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rfpress.bsky.social
Roi Fainéant Press SUBS CLOSED FOR NOW
@rfpress.bsky.social
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Digital lit mag & more. 5 editors in a trenchcoat. 2 indie lit 2 quit. Submissions open. https://www.roifaineantpress.com/ EIC @tiffanymarie.bsky.social Masthead: @skybarett.bsky.social @kelkel.bsky.social @melissacuisine.bsky.social @maybemargot.bsky.soci
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rfpress.bsky.social
Roi Fainéant Press SUBS CLOSED FOR NOW @rfpress.bsky.social · 21d
We interrupt your doom scrolling of our endless fascist nightmare to bring you some words.

93 & Me is live. It's a lot like the genetic tracing service in the way that it's not like that at all. Tell your favorite conspiracy theorist.

www.roifaineantpress.com

#writingcommunity
rfpress.bsky.social
Let's end our rewind of 93 & Me with our old pal, CNF. Shall we? "Engagement, April 2010" by @allisonwrites.bsky.social explores ideas about love & relationships, a universal topic if I've ever heard one. Take a moment for your own exploration & read it now!
www.roifaineantpress.com/post/engagem...
And it would be a lie to say the relationship was anything more than “just cuz.” We met because, in a city of transients, we were two people far from the same home. I avoided his type in high school but ignored the red flags in a new location. I wanted someone who didn’t spend sixty hours a week on campus, someone who didn’t need me to review their essay, someone who didn’t think I drank too much.
January 30, 2026 at 4:29 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
Sometimes, there is an obvious reason we don't like certain foods. Sometimes, the reason is not quite as obvious and has nothing to do with the food itself. This is "If You Want to Know Why I Don’t Eat Chicken" by Huina Zheng and it's live now.

www.roifaineantpress.com/post/if-you-...
Once loved chicken, especially drumsticks. Until we killed Redcomb. Redcomb, who crowed every dawn, fought rats, guarded chicks, strutted around the yard, head high, proud. Ma raised the cleaver. I stood nearby.
January 30, 2026 at 4:02 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
The future is unknown. We don't know what comes next in terms of technology. Or what's next for humans as a species. Head over to issue 93 & take a peek at "Conversation Piece" by @immcarvalho.bsky.social if you'd like to read one, uh, interesting prediction.
www.roifaineantpress.com/post/convers...
Jolowat dug through the box of half-priced items, pulling out a glass-fronted rectangular object. “What’s this?” she asked the Elder running the sale.
January 29, 2026 at 5:30 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
People always talk about the "objectification of women". This work of fiction from Garima Chhikara feels a bit like a play on that but with a powerful twist. Check out "Listen, You Object" in our 93rd issue, live now!

www.roifaineantpress.com/post/listen-...
Item. Item. Item. I sigh. At last, something I can agree with. I am an object—but not a thing to possess. I am a vision: untouchable, like a flame too dangerous to play with.
January 29, 2026 at 4:42 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
Children can be naive about the world around them & wise beyond their years at the same time. Take, for example, these sisters in "Enter Stage Left" by lindseyjameswrites.bsky.social. This touching story is out now in 93 & Me. Go read it now!

www.roifaineantpress.com/post/enter-s...
By dinner, their parents have yelled themselves out and retreated to opposite sides of the table. They shoot glances, furtive and furious and calculating and despairing, across four feet of shellacked wood, toward anything but each other. Sophie and Marian trade okapi facts and acting tips, pretending their way toward normalcy. Reminding their parents they’re still there.
January 28, 2026 at 6:08 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
"The Grief Wand at Wells Fargo" by Shreya Dharavath is a moving essay that touches on some common themes, like rejection and divorce, but in the most personal way. It's featured in our 93rd issue and you should definitely check it out!

www.roifaineantpress.com/post/the-gri...
So he will be so ecstatic to have heard from his daughter that he hasn’t seen since she was eleven and wore velcro Twinkle-Toes. He was not.
January 28, 2026 at 6:06 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
This beautiful CNF by Erin Noble paints a brilliant picture of her own personal paradise, shares the devastation of losing it, & leaves us with some hard-earned words of wisdom. "On the Occasion of True’s Passing" is live now in issue 93.

