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rfpress.bsky.social
Roi Fainéant Press SUBS CLOSED FOR NOW
@rfpress.bsky.social
3K followers 540 following 2K posts
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
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
rfpress.bsky.social
The holidays can be overwhelming with all the lights & sounds. It's a lot. An ordinary day in the kitchen with all its ordinary sounds can also overwhelm. Read "Polyphony" by Erica Wheadon & witness the messy, tender work of surviving the ordinary.

www.roifaineantpress.com/post/what-do...
All I can hear is everything
December 30, 2025 at 5:20 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
It's that time of year when everyone starts thinking about health, fitness & that four-letter word: diet. If that's not your thing, we have a different diet you might want to try. This is "The St Augustine Diet" by R James Sennett Jr. and it's live now!

www.roifaineantpress.com/post/the-st-...
The air as thick as he was now thin; hot as he was cunning,
December 30, 2025 at 5:15 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
Who's up for a little NSFW flash today? Ok, so maybe not quite NSFW but, a little risque, or maybe risky. Check out "Sweet Stuff" by @claudiamonpere.bsky.social to see what I mean! And then read her other 2 flash, all waiting for you in issue 92!

www.roifaineantpress.com/post/why-sex...
Jason loved whipped cream and sex. Maureen hated it, especially since he decided whipped cream was getting boring and now wanted her to lick maple syrup off his body. Honey. Warm pudding.
December 29, 2025 at 6:36 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
As we wind down 2025 and look back at the year, let's also take a look back at the amazing work in issue 92, starting with this extraordinary poem from Jiwon Huh. This is "Because Orpheus Looked Back," and it's live now!

www.roifaineantpress.com/post/because...
Sometimes I look at my dog, and I want to cry Because what are lives if not temporary,
December 29, 2025 at 5:53 PM
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Ayo!

About that time once again. Our 92nd issue is live, so tell that one cousin still giving their Midwestern goodbye at the family holiday party.

www.roifaineantpress.com/blog

#writingcommunity
December 28, 2025 at 8:47 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
Closing out this preview of our 92nd edition with a poetry party, cause ‘tis the season, ya know? “Because Orpheus Looked Back‘ by Jiwon Huh is the perfect piece to usher in our last edition of 2025, some tough truths, and some hope in the loneliness. 12/28. Sunday.
That lie under my bones like carnal nothings
December 26, 2025 at 8:49 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
I just found out that the mainstream idea of the Christmas aesthetic comes from the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” Words have power! Read “McPledge” by @jackwhaler.bsky.social and have a little joy this holiday without the jingle
Sunday 12/28.
Pledgemaster Brayden stood at the basement altar with his head hunched low to keep from hitting the pink insulation above.
December 26, 2025 at 8:46 PM
rfpress.bsky.social
Oh man! It’s Christmas time and we can all sit around and watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” for the umpteenth time OR we can read “Life Accounts”, a novelette by @karl-nykwest.bksy.social about death, capitalism and an encounter on the subway. A similar plot! On 12/28! Sunday!
Seeing the Station Closed. No Entry sign put me in a sour mood. The 125th St. station was literally right across from my office, and beyond convenient.
December 26, 2025 at 5:15 PM