The Spirit of the Wild Mustang

No single fish, fowl, or animal captures the spirit of
America’s Golden West more completely, more dramatically,
and more romantically than the wild mustang—magnified
incrementally and exponentially even more so because the
mustangs traditionally live and travel in family units, bands and
small herds.
The movie or documentary photographer who captures a
herd of wild mustangs running free up and down mountain
plateaus and across the high desert of the Great Basin transmits
so much more than images to the viewer. Emotions pour through
the lens and into our hearts. We know what freedom looks like
and feels like.
We feel the joy of watching mustangs do what they do
best—run with power and with stamina, and run free, run
natural, run in harmony with each other, run in harmony with the
earth, run in harmony with the wind and the sky.
Mustangs are America’s natural athletes. They live wild in a
hostile environment. That which does not kill them makes them
stronger. They are independent and self-sufficient. They can
sense another animal coming up a ridge out of sight a quarter of
a mile away.

Veteran's Day Tribute

I extend my admiration and gratitude to those who daily demonstrate strength, character, and purpose; who symbolize dedication and obedience, upon which foundation rests the integrity of the military spirit.

• To all your fellow Air Force warriors, Army soldiers, Navy sailors, Marines, and Coast Guard servicemen, who love our country and who stand guard and fight every day to preserve our independence, our beloved union of fifty states, against all aggressors.
• To my two sons, currently on active duty in the Army National Guard and Reserves, of whom and for whom no father could be prouder or more grateful, who have a passion to defend and protect their fatherland. They volunteer for the most dangerous and challenging missions, model the seven Army elite values (loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage), and quietly live the Soldier's Warrier Creed as officers and honor graduates of two Arizona universities:

I am an American soldier. I am a warrior and member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and the Army values. I will always place the Union first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade. I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough... I stand ready to deploy, engage and destry the enemies of the United States of America in close combat. I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life. I am an American soldier.

Mustang Fever available!!!

After much anticipation, Mustang Fever: Run Free With Wild Mustangs is available!! It is a page-turning adventure full of surprising twists and turns, fraught with peril and high-stakes rescues, blessed with budding romance and filled with personal revelation. Mustang Fever paints a stunning portrait of the American West and the last bastion of its wildness—the mustang. Originally slated for a Spring 2007 release through Koboca Publishing, it has now been released through Aisling Press. It is available for purchase through Aisling Press or Amazon.com. Enjoy!

My first copies of Freedom of Vision sent from Amazon.com

Remember the song, “Oh, Happy Day!” Here’s a picture of what the song looks like to me.

· The arrival of--The Prison Anthology: Freedom of Vision:
Just One Look--Is All It Took.

I experienced rebirth one magical spring morning, as I picked up the baton from my first teacher and friend of my youth, Henry David Thoreau, and ran the lifelong wilderness trails he urged me to run: He promised me If I advance confidently in the direction of my dreams and endeavor to live the life which I have imagined, I will meet with a success unexpected in common hours….And if I have built castles in the air, my work need not be lost; that is where they should be.
Now put the foundations under them.
With the spring birth of our Prison Anthology, Freedom of Vision, and your help, we will take each copy, brick by brick, and fashion foundations for the castles built out of the dreams of all the Voices From Behind Prison Walls.

My daily going forth to teach in prison on a small scale mirrors a deployment on a training mission in a foreign country. In a twenty year career similar to the military, I address a platoon-sized contingent of my natural enemy, and during the process of education, I train them to become my spiritual friends. I clothe myself in vigilance--a form of body armor, I learn another language, I employ incident management techniques to keep the battlefield environment safe. How inspiring and gratifying for me to go forth from and return home to Beautiful Wife Betsy, whose angel radiance warms our home, nurtures our children, and lightens my days in so many ways.
The beams of love from her eyes, soul, and heart— traveling at the speed of light--are the windows of the landing tower beacon to send me on my way and to bring me home every day.

We're all doing time here.