www.roifaineantpress.com/post/on-the-...
Over time, through dint of hard work, love for my babies, and my complete adoration of all things "nature", I had created Eden. My Eden. My perfect, happy place. Just me, my dogs, my oranges and roses, and a honeysuckle vine right outside my bedroom window
January 27, 2026 at 5:34 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
It's amazing the trouble some people go through to keep up appearances, even more so when it's all for the benefit of complete strangers! Check out "Glossy acrylic latex paint" by @beetleholloway.bsky.social in issue 93. Live now, right here 👇

www.roifaineantpress.com/post/glossy-...
I pull up my Prius alongside a white van outside Tool Planet. I swap my Birkenstocks for Caterpillars and light a ciggie. Three tokes are enough for the odour to stick to my fingers and chore jacket, which I got second-hand when I was in Philly, so yeah, bonafide Rust Belt. Unlike Freddie’s. I know he buys his Carhartts at Flex.
January 27, 2026 at 1:30 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
No matter what you may be struggling with today, & I know, there is A LOT to choose from, take a much-needed break and join our poetry party. It may not fix anything, but it might soothe your soul. This is "Mutton Chops" by Shreya Datta. It's live now!

www.roifaineantpress.com/post/my-divo...
What if we don’t care about unconventional facial hair? Why does your masculinity so easily
January 26, 2026 at 3:45 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
We interrupt your doom scrolling of our endless fascist nightmare to bring you some words.

93 & Me is live. It's a lot like the genetic tracing service in the way that it's not like that at all. Tell your favorite conspiracy theorist.

www.roifaineantpress.com

#writingcommunity
January 25, 2026 at 8:55 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
Of all the worthwhile things to ponder, what love is, what it isn't, and how it stacks up to our collective sitcom promises top the list.

Do all that and more 1/25 with Allison Renner @allisonwrites.bsky.social's fantastic CNF "Engagement, April 2010"
We stay up late every night, drinking beer at a new-to-us bar or downing six-packs at home. We play Guitar Hero and watch episodes of Friends—even though I prefer Seinfeld—or anything on the Food Network. We pretend our opinions matter, pontificating about meat and cheese and toppings on our Burger Blog. It’s just an excuse to go out, take pictures of our food, and eat something greasy to soak up the beer.
January 23, 2026 at 10:13 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
Some folks have a very particular palette from a young age. Some have their tastes shaped over time. And for some, it's a little mix of both.

Bring it on back here Sunday for this ode to nature and nurture by Huina Zheng. "If You Want to Know Why I Don’t Eat Chicken" goes live.
Ma says I was a picky eater from birth. Wouldn’t drink the expensive formula she bought with clenched teeth. Ahma came, mixed porridge water with sugar, forced it down like medicine. Wouldn’t eat rice cereal. When they went to work in the orchard, they set me in a big bathtub with a bowl of plain porridge, my sister ordered to watch. Porridge smeared my face, neck, collar, sticky on my skin.
January 23, 2026 at 8:05 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
Oh hello! Spend a little pre-snowstorm time reading through some pretty words, won't ya?

