Kat Merck
Senior Commerce Editor
Kat Merck is a senior commerce editor for WIRED, where she covers smart bird feeders, indoor gardening systems, kitchen composters, and all things sustainable home tech. As a forestry major at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Kat practiced axe throwing on her college logging team and trained as a wildland firefighter before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She’s been an editor and writer for more than 25 years, working as associate editor at New Times San Luis Obispo and copy chief at Willamette Week in Portland, Oregon, as well as contract editing for companies including Google, RWS, Ken's Artisan Bakery, and Metropolitan Group. She's recipe tested for multiple bread cookbooks, including one James Beard Award winner, and her news and service features have won Parenting Media Association's Silver and Gold awards. She lives in the Portland area and enjoys hydroponic gardening, native bee farming, reading, and traveling with her family.
