March 2025 – Page 3 – Andy writes!

In today’s Women’s History Month Friday Five, I’m happy to feature Rebecca Tiger, a writer and sociologist known for her work in both creative and academic spheres. As an associate professor of sociology at Middlebury College in Vermont, she teaches courses on topics like punishment, deviance, drugs, and celebrity, often blending sociology with creative nonfiction. As a creative writer, she has published fiction and nonfiction in various literary journals, including an award-winning essay recognized in a 2024 creative nonfiction contest(“Where’s Charlie,” published by Roi Fainéant Press). Rebecca also teaches creative writing in jails.

I first discovered Rebecca’s writing via her flash fiction piece “Dissection,” a powerful story about life, death, and family published in Trampset. I’ve since read other pieces by her — fiction as well as nonfiction — and have always been moved by the power of her stories and the way she puts the words together. Read on to learn more about her writing and academic work, her advice to other writers, and teaching creative writing to the incarcerated.

In recognition of Women’s History Month, I’m devoting each Friday Five this March to shine the spotlight on women who are doing cool stuff in literature these days. This celebration begins with Tiffany M. Storrs, the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Roi Fainéant Press (RF for short). This online literary magazine, established in 2021, publishes a diverse range of voices in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and it is one of the most enjoyable online litmags I’ve discovered over the past year.

Photograph of Tiffany M. Storrs, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Roi Fainéant Press — Tiffany M. Storrs, co-founder and editor-in-chief of *Roi Fainéant Press*

If you’re curious about the litmag’s name, Roi Fainéant is French for “lazy king” or “do-nothing king.” It refers to the seventh- and eighth-century kings of France’s Merovignian Dynasty — kings who didn’t have much power given the way things were going in that country at that time, according to Wikipedia. On the RF website’s about page, Tiffany refers to herself and co-founders Kellie Scott-Reed and Marianne Baretsky Peterson as “3 lazy kings living the best of their worst lives.” Judging from the quality of their litmag and the works they publish, however, I would not take that description seriously. No doubt the three of them sift through scores of submissions to find just the right pieces for their publication. But as the name, the site design, the accompanying artwork, and overall vibe suggest, RF is a platform where irreverence, playfulness, and a broad range of literary voices and styles can thrive. (I’m honored to have two pieces published in RF: “Narcissus on the Deck” and “No Point.” If you’re looking for a home for your work, quirky, irreverent, or otherwise, I suggest you give RF a try.)

Read on for Tiffany’s take on RF, her suggestions for writers, her sources of inspiration, and more.

Month: March 2025

Friday Five: Q&A with writer and sociologist Rebecca Tiger

Friday Five: Q&A with Tiffany M. Storrs, Roi Fainéant editor-in-chief