0
Skip to Content
Dead Foot Collective
Essays
Contribute
Our Team
About
Dead Foot Collective
Essays
Contribute
Our Team
About
Essays
Contribute
Our Team
About
Ugly Man and Other Poems
H. H. Rodgers Owen Clarke 1/3/25 H. H. Rodgers Owen Clarke 1/3/25

Ugly Man and Other Poems

Poetry by H. H. Chase Rodgers.

Read More
You Are What/How/Where You Work
Teddy Dondanville Owen Clarke 12/27/24 Teddy Dondanville Owen Clarke 12/27/24

You Are What/How/Where You Work

A much more entertaining glimpse at my employment history than my current resume.

Read More
The Choice
Amber Willard Owen Clarke 12/13/24 Amber Willard Owen Clarke 12/13/24

The Choice

The author explores her decision to leave her life in the United States behind and move, permanently, to the Czech Republic.

Read More
Maggie’s Kingdom
Ryan Sullivan Owen Clarke 11/22/24 Ryan Sullivan Owen Clarke 11/22/24

Maggie’s Kingdom

The author reflects on a paddling journey through the swamps of Florida.

Read More
Sick in the Head
Owen Clarke Owen Clarke 11/15/24 Owen Clarke Owen Clarke 11/15/24

Sick in the Head

Underpriced goat meat in Peru, overpriced coffee in Alabama.

Read More
Ten Days of Silence
Holly French Owen Clarke 10/18/24 Holly French Owen Clarke 10/18/24

Ten Days of Silence

I signed up for an advanced meditation course in Nepal, but I had never meditated before. Here’s how it went.

Read More
How to Get Out of Texas in Your Car
Ryan Gossen Owen Clarke 8/30/24 Ryan Gossen Owen Clarke 8/30/24

How to Get Out of Texas in Your Car

Texas has a gravitational pull. After living in Austin for 20 years, the author shares practical and metaphysical advice on how to leave.

Read More
Breakfasts
Ryan Sullivan Owen Clarke 8/23/24 Ryan Sullivan Owen Clarke 8/23/24

Breakfasts

The author explores the breakfasts of his past, and the life surrounding them.

Read More
The 20,000-foot Bolivian Budget Climb
Holly French Owen Clarke 8/2/24 Holly French Owen Clarke 8/2/24

The 20,000-foot Bolivian Budget Climb

In Bolivia, travelers routinely attempt a serious mountaineering objective on a whim.

Read More
Connecting Passion to Pocketbook
Teddy Dondanville Owen Clarke 6/21/24 Teddy Dondanville Owen Clarke 6/21/24

Connecting Passion to Pocketbook

A rock climbing guide reflects on blurring the lines between passion and profession.

Read More
Five O’Clock
Amber Willard Owen Clarke 4/26/24 Amber Willard Owen Clarke 4/26/24

Five O’Clock

An ESL teacher reflects on the invasion of Ukraine through the lense of her Ukrainian and Russian students.

Read More
The Stick Pile
Kevin Ryan Owen Clarke 4/12/24 Kevin Ryan Owen Clarke 4/12/24

The Stick Pile

For the author, hockey has always been more than just a game.

Read More
Wood Chips
Ryan Gossen Owen Clarke 3/14/24 Ryan Gossen Owen Clarke 3/14/24

Wood Chips

An arborist reflects on how we dispose of remains.

Read More
Exploring the Caves
Owen Clarke Owen Clarke 3/8/24 Owen Clarke Owen Clarke 3/8/24

Exploring the Caves

Right, wrong, and what we think we fear the most in the end.

Read More
An Unlikely Inheritance
Teddy Dondanville Owen Clarke 2/9/24 Teddy Dondanville Owen Clarke 2/9/24

An Unlikely Inheritance

A tribute to my family, the source of my love for being (and shitting) outside.

Read More
I'm Glad My Dad Died
Alben Osaki Owen Clarke 1/26/24 Alben Osaki Owen Clarke 1/26/24

I'm Glad My Dad Died

A final life lesson from Dad.

Read More
Then Call Them Roboti
Amber Willard Owen Clarke 12/15/23 Amber Willard Owen Clarke 12/15/23

Then Call Them Roboti

The story of Josef Čapek, an interwar painter and poet who gave the world the word robot.

Read More
Losing Rooney
Kevin Ryan Owen Clarke 11/24/23 Kevin Ryan Owen Clarke 11/24/23

Losing Rooney

The misery of losing my dog in the woods may have been his greatest adventure.

Read More
Newer Posts
Older Posts

Recent Essays

Essays
A Simple Morning
Gabi Daugherty
September 17, 2026
A Simple Morning
Gabi Daugherty
September 17, 2026

Musings from Barton Springs and being where you are.

Read more →
Gabi Daugherty
September 17, 2026
The Meaning of Water Skiing
Teddy Dondanville
August 21, 2026
The Meaning of Water Skiing
Teddy Dondanville
August 21, 2026

My imperfect association of nihilism and sports.

Read more →
Teddy Dondanville
August 21, 2026
Bloodlines
Kevin Ryan
July 17, 2026
Bloodlines
Kevin Ryan
July 17, 2026

Funerals, birthdays, and a conversation in Row 36.

Read more →
Kevin Ryan
July 17, 2026
From Ragger to Ridiculed
Teddy Dondanville
April 28, 2026
From Ragger to Ridiculed
Teddy Dondanville
April 28, 2026

An atypical Peace Corps experience.

Read more →
Teddy Dondanville
April 28, 2026
Ruminants
Caroline Gibbons
January 30, 2026
Ruminants
Caroline Gibbons
January 30, 2026

An anxious girl goes for a walk.

Read more →
Caroline Gibbons
January 30, 2026
Blueberry Trees
Carlina Grillo
January 9, 2026
Blueberry Trees
Carlina Grillo
January 9, 2026

A familiar dream.

Read more →
Carlina Grillo
January 9, 2026
Personal Growth
Ryan Gossen
November 21, 2025
Personal Growth
Ryan Gossen
November 21, 2025

Growth doesn't end with youth, it just gets weirder.

Read more →
Ryan Gossen
November 21, 2025
Tilting Skyward
Ryleigh Norgrove
November 7, 2025
Tilting Skyward
Ryleigh Norgrove
November 7, 2025

In a season when everything felt paper-thin, a novice climb up Mt. Adams became less peakbagging and more an instinctive step towards staying alive.

Read more →
Ryleigh Norgrove
November 7, 2025
Common Fate
Ryan Gossen
October 23, 2025
Common Fate
Ryan Gossen
October 23, 2025

How I was shaped by the insanity of driving.

Read more →
Ryan Gossen
October 23, 2025
The Tail End of the Head Beginning
Owen Clarke
October 10, 2025
The Tail End of the Head Beginning
Owen Clarke
October 10, 2025

An account of my Saturday and Sunday.

Read more →
Owen Clarke
October 10, 2025
Fashion Forewarned
David Whalen
September 26, 2025
Fashion Forewarned
David Whalen
September 26, 2025

A retrospect of style and identity.

Read more →
David Whalen
September 26, 2025
The Airplane Man
Teddy Dondanville
July 25, 2025
The Airplane Man
Teddy Dondanville
July 25, 2025

And why you should not run in airports.

Read more →
Teddy Dondanville
July 25, 2025
Newsletter Block
This newsletter signup form needs a storage option. Edit the block and enter a storage location via the Storage tab.

Join the Dead Foot Mailing List!

Sign up with your email address to receive our essays in your inbox each week. That’s it. No spam :) we promise.

Stoked to have you with us!