The American West was memorialized in media as the land of cowboys, the wild frontier, and rogue outlaws. Yet the beauty of this land and its people are often forgotten, or depicted in ways far from truth. 

The truth lies in the expansive nature of the West, the wide deserts, snow-capped mountains, and all-encompassing forests. Stan E. Hughes, a.k.a. Ha-Gue-A-Sees-Sas, captures the heart of the West through his poetry, its people, wildlife, and the land itself. 

Silhouettes in Gold and Emerald: The Voices of the American West is an inspiring collection of poetry concentrating on the wonderous West, told in raw, powerful prose and capturing its majesty. 

About the Author

Stan E. Hughes, a.k.a. Ha-Gue-A-Dees-Sas (Seneca for “Man Seeking His People”), was born on Yakama Indian country in Washington State and grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota. His father professed being an ah-OH-zee (part-blood) of the Blackfoot Nation of midwestern North America and his grandfather carried the blood of the Chica-ma Comico Nation of the Chesapeake Bay area.

Hughes is a Vietnam Era veteran and served from 1959 to 1965. He has earned three college degrees, is an artist and writer, as well as a retired public-school administrator and college supervisor of student teachers. He was a consultant for the Indian Education Technical Assistance Center at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, sat on the board of Spokane’s Urban Indian Center, and was active in Indian Education in Washington and Oregon.

Hughes is the author of several publications including Medicine Seeker, Children of the Bluefish, The Adventures of Sofia—Warrior Princess, Sofia and Fiona—Warrior Sisters, Mrs. Betts’ Backyard, and Olive Branches—A Hope for Peace for all Americans.