There are fifty ways to leave your self-imposed prison. "Get a new key, Lee. Make a new plan, Stan." We're all doing time. We are strangers in a strange land. We are spirits caught in the web and bars of our own bodies. Gravity keeps our feet in place on our planet, despite our desire to soar like eagles above. Only in dreams and in meditations can we strike a blow for freedom and escape. We visit places and see people in dreams and meditations unlimited by space and time. Our Western society is trapped in materialism and mind control from the media. We need to be stars behind bars, and stop loading our bodies down with pounds of fat gravity gravy. Throw out those ingested bags of sand and lift ourselves skyward with new thoughts, new heroes and heroines. Make our own media and broadcast our own freedom news. There is a new day dawning. Greet it with light feet. Up, up, and away.

Watch for our Prison Anthology: Freedom of Vision. Coming soon.

FREEDOM OF VISION

Edited by Stephen B. Gladish

and Robert Yehling

EDITOR’S NOTE

My first contact with Stephen Gladish, the co-editor and a major contributor to Freedom of Vision came through the Society of Southwestern Authors and the Wrangling with Writing Conference, where I present a variety of workshops. Steve was developing a trilogy of novels for which he wanted feedback (they became Moonlight, Missiles & Moana, Mustang Fever and the soon-to-be-published Tornado Alley).

I asked Steve about his background, and he said, “Twenty years teaching in state penitentiaries. I began as a college teacher and career counselor in Ohio prisons. Arizona hired me as an ex-offender rep, designing and teaching pre-release programs. When funds dried up, I begame an adult education teacher in all subjects, specializing in writing/creative writing."

I said, "You've got to write a book about that!"

In time, Steve warmed up to the idea, but with a caveat that reflects the quality of the man's heart—that it transform into an anthology that included writers throughout the country who were either incarcerated or former inmates, with his experiences serving to further illustrate life behind bars.

Our development started with the title. We agreed that we didn't want this to be a forum whereby convicts could air out their grievances about their sentences, living conditions, cellmates or correctional officers, or how they came to be incarcerated in the first place. Nor did we want a collection of pieces that spoke only of the dim hopelessness of serving lengthy sentences in maximum-security facilities — anyone can get a glimpse of that by watching TV or reading the newspaper.

Instead, we hit upon a simple truth: Everyone’s soul yearns to express itself without walls, fences and gates. If we could invite our contributors to share with us their visions of freedom, and their abilities to express themselves creatively while serving their time, then we'd have something that would connect with freedom-based readers on the other side of the wall.

What we received from hundreds of convicts stopped us in our tracks. The material was stunning in its quality, beauty, emotion and portrayal of the freedom of vision and creativity. The poems, narratives, essays, short stories, letters and illustrations candidly portray their creators as expressive, dynamic souls whose lives came crashing down beneath the weight of their own mistakes of judgment and/or action. Many times, a sentencing judge has told a criminal he or she is about to send away, “It’s not your intelligence I question. It’s the wisdom of your choices.”

Here, on these pages, you’ll read from people who made the wise choice to express themselves creatively.

I believe you’ll agree that the material is wonderful. We start with our incarcerated contributors. We also feature Steve’s experiences as a teacher in the penal system, which offer deep insight into why we should never allow our culture to become so hard and unforgiving that we slam the educational door on convicted felons. We welcome National Book Award-winning poet and ex-con Jimmy Santiago Baca, interviews with Baca and Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, the cause celebre of Bob Dylan’s song about wrongful conviction, and Burroughs Award Winner Ken Lamberton, who made his mistakes and served his time.

We also focus much more attention on both sides of the prison teaching experience than other prison anthologies. We received a number of fine pieces from prison teachers, and convicts who served as teacher’s aides. They spoke of the transformation that happened, over and over again, when a teacher believed in a convict’s ability. I would posit to say that, in virtually all cases, this was the first positive reinforcement the inmate had received since his or her childhood—if then. With a fierce national debate continuing about the value of educating and rehabilitating our incarcerated men and women, we decided to stamp our very firm stand on this issue by showcasing prison education through the eyes of those who know best.

