Hi, I’m merritt k. The short version is that I’m a writer, editor, professional funny person, and game designer. Right now, I write for the comedy website 1-900 Hot Dog, develop games with my studio In Secret Places, and spend the rest of my time working on various projects, hanging out with my cat, and kickboxing.

Here’s the long version:

I didn’t exactly set out to become a writer. I got an MA in Sociology from the University of Washington and intended to become an academic, but found the life didn’t agree with me. I do not recommend going to graduate school unless it is fully funded. Even then.

In the early 2010s, I ran the game curation site Forest Ambassador. I also made some little narrative games during that time that you might have heard of, a few of which gained some critical acclaim and were showcased at festivals around the world. I’ve since taken most of them offline, but if you need access to them for a class or exhibit or something, let me know.

In 2016, I was the NYU Game Center’s first Artist in Residence. After that, I ran the now-defunct streaming service VRV’s blog (it has since been folded back into Crunchyroll), which published smart media criticism by talented writers. People really liked it, but it died when AT&T acquired the company and realized they didn’t need an intelligent fpop culture vertical because their money guys saw the collapse of media coming.

From 2019 to 2023, I worked at the games and culture site Fanbyte, where I was variously a podcast and streaming host, editor, and writer. We had a lot of fun, but the site was too beautiful to live and was killed by its corporate masters.

Podcasts! I’ve done so many podcasts. I hosted Woodland Secrets, dadfeelings, and Papal Bull (with Eric Thurm), as well as Channel F and The K-Hole during my tenure at Fanbyte.

My writing on games, fashion, and interpersonal advice has been published in outlets like SSENSE, Real Life, MEL, and Polygon, as well in a number of books. I’ve written comics for Marvel, podcast scripts for Amazon, and material for various tabletop RPGs. I’ve also published poetry at places like The Collapsar, Heavy Feather Review, The Poetry Society of America, and Nat Brut.

Right now, I’m a weekly columnist at 1-900-HOTDOG, a comedy website founded by two of the sexy geniuses who made Cracked such a wonderful site in the 2010s. I write and draw comics over on my Patreon, too.

I co-founded the game development studio In Secret Places in 2024. Our first title, Fledgling Manor, was released to overwhelmingly positive response from players, and we’re currently working on a followup. Oh, and I’m currently hosting a comedy podcast with my old Fanbyte colleagues John Warren and Niki Grayson called If You’re Driving, Close Your Eyes.

I’m occasionally available for contract work, so if you’re interested in having me write for your game/website/podcast/etc., please get in touch at: merritt at merrittk dot com. You can check out some of my scripts and other work on Google Drive.