“I write on the board: WHY DO THE ARTS MATTER? I then draw a sweeping story arc right next to that with the written words at the bottom: YOU ARE BORN. I then proceed to have the students fill in the arc with the various plot points as we progress further along…” [Until we rewrite our biographies and..] “… We become more educated and more informed and understand more about the world, how it works, more about humans, how they work, more about the planet, how it works, more and more and more and more until … well … until we live in a perfect world where everyone gets along has as much as they want, and nobody worries about … oh, right––the teeth of life.” – Greg Belliveau

Greg Belliveau’s most recent novel is IMAGO, (Rogue Phoenix Press, Fall 2019). His other books include a novel, Go Down To Silence (Multnomah), and a collection of Creative Nonfiction, Seeds: Meditations on Grace in a World With Teeth (Crosslink 2017). His short stories have been published in Fathom Magazine, The Atticus Review, The Cleveland Review, and Vine Leaves, where his vignette “LG Don’t Want To Fly” was selected for their 2012 Best Of Anthology, published by eMergent Publishing. He is a Christopher Isherwood grant recipient and teaches Creative Writing at Antioch University, Midwest, and has taught at The Antioch Writer’s Workshop, Yellow Springs, OH. He lives in Ohio with his wife and two daughters.

“Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of Troy. Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds, many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea, fighting to save his life and bring his comrades home.” – The Odessey by Homer

“Look upon the last day always. Count no mortal happy till He has passed the final limit of his life secure from pain. The world has teeth, and humans have tried desperately to live their lives trying to forget the fact that at every turn, every day, minute, second, our vulnerable bodies, minds, and hearts can be slashed, popped, bruised, and broken … even unto death.” ~ Oedipus Rex by Sophocles