I've been fortunate to never spend time behind bars, though I’ve visited folks behind the walls of county jails, state prisons, federal penitentiaries and work camps. I count among my literary friends several authors who have done time. I treasure their fresh approaches to life, the clarity of their voice, and their deep honesty. I also love the way they penetrate masks and illusions, cut right to the heart and truth of matters. It’s a refreshing quality in this world. I’ve also kept on-and-off correspondences with convicts over the years. Among my visits were those with my cousin, Lisa Shannon, who will welcome the summer of 2007 as a free woman — her first summer on this side of the razor wire since 1989. Lisa contributed a fine body of work to Freedom of Vision. She also helped me to understand the mentality of long-term convicts, many of whom sit where they sit because they couldn't express themselves, cry out for help, pick themselves up from tough times, control their anger and rage when violent impulses raced through them, or simply get the hell out of the way of a bad situation as it was developing.

Lisa handed me a moral compass to use when compiling this book with Steve, a compass later sharpened through my brief conversations with Jimmy Santiago Baca—perhaps the greatest champion of the cause walking on this planet today. I would not fall into either judgment or sympathy, but would employ empathy. I would read the work and do what anthology editors do—pick the pieces that sing strong messages to our minds and hearts. I would not be swayed by one’s particular crime or length of sentence; I would only be swayed by what they wrote. This position was well-rewarded, as you’ll see from the many sensitive, heartfelt pieces contained within.

I don’t believe it’s our business to engage in our contributors' legal cases, nor do we wish for you to go there. Let’s pull one rule of the prison yard over the wall: Don’t ask about the crime. After all, our literary world is replete with renowned authors who have done time, and we love these writers and their work dearly.

Instead, we hope you enjoy this presentation from a world in which nearly 3 million Americans currently live, and because of which millions of sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, grandparents, children, grandchildren, cousins, aunts and uncles are deeply affected.

Robert Yehling

Co-Editor

Spring 2007

DEDICATION

To all students in all prisons everywhere, then to all the thousands of students I worked with over a twenty-year term. To all the incognito sky pilots earning their silver wings in prison: all the teacher aides who worked to help others better themselves: all the former great staff members of Mr. G.’s hallowed classrooms:

I salute you. I thank you. I will never forget you. All our successes could never have happened without your loyalty, your dedication, your strong work ethic, your personal values, your spiritual beliefs. Individual names will be inscribed on a plaque here at home. I think of each one of you as I compose this. I wish you well. I am grateful to have worked with you. I pray for your release from every obstacle, every bar, every limit.

I hope this gets to you.

We took the hell of prison and made it into a small replica of heaven. We were there to lift people up, to encourage them to educate themselves, to have hope and faith, to believe in themselves, to do something spectacular with their lives, to practice a new work ethic, to learn how to work with others. That’s all angel-in-training duty.

You know it. The students know it. I know it. God knows it. And what you sow will come back to you tenfold. The universe will bless your efforts.

I hope you are fortunate enough to find the occasional good guy, or “crazy guy” like me who works in prison just to make a difference in somebody’s life, somebody who takes my place and does a better job at it.

When it’s your time to meet your maker, I’ll be there, if not physically, at least in spirit and in prayer, putting in the good word for you: “He’s gotta be coming to heaven, because he’s served his time in hell— and while he was there, he helped others. He cared for someone outside himself.”

If you get there first, put in a good word for me, ya hear?!

MR. G

IN ADDITION:

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF DR. PAUL BRANDEN

New Adventures: Lit 289

I took on a new adventure this fall at Pima Community College in Tucson, teaching a Literature and Film course I developed. The class studies literature and film's comparative approaches, including how literature is brought to film scripts and how it is represented on the screen. The kicker: The class is reading Moonlight, Missiles, & Moana and converting portions of it into a screenplay, after which they will work to produce a one-hour film of the book. I will continue to seek an independent film-maker to produce my military adventure and romance trilogy, which has been classified by some as young adult inspirational novels.

