Robert Villanueva was born in an igloo in Alaska and raised by polar bears who drank soda while imparting wisdom under the Northern Lights.

 

OK. That's not true.

 

They mostly drank hot chocolate.

 

But his time in Alaska was brief, and he soon had to say goodbye to his cold-climate friends, striking out on his own on an parcel of ice he chipped off the mainland with a pick axe. He barely escaped the clutches of the Abominable Snowman and eventually drifted to Kentucky where he has lived most of his life.

​

OK. So some of that isn't true.

 

OK. Most of that isn't true.

 

But he really was born in Alaska, and he has, in fact, lived most his life in Kentucky.

 

After graduating from Western Kentucky University with a BA in journalism, he worked for seven years at various local newspapers in positions ranging from staff writer to news editor before spending several years focusing on his creative writing. He then devoted another nine years working on a newspaper as a features writer. During his career as a journalist, he earned 15 awards from the Kentucky Press Association and Landmark Community Newspapers, Inc., for news, features, columns, series and photography.

​

Throughout the years Villanueva's short stories, essays, articles and poems have been published in dozens of literary journals, both print and online. Some of those journals are The Maine Review, The Summerset Review, The Binnacle, Wisdom Crieth Without, GlassFire Anthology, Trillium Literary Journal, ShatterColors Literary Review, Cantaraville, Contemporary Rhyme, Joyful! and The Heartland Review.

 

In 2002, Villanueva founded The Bard’s Corner Writers' Group, a free and open group for writers of all levels. He continues to facilitate the group.

 

In March 2018, The Heartland Review Press published Villanueva’s first book, "A Fable of Freedom and Other Stories." In "A Fable of Freedom and Other Stories" Villanueva showcases some of the short fiction he has produced and published over the years. The book provides an eclectic sampling of fiction in various genres. Though most of the works have been previously published, the title story, "A Fable of Freedom," makes its publishing debut with this collection.

 

Additionally, Villanueva is working on a novel and a collection of inter-related short stories.