In a world poised to grow increasingly less digital, it's interesting to ponder what comes next. Come on back for a flash take with "Conversation Piece" by Maria Carvalho @immcarvalho.bsky.social 1/25!
“It’s called a cell phone,” he replied. “They were used for communication—I found loads of them when I arrived here with the first settlement group. It hasn’t worked in ages, but would make an interesting conversation piece.”
January 23, 2026 at 7:41 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
As you read “Listen, You Object,” you will run the gamut of emotions. Garima Chhikara writes about the fears of being a woman in the day-to-day with a warrior heart. It’s in the 93rd edition. It’s out on 1/25, Sunday.
So I run. Not like a lady, like something uncultured. Like a fugitive.
January 23, 2026 at 5:31 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
The first line of a piece can really set the tone. I feel this is one that is going to delight you. "Enter Stage Left" by Lindsey James @lindseyjameswrites.bsky.social is in the 93rd edition out on 1/25.
By the time Marian reaches the exclamation point, the felt cone rubs only a dry, stuttery line across the paper. Irritation grinds up her spine. Ruined. All ruined.
January 23, 2026 at 5:09 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
FINALLY a poetry party! It’s a long time coming. Get ready for ten gems of verse in our 93rd edition by Shreya Datta. Here is a bite from “My Divorce from the Indian Gods” that will wet your whistle! Enjoy the rest on Sunday 1/25.
When I moved to America, I filed for divine divorce. Irreconcilable differences: they wanted daily prayers, I wanted free speech and self-reliance.
January 22, 2026 at 6:31 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
Loss is a part of life, but sometimes the loss of our pet besties teaches us more about the meaning of loss than anything else. Read “On the Occasion of True's Passing” by Erin Noble; it's a sweet, creative non-fiction piece that will touch your heart. Sunday 1/25.
Thirty years ago, my best friend John died. In his honour and in my fog of grief, I rescued a beautiful mutt puppy in Montreal, the city where he died.
January 22, 2026 at 2:58 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
This piece is about childhood, nostalgia, rejection, and what we have to let go of before it takes us down with it. “The Grief Wand at Wells Fargo” by Shreya Dharavath is in the next edition of the press, out 1/25. Don’t miss it!
Two days before my twenty-first birthday, I emailed my father after nearly a decade.
January 22, 2026 at 2:30 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
As someone who has hovered over a public toilet more than a few times, I always wondered what they thought of the view. “Confessions of a club toilet” by Beetle Holloway @beetleholloway.bsky.social is a hilarious insight into a question that no one but me has ever asked. Sunday 1/25!
To be fair, I’m a club toilet, in the men's, so most ass tryta avoid me. If I wrote a rap, the lyric would go: ‘I get mo’ pees than fish and chips’. Na’ mean?
January 22, 2026 at 12:36 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
Y’all did what you do too well & our inbox is jam packed w/words! We need a breather so subs are closed til the queue is clear. This note went out Sunday on that formerly lil blue bird site but never made it over here. Sadly, anything sent after 2pmET 1/18 will need to be resubmitted upon reopening.
RFP Submissions are temporarily closed
January 21, 2026 at 3:42 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
Wrapping up our rewind of issue 92 with some literary fiction that explores subjects like death, capitalism & how we measure our worth as humans. Perfect for this reflective time of year! This is "Life Accounts" by
@karl-nykwest.bksy.social
Find it here 👉 www.roifaineantpress.com/post/life-ac...
I assumed they were conducting some kind of illegal business when, in one swift movement, he plunged his hand into the derelict’s chest and, after feeling around a bit, extracted a small ball of pulsing white light. He then set the ball down in his briefcase, and closed it.
January 2, 2026 at 8:21 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
If you ever played youth sports or had a kid who did, you might relate to this nonfiction piece by Alan Swyer. This is "Baseball Dad" and it's live now! Check it out! 👇

www.roifaineantpress.com/post/basebal...
I, meanwhile, got my first serious taste of baseball dads and their chatter.
January 1, 2026 at 6:01 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
Drumroll please! For the first bite of 2026! The honor goes to this humorous piece of fiction from @jackwhaler.bsky.social This is "McPledge" and now I want some McNuggets! Check it out in our 92nd edition. Live now!

www.roifaineantpress.com/post/mcpledg...
“There is an issue with the pledges,” he said. We straightened in our seats. “A respect issue,” he said. We straightened ourselves even more.
January 1, 2026 at 5:55 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
As a middle-aged woman, the concept of a "midlife crisis" is intriguing. Is it like heart attacks? Where the symptoms look different in men vs. women? "Pleasure and Desire in Mid Life" is an essay by @hadas.bsky.social that explores this topic. It's live now!
www.roifaineantpress.com/post/pleasur...
It took me a while to utter the words “midlife crisis” but, as soon as I did, the floodgates opened. My friends – not even some of them, most of my friends – responded with versions of “welcome to the club.”
December 31, 2025 at 5:41 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
They have one of these mountain coasters near Gatlinburg TN. I could have ridden it while visiting a few years ago. I did not. Reading "The Red Devil" by Joseph A. Gross did not make me regret that decision. But it did make me laugh! Check it out here! 👇

www.roifaineantpress.com/post/the-red...
Lisa and I turned around just as he jumped from the train, splattering cocktail-colored vomit across the station floor.
December 31, 2025 at 3:15 PM