The book is available to other film schools seeking material as well. Email stephengladish550@msn.com or steve@stephenbgladish.com for more information

Freedom of Vision Arrives in Spring 2007

Freedom of Vision, a collection of poetry, essays, short stories, illustrations and vignettes by more than 70 current and former inmates, will hit bookstores and online sellers in Spring 2007. The collection, co-edited by Stephen Gladish and Robert Yehling, will be published by Koboca Publishing.

Freedom of Vision deals with transformation and redemption. It includes an interview with Hurricane Carter, about whom books have been written and a movie—The Hurricane—has been shown. In addition, there are poems and essays by several decorated authors, including American Book Award winner Jimmy Santiago Baca, and Burroughs Award winner Ken Lamberton. In between two inspiring bookend essays detailing Steve’s teaching in first a women’s prison and then in men’s state prisons, are sandwiched poems, essays, and stories from seventy male and female inmates and ex-offenders from all over the nation. The anthology, conceptualized by Steve, and created in a proposal by Bob Yehling, includes many students either taught or befriended by Steve during 20 years as a creative writing teacher in the state prison systems in Arizona and Ohio.

Sample poems and essays will begin appearing on www.kobocapublishing.com in January. An interview with the editors will be available on www.stephenbgladish.com and www.wordjourneys.com in February.

Mustang Fever Gallops into Bookstores in Spring 2007

The next installment of Steve’s trilogy, Mustang Fever: Run Free with Wild Mustangs, will be published in Spring 2007 by Koboca Publishing. Mustang Fever is the second in a military adventure/romance series, picking up where Moonlight, Missiles, & Moana left off and following MMM lead character Chance Chisholm into the Nevada desert and the Nuclear Test Site.

Excerpts for Mustang Fever will begin running on www.kobocapublishing.com and www.wordjourneys.com in December. Comments from Steve are currently part of Koboca’s innovative front-page flash, in which authors of current and forthcoming titles talk about their works.

Mustang Fever will feature a strong promotional campaign that includes mailing to book reviewers throughout the country, and featured presence at the 2006 BEA convention in New York. An interview with Steve will appear at the back of the book as well as on www.wordjourneys.com.

The third book in the series, Tornado Alley: Chasing Twisters Across America will be published in Fall 2007. A prequel to the first two books which featured Chance Chisholm who followed his heart and lived his adventure, Tornado Alley features Chance’s best friend and sidekick from the first two novels, Luke LaCrosse.

For advance ordering information, go to www.kobocapublishing.com.

Moonlight, Missiles, & Moana Part of Word Journeys Holiday Gift Package

Moonlight, Missiles, & Moana is being offered as a key ingredient of the Word Journeys Holiday Gift Packages. A limited number of signed copies are available, along with Unbuttoned: Who Says Men Can’t Change? by Kenneth Fink and Coyotes in Broad Daylight, by Robert Yehling.

Go to www.wordjourneys.com for more information.

Moonlight, Missiles, & Moana Continues to Sell

The first novel in what will be a trilogy of military adventures, Missiles, Moonlight & Moana, continues to be a hit at signings. On November 11, Veteran’s Day, I participated at a book fair with the Society of Southwestern Authors at Foothills Mall in Tucson. A main focus of the fair highlighted the release of the anthology Duty, Honor and Valor, A Salute to Veterans of All U.S. Wars and Military Service, containing my short story “Finding Life at the Bottom of the Pool” along with short stories by 36 other authors. There was continued interest in Moonlight, Missiles & Moana, and the anthology with my display of my two Army Officer sons on active duty drew strong sales.

Both Moonlight, Missiles, & Moana and Duty, Honor and Valor, A Salute to Veterans, will be available for sale at the hugely popular Unique Boutique hosting its 32nd Annual Arts and Crafts Show at Gridley Middle School in Tucson on Saturday, December 2 from 9 a.m. to 5p.m. and Sunday, December 3 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., when I will be present for book signings.

