Dear Roi Fainéant Readers,
In true unhinged fashion when François saw the Roi Fainéant post calling for a guest
editor, he reached out to Tiff to see if she would entertain the idea of two people working in
tandem before checking with me. But lucky for him, while he was thinking we might be good partners down in San Diego, I thought the same thing up in the Bay Area. After reviewing countless pitches and applications (or maybe we were the only takers), the team agreed to a West Coast take over.
I had no idea what to expect – how many pieces we’d receive, how we would evaluate
the merit of each, or even how much of a time commitment it would be—but somehow, I knew François and I would work well together. After all, I had nearly 18 years of news editorial and communications experience, and well, he’s a math professor with an MFA in creative writing.
He came up with the theme of Heat for this special issue that drops just as summer hits its stride and talked it up on Twitter. I created the spreadsheets and Google folders. We both read every piece, separately made an assessment, and then had quite a few Zoom calls to discuss the merits of each submission.
The experience has been a blast, and I thank Tiff, Kellie and Marianne for this chance to
play editor for a while. François and I learned what it is like to be on the other side of the
decisions. It wasn’t easy, especially after reading blind and then learning that some of the pieces that fell into the no column came from some of our favorite people in our writing circles. While we couldn’t accept all the pieces submitted to us, I do believe they will find a place.
After all, my first piece published in Roi Fainéant, “Rich Girls,” had been rejected 14
times before Marianne sent me a yes in record time. I’m glad no one else picked it up because I might have missed the cocktails and writing prompts, the readings, the interviews and the friendship I have with this trio of editors, and of course, my phenomenal guest co-editor François who has read more of my work than anyone else.
---Melissa Flores Anderson
~
As an East coast kid, summers were the best. Swimming at Flat Rock, mint chocolate chip at Purity Ice Cream, roaming around the playground until dark, and a week at the Jersey Shore with my grandparents were all hallmarks of the season. As an adult, across decades and a country, I approach summer with trepidation. Excessive heat warnings, drought, and wildfires have become commonplace here. I also know heat exists beyond the thermometer. I have lived the emotional and physical heat of relationships. I stew in the heat of political anger, empathize with the painful fire of the oppressed, and know the spark of creative inspiration. Now I’ve had the opportunity to see some incredible writers take these notions of heat, and more, and run with them in fantastic and inspiring directions.
The process of editing this issue was far more time-consuming and rewarding than I’d imagined it would be. It’s a sacred responsibility to look at something as personal as a piece of writing. It was a joy to say yes and rough to say no. I thank all of the writers who sent us a piece of themselves.
Roi Fainéant is so much more than a lit mag. It’s a community. I love the three women who run it and all they have done for so many of us. I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that RF has changed my writing trajectory in the best possible way. Tiffany, Kellie, and Marianne, thank you for entrusting us with this issue, it has been an amazing experience.
Simply put, Melissa is brilliant - whether as a writer, editor, or song arranger. In this editing process, she has taught me to be a better reader, use Google stuff almost competently, and even made me a bit more hinged (I will vehemently tweet-deny this last point). More importantly, I have a writer pal and good friend to visit when I next roll though Gilroy on my way to a redwoods retreat. Be on the look out for our next literary venture.
Thank you Melissa. Thank you RF. Thank you writers.
I love every piece in this issue and I hope you will too.
François
Some California photos shared by our guest editors:
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