Aldous Huxley called the essay "a literary device for saying almost everything about almost anything." It's not surprising that the things about which we have the most to say are the things we encounter most often in our daily life; the world around us, the beings we share that world with, and the things in which we believe.
In this spirit, with great enthusiasm, we are pleased to present Utata Speaks. Enjoy!
Nature Essays
Henry David Thoreau, perhaps the pre-eminent nature essayist, rejoiced in the "pure and genuine and childlike love of Nature." That fascination and high regard for the living world is at the heart of most nature essays. The writer/photographers working in this category are drawn to both the artless simplicity and the astonishing complexity of the natural environment. These are essays born of a deep, abiding respect for nature as well as an eye for organic beauty.
An Eventful Day at Garden Henge by David Lewis | Aotearoa Birdlife by Brenda Anderson | Beauty and Sorrow by Tracy | Crab Harvest by Jason Randolph | Driving Away Wild Horses by Carol Schiraldi | Escaping from . . . or Escaping to? by Brett Fernau | Flint Hills, Kansas, U.S. by Jared | Over Empty Space by Adam Holte | Photographing flowers from below by Rob A. L. Harper | Prairie Liminality: The Space between Land and Sky by Virginia | Seeing Being at the Beach by Adam Graham | Silhouettes and the Sea by Kevin Torigoe | Taming and Reclaiming Nature by Jennifer Hattam | The Breeze in the Trees by Josh Briscoe | The Road Trip by Radi Ann | We're Here to Enjoy Our Planet by Joan Hill | Westward by Shepherd | Worlds can be found by Brandon Goldman |
Personal Essays
These are our stories. The stories of our lives and the lives of those close to us. The stories of our bodies and the stories of our minds. These are the things that make us smile, the things that make us fret, the things that make us giggle like children, the things that make us weep, the things that make us wish we could weep. These are things that make up the boundaries of our lives. Some of them are fact, some of them are fiction, but all of them are true.
A Drowning by Lori Andrews | A Study in Daisies by Firda Beka | Approaching Self-acceptance by Jennifer | Choose the Hand You're Dealt by Meeralee | Dilution by Lazyoldsun | Disillusion and desolation by Nelma | Dog is my Copilot by Christine Phippard | Drawing My Own Conclusions by Beckett Gladney | Dreams: Past, Present and Future by Tamara P. | Exotic and Sensual Chocolate by Karen James | Fly Away Home by Caitlin Burke | Focus on the blur by Sara Eigen | Freezing Decisive Moments in Time by Myla Kent | Hopes and Fears by Patrick Schlichtenmyer | If Only They Believed It by Rhiannen O'Malley | In Stitches by Kate Crane | Internet love by Julia Debruxelles | Living on the River by Alida Thorpe | Lost by Irene Vermeij | Miracles Do Happen by Mark Menzies | My World by Darold Smith | One Four Three by Simon Cockayne | Projections by Melissa Squires | She's a Valley Girl by Rebecca Fenning | Signs of life and the movement of time by Karl Randay | The Awful Truth (Socar's Silly Photo Diary) by Socar Myles | The Holy Snow Disk by Greg Fallis | The Memory of Dreams by J. Star | The Split Artist: Words or Images? by Marie M. | The Way a Distance Is Measured by Caryn Thurman | The world awaits by Emma Godfrey | Tidy Boxes and Neat Little Piles by Jocelyn Kabatoff | Two Sides to Every Story by Lou McGill | Value of Family by Luke Luther | What I Did On My Lunch Break Today by Greg Wolkins | Where I am from ... by Siobhan Connally |
Social Essays
"It's a big ol' goofy world," according to John Prine, and we all live in it. The world beyond the self is the province of the social essayist. Everything is seen as worthy of examination, from poverty to politics, from cowboys to crossdressers, from anti-war demonstrations to the daily humdrum. These writer/photographers are out to raise our awareness, to raise our eyebrows, to raise new thoughts, and sometimes just to raise a smile.
A Dog's Job by Marj Kibby | Age Shall Not Weary Them... by Seng Mah | An Honest Place in a Phony Time by Amy Stanton | Chef Dennis by Linda Blakely | Conflicting Loyalties at the Tipping Point by Howard Lipan | Cowboy Up: A Night at the Rodeo by Linda Plaisted | DIY Cosmetic Surgery by Jay | Dignity Memorial by Terri R. | Faces of South India by Alia Luria | Folklife by Mitch Eaton | Great Worms of Steel / Mumbai by Aditya Anupkumar | In the Swimming Pool by Kathy Van Torne | Kalifornia Kustom Kar Kulture by Russ Morris | Memory and Legacy by Lori | Of The Dust by Josh Lustig | Oikos and Phenomenology by Phillip Chee | Parade by Jeff Voorhees | Perspectives on Land Use: Preservation and Redevelopment by Lee | Phlegmatic by Aleksandr Kheyfets | Portsmouth and Proud by Steve Bailey | Proud of Their Car by James Tworow | Ralph Waldo Emerson - A Visual Tribute by Gwen | Rural Renaissance in New England by Liz West | Six Common Street Celebrities by Btezra | The Mythology of Color by Brittney Bush | The Slow, Agonizing Death of Family Farming by Ian David Blum | Trabajo by Dawn Blanchfield | Untitled by Robby Garbett | Untitled by Mary | Vicissitudes of Life by Astrocruzan | Walking the Wiccan Path by Vivi Loob | What's So Funny About Peace, Love, Understanding by Kathy Mackey |
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