Both Moonlight, Missiles, & Moana and Duty, Honor and Valor, A Salute to Veterans, will also be available for sale at Sunrise Chapel’s Annual Arts and Crafts Fair on Saturday, December 2nd, from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. I will be present for book-signings.

Moonlight, Missiles & Moana is available by special order at all bookstores, or by going to www.amazon.com.

Aztec Press article

Take a look at this recent Faculty Profile on Stephen Gladish, published in the February - March 2006 issue of the Aztec Press.

Click here to view the article (Adobe Acrobat Reader required)

Poster for Moonlight, Missiles, and Moana

Click here to view the poster (Adobe Acrobat Reader required)

Mustang Fever Dedication and Foreword

MUSTANG FEVER
RUN FREE WITH WILD MUSTANGS
DEDICATION AND FOREWORD

I begin by dedicating this story first to the passionately determined spirit of Cheyenne, the sweetly resilient spirit of Moana, and the indomitable spirit of all the wild American Mustangs—especially the wise and mature mares who lead the charge of every mustang herd as if they were all Teddy Roosevelts, who hold the herd together and keep them on course with bonding, nurturing, teaching, and protecting that only they can do. America proudly hosts the untamed spirit of the mustang--free and wild and beautiful.

With mustangs, the stallions drive the herd and assert their fierce and warlike spirit from the rear. It is the opposite with our military heroes and role models. They stand at the forefront. I conclude my dedication of this story to the following:

To my two beloved uncles, Edmund and Arnold Smith, who loved their country, who flew fighters and bombers against German and Japanese aggressors, who survived prison camps and round-the-clock bomber and fighter missions, who came back and built big families as carpenters and happy dads, who took me in and brought me home during troubled teen years.

To my revered father, Dr. Donald Gladish, who loved his country and traveled overseas in two World Wars, the first as a Marine warrior, crossing the Atlantic. In his mid-forties and with a thriving medical practice, he surprised all his patients by enlisting in the Navy: as Lieutenant Commander and Navy Doctor, he cared for other warriors in the far Pacific, gone for a long three years. Love of country goes a long way in our church and in our family.

To my grandfathers and great-grandfathers and their fathers, who loved their country and fought to preserve the Union during the Civil War, among them a Captain Jeremiah Gladish and a Private Wilfor Wallenberg, who spent over two-and-a-half years in the battlefields, and died on Sherman’s March to the Sea.

To all Native American grandfathers and great-grandfathers, who loved their country, and who fought to preserve their myriad ubiquitous tribal territories, who fought to preserve the Union of Native American heritages, who were defeated but never destroyed, who survived their reservation prison camp and round-the-clock bombardment of their precious lands and their harmony with nature. And to all Native American servicemen, warriors, and veterans, who have always fought--in disproportionately high numbers—to preserve and protect the United States, their father country.

To Grandfather, the Great Spirit and Father God who loved His country America, and showered His blessings upon us all, who used us, His warriors, to preserve and protect the union of this country against all aggressors, both foreign and domestic, who fought through us to gain and maintain our independence, who set tables before us in the presence of our enemies, who led us through the valley of the shadow of death, who always, always took us, His prodigal sons, in and brought us home.

To all our fellow Air Force warriors, Army soldiers, Navy sailors, Marines and Coast Guard servicemen, who love our country and who stand guard and fight every day to preserve our independence, our beloved union of fifty states, against all aggressors, both foreign and domestic.

To all Sixth Weather Squadron (Mobile) Weather warriors, who proved their military discipline and dedication for over fifty years to accomplish whatever isolated and far-off mission on which they were ordered to go. My fictional stories to the contrary—in which the characters take us wherever they want to go—there are countless documentations of Sixth Weather Squadron’s history and performance which confirm stellar round-the-clock accomplishments of teamwork and excellence with mainly off-base assignments in locations many might consider similar to combat areas.

