social! 🌊🪼🐀

"Ask Anything Friday" by Chris Clemens Read the full poem at: mergansermagazine.com/story/ask-anything-friday/ and find more from Chris Clemens at linktr.ee/clemenstation! 🤖☢️💸

"Chronology" by Matthew Roy (excerpt) Read the full poem at: mergansermagazine.com/story/chronology/ ⌛🕐

LAUNCH YOUR IMAGINATION. 🚀 BUY MERGANSER 1 ON OUR SITE (LINK IN BIO) 🦆 OR COME SEE US AT THE CHARLES RIVER SPEEDWAY TOMORROW AND FRIDAY, ALONGSIDE CLAY & CHAPTERS🪴

"A Bookpothecary" by Lynne Sargent, (excerpt): The proprietor watches as Anna doesn’t even read the sign above the door before she pushes her way inside, eyes translucent with an unshed ocean of tears. Her face reveals months of pain, a boil of a boyfriend recently lanced...

MERGANSER 1 RELEASES 24 JULY. ☄️👾🐦 PRE-ORDER NOW AT: mergansermagazine.com/store/

Books have always been a salve to me. I truly do think there's a book for every problem, and if you feel the same way, you might enjoy my newest flash piece from @mergansermagazine.bsky.social Find "A Bookpothecary" out now: mergansermagazine.com/story/a-book...

"This Is How You Breathe Fire" by Larina Warnock, (excerpt): Hold your tongue between your teeth every time you hear the slightest slight, each night you feel unwanted touches from unhaunted spaces, each apology ringing more hollow than bone...

INTRODUCING... MERGANSER 1 🚀🦆🔥 MERGANSER 1 is Merganser Magazine’s first paperback anthology! It includes ALL literary works from the first year of Merganser Magazine (2025). Available for pre-order now at mergansermagazine.com/store! (Official release date: July 24, 2026 ⏳)

To The Falls by Jon Raimon (excerpt) *** we’re all water in the end sinking and staying my first dog’s brindled bark absorbed below the falls. my old sweetheart’s awful perfect bowl cut, locks eddying down stream. the poem I wrote for my lost son, all ink splotches now...

"Babel Apartments Incorporated" by Alistair Robinson 📞🏢 (excerpt) *** “How are you settling in?” Nimrod asked. “Fine,” William sighed, bringing the facsimile antique speaker back to his ear. “Not really had much time to unpack, actually; you called as the drones brought the last box in.”

"The Sea Hears, Rán Takes" by Dakria (excerpt) The storm had already torn the night apart. The deck shook beneath me, ropes screamed, water struck hard against the hull. I stood there, soaked through, staring into the waves... read the full story at mergansermagazine.com!

"Regrets of an Immortal" by Steve Rasnic Tem (excerpt) You have lived past your Sell Buy Date. There are consequences. You cannot remember everywhere you have been, or everyone. And you still haven’t decided whether you want to go or stay... read the full story at mergansermagazine.com!

🌞 "Dream Log" by Shannon Guglielmo 🌑 ----- (excerpt) ----- ... I build this cocoon, my temporary sepulchre, until I cannot see the windows & my mind fades like when the surgeon says to count backwards from 100... Read the full poem at mergansermagazine.com! #poetry

A KISS AND A KEY by Justin Ocelot 🗝️😶‍🌫️ "King Peridor stepped out of the dream and closed the door behind him. A thief he was, stealing from his own daughter’s mind. He ought to feel ashamed, but he didn’t. His parents, after all, had done the same to him..." Read the full story at the link below!

THE VENTRILOQUIST'S DAUGHTER by R.E. Rule Ola decided to fly the same year her father quit his job to become a ventriloquist. Since she was born, ten years ago, Ola’s family had lived in an enormous Victorian house with floors that creaked and groaned...

STATIONS IN THE MULTIVERSE a poem by Garth Upshaw A world exists as close as your next breath, Where a baby’s cries are met with tired laughter and Hushed lullaby mumbles. Where every step glitters with magic, and The rising sun surprises a forest With saffron pools of delight...

EXPEDITION 014 begins with a visit to The Toilet Museum. “I work in a toilet museum,” he said, bracing himself for the inevitable.  He expected puns. Puns were usually what most people went for. And he hated puns. They would say: “I think I need a little time to let that sink in..."

The Smart Search List of the Day is: Paying General Literary Flash Fiction feat. @suspendedmag.bsky.social @mergansermagazine.bsky.social et al. https://duotrope.com...

Smart Search List of the Day

The Smart Search List of the Day is: Paying General Literary Flash Fiction feat. @suspendedmag.bsky.social @mergansermagazine.bsky.social et al. https://duotrope.com/search/smart/fiction/paying-general-literary-flash-fiction-d6H6lZz9

duotrope.com

"Dark shapes moved overhead, talking at one another, shaking their heads disappointed. Lawrence couldn’t say how long he’d been on his back, staring at the afternoon sky..." Want to know what the hell happened to Lawrence? Find out in "True Freshman", a short story by Travis Tyler. Link below.

"THEY TRIED TO..." by Ronald Leith They tried to drown me But I became a fish They tried to burn me But I became an ember They tried to hang me But I became a bird... *** Read the full poem in Merganser Magazine at the link below!

We're launching 2026 with a phenomenal story by Nathan Grimmer, "Why Horror?" Why horror? Find out. If you dare. mergansermagazine.com/story/why-horror/

Going out of order for Day 3 of #12DaysOfPoetry: today @mergansermagazine.bsky.social has pubbed my last poem of 2025, the villanelle "Our Rewards"! Is it about dragons or about billionaires? You decide! mergansermagazine.com/story/our-re...

New poem day! Over at @mergansermagazine.bsky.social, "Hallucination" -- about AI, linguistics, and a wish for a better world . . . #sharepoetry mergansermagazine.com/story/halluc...

LAUNCH 7. FT. "TRANSIENCE" BY BRUCE GOLDEN, "CAREER DAY" BY BEN NARDOLILLI, AND "COCO THE COW NANNY" BY ANGELIQUE FAWNS. READ IT NOW AND EXPERIENCE THE UPGRADED MERGANSER MAGAZINE @ www.mergansermagazine.com 🦆🧑‍🚀🚀

A poem for those who enjoy some existential angst... Read "chaos theory" by Marisca Pichette in Issue 6 at mergansermagazine.com! #poetry #magazine #publisher

Read this poem if you’ve ever been tempted by a powerful and dangerous urge… Megan Cartwright’s “Siren Song”, and the rest of our June issue, free to read now at mergansermagazine.com!

A new poem out! "Lesser Zodiacs" is in the May issue of Merganser Magazine @mergansermagazine.bsky.social