Charting the Next Adventure

by Meg Frank

When Julia and I started this magazine we thought it would be a single year adventure. However, it quickly became clear that there was a lot of interest in keeping this boat afloat and so we decided to look for a new team to carry on the mission. We tossed out our nets out this summer and were delighted to find the following folks eager to pick up where we were leaving off, and sail even further.

Mermaids Monthly 2022

Clockwise from top left: Mikyuki Jane Pinckard, co-publisher; Vida Cruz, assistant editor; J.D Harlock, social media manager; Noelle Singh, co-publisher.

On our interview adventure we were delighted to meet Miyuki Jane Pinckard and Noelle Singh who we quickly realized would make fantastic co-publishers for Mermaids Monthly going forward. They’re looking forward to expanding the Mermaids community and making sure this fantastic voyage stays fun for everyone!

To aid them in this adventure they’re brought on board Vida Cruz as Assistant Editor and J.D. Harlock as Social Media Manager. We’re delighted by the talent this team possesses and thrilled that they cover both US coasts as well as Lebanon and the Philippines. One of the goals the new team has for next year to have at least 50% of the contributors come from outside of the US and we’re deeply excited to have Mermaids launched into truly international waters.

The Kickstarter for Mermaids Monthly 2022 will launch November 22nd, 2021. We’re hard at work putting that campaign together and can’t wait to tell you more about it. We’ll be sure to share that link when it goes live, and below you can take a peek at some of our backing rewards, but first , here is a little bit more about our beautiful new crew!

Miyuki Jane Pinckard is a writer, game designer, educator, and the co-founder of Story Kitchen Studio, a community for exploring writing techniques. Her fiction can be found in Strange Horizons, Uncanny Magazine, Flash Fiction Online, and other venues. She was born in Tokyo, Japan and now lives in Venice, California, with her partner and a little dog. She likes wine and mystery novels and karaoke. Follow her @miyukijane (Twitter and Instagram) and at www.miyukijane.com.

Noelle Singh is a Surinamese Jamaican-American woman, born and raised in Queens, New York. Noelle is a multimedia artist and baking enthusiast with a love of nature, specifically the ocean. She graduated college with an art degree and double minor in environmental science and media, society & the arts. While in college she honed her writing, editing and photography skills and learned about social media marketing and graphic design. She was also delighted to be able to earn her SCUBA certification while studying coral reef biology and ecology abroad.

Vida Cruz is a Filipina fantasy and science fiction writer, editor, artist, tarot reader, and conrunner based in Manila. Her short fiction and essays have been published or are forthcoming from Fantasy Magazine, Strange Horizons, PodCastle, Expanded Horizons, and various anthologies. Her first fantasy short story collection, Beyond the Line of Trees, is available on Gumroad. Currently, she’s the new Assistant Editor at Mermaids Monthly, a freelance book editor with The Darling Axe, and co-director of BonFiyah under the larger umbrella of the Hugo-nominated FIYAHCON, a BIPOC-centered convention for science fiction and fantasy readers and writers.

J.D. Harlock is a Lebanese writer and editor based in Marj’ Ayoun. He is the social media manager of Mermaids Monthly and the Poetry Co-Editor at Solarpunk Magazine. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram @JD_Harlock.

Mermaids Monthly 2022 backing rewards.

Meg Frank (they/them) is a Hugo-nominated artist based in New York. In the before times they traveled a lot and spent a lot of time putting makeup on people at conventions. Currently they are keeping themselves busy with art school , two cats, and this magazine. They’re @peripateticmeg on Twitter.

Read the Rest of the October Issue