To my two sons, of whom and for whom no father could be prouder or more grateful, currently on active duty in the Army National Guard, who have a passion to defend and protect their fatherland, who volunteer for the most dangerous and challenging missions, who model the seven Army elite values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage, and who, as officers and honor graduates of two Arizona universities, quietly live the Soldier’s Creed:
“I am an American soldier. I am a warrior and member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and the Army values. I will always place the union first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade. I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough…I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat. I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life. I am an American soldier.”

To all the above, I dedicate this story of strength and character and purpose, full of family values, Native American cultural traditions, and the overall integrity of the military spirit—all of which serve as underpinnings to the unsung heroism of America’s far-flung and life-giving feminine champions and heroines, with their spirit radiantly reflected in our second-most honored national symbol—the wild and free American Mustang.

Mustang Fever Update

MUSTANG FEVER:
RUN FREE WITH WILD MUSTANGS

THIS SEQUEL TO MOONLIGHT, MISSILES, AND MOANA DUE TO SEND TO PUBLISHAMERICA IN AUGUST, 2005

TENTATIVELY AVAILABLE IN PRINT BY APRIL, 2006

335 PAGES: 83,337 WORDS

Moonlight, Missiles, and Moana newly published

“We arrived home to find my ship came in. Opportunity knocked and I finally answered it.
I opened the container and saw the light inside. Promise peeped out. I thought I heard a little cry.
My dear wife waited breathlessly nearby.
I lifted off the wrapping, and picked up the strapping first edition. It’s a girl! And she’s beautiful!
Six inches wide and nine inches tall—big for her size and easy to hold.
After years of hard work my baby had been born, delivered, and finally arrived--fresh from heaven, or PublishAmerica, whichever came first….
Look for her name: Moonlight, Missiles, and Moana…..
There she was. Printed, bound, covered, and complete—my first real-life creation, a full length novel.
I looked inside, and there were four more just like the first. Quintuplets! And they’re all ours!
I just got five copies yesterday on July 15th: they are gorgeous!
They came on July 8th while we white-water rafted on the Nationally Preserved Wild and Scenic Rogue River up in Oregon.
I took all afternoon and signed them all away to my dear family.
I ordered more. You might want to take a peek for yourselves.

Check www.amazon.com or www.publishamerica.com or www.bookmanmarketing.com

Type in my pen name, Stephen B. Gladish,
Or the name of the novel, Moonlight, Missiles, and Moana, and you will find the little darlin’.
The sequel, Mustang Fever, is finished and at the proofreader’s and will be ready to go within the month, should I decide to go for a larger family right away, now that we’ve got the hang of it….
However, comma, I’ve got to take some time to send out announcements on the firstborn.
And I may bide my time.

Happy Days are here!

Stephen B. Gladish

Father Love

Father Love

The Hummingbird Part 3

Hopi Legend: In a time of famine, a young girl and boy were left alone while their parents searched for food. The boy made a toy hummingbird, the girl threw it into the air, and it came to life. Each day the hummingbird provided for the children by bringing them an ear of corn. Soon the hummingbird flew to the center of the earth where it pleaded with the god of fertility to restore the land. The rains came and green plants grew and then the children’s parents returned.

The Hummingbird Part 2

Hopi and Zuni Legends: Hummingbirds intervened on behalf of humans, convincing the gods to bring rain. Because of this people from those tribes paint hummingbirds on their water jars.

Pima Legend: A hummingbird acted like Noah’s dove in the Bible story of The Flood, by bringing back a flower as proof the great flood was subsiding.

The Hummingbird Part 1

Only in the Western Hemisphere do hummingbirds exist.

Mayan Legend has it the hummingbird is actually the sun in disguise trying to court a beautiful woman who is the moon. Mojave Legend tells of a primordial time when people lived in an underground world (similar to Plato's Analogy of the Cave). They sent a hummingbird up to look for light. Following a twisted path, the hummingbird found an upper world of light and introduced the people to a whole new world.

Navajo Legend: A hummingbird was sent up to see what lay above the blue sky. It turns out to be absolutely nothing.

Cherokee Legend: A medicine man turned himself into a hummingbird to retrieve lost plants of medicinal value.