Collected Essays
A Sampling of Comments
Sarah
Sarah
Sarah
Your writing and stories make me feel happy and grounded. I value your deep respect and love for nature and animals. Than you for everything you do and for sharing with us. You are making a difference."
Oen
Sarah
Sarah
I love your endless wonderment, your love of life in its fastness and tininess.
Dean
Sarah
Anonymous
I enjoy your writing; I enjoy the uncommon experiences you had in your life; and your support of our best life on a healthy planet.
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Mary Dansak has a Southern writer’s flair for prose bordering on poetry and charming storytelling, coupled with a naturalist’s instinct to recognize the small, unsung, and unexpected. You won’t be disappointed.
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Every story teaches me something. I sit down to read one & end up lost reading several. If you love learning about the wild world around you mixed with real life anecdotes, you’ll love Mary’s book!
Lizzie
Anonymous
Anonymous
Dansak's raw, aching love for all that leaps, creeps, and grows; her curiosity and wonder; and her ode to her homestate of Alabama--turtles, possums, pine trees and all--create a garden of delight. So good!
Tell Me More
Box Turtles, Hooligans, and Love, Sweet Love and Behold: Essays Into Wonder are collections of my columns published between 2022-2025. My writing chronicles my curiousity about the natural world, with splashes of memoir thrown in. My voice is warm, steeped in respect for my subjects, rich in place-based story.
Of course! I write about sipping moonshine in Kenya, the allure of freshwater mussels, tales of virgin birth, kleptoparasites hiding in your oysters, five legged frogs, stargazing shedevils, the curious case of female hyenas, bald-faced hornets, fancy rats, and so much more. I don't just write about these subjects, I find our connection to them, and bring you along with me as I bask in the splended wonder of their stories.
My books are for people who are curious about the world around them, for star-chasers and awe-seekers who enjoy a spark of fascination, a dash of whimsy, and a ray of hope with their reading. They are people who are curious about the untold stories of the natural world. They are for wanderers and wonderers and folks who enjoy a well-told tale. They are for you.
Box Turtles, Hooligans, and Love, Sweet Love and Behold: Essays Into Wonder are both steeped in connection to the natural world. Box Turtles, Hooligans, and Love, Sweet Love is dedicated to the state of Alabama, with perhaps a tad more science included. Behold: Essays Into Wonder also includes essays about the natural world with a dash more memoir. Your best bet is to get them both.
My voice is clearly southern and deeply devoted to my awe of my subjects, and captivates readers quickly. My essays are as digestible as they are entertaining and informative, perfect for quick reads between errands as well as long, leisurely afternoons on the porch. From the sex lives of cuttlefish to the lure of men's sweaty t-shirts, my tales delight and surprise readers over and over.
Box Turtles, Hooligans, and Love, Sweet Love is available widely in most bookstores, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BAM, and Bookshop.org. Behold: Essays Into Wonder is avaiable at Amazon. Both books are published in paperback and electronic formats. Alternatively, you can contact me to purchase books directly.
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