Reviews
"Laing Rikkers’ first book is a wonderful example of the ways in which communion with the natural world can calm, restore and heal. Dedicated to her late sister Ginna, it makes a meaningful argument for the power of quiet observation in the midst of chaos and an appreciation for the beauty and wisdom which is all around."
—Anna Holmes, an award-winning writer, editor at publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, and The New Yorker, and founder of the site Jezebel
“Beautiful, powerful, humbling, painful, at times terrifying – all one messy mix. It touches somewhere deep. Will read again and again to digest and fuel.”
—Dr. Ia Andrews, Psychologist
"The voice is beautiful, delicate, powerful, rich, relatable, clear, articulate, whimsical and penetrating."
—Reverend Elizabeth Uslander, MSW, MTS and founder of Empowered Endings, End of Life Care
“Even with just a small snippet, one can easily feel the generous and open spirit of Laing's writing and the thoughtful beauty of Kelly’s gossamer watercolors. Everything about Morning Leaves is calming, soothing, peaceful, and then engaging. This is truly beautiful and such a loving, soul-searching accomplishment. Laing has done the hard work. And now she has illuminated a road map, of sorts, for each new reader to find their own path forward towards healing and acceptance. She didn’t just live hers; she has now wrapped it as a gift for others. And I believe each will sense this just holding the book in their hands. The love Laing and Ginna shared is about to be released like a million butterflies.”
—Mel Yoakum Ph.D., curator and author of Francoise Gilot: Monograph 1940-2000
“This book is for everyone whether grieving or craving a connection to your soul. Laing captures the essence of life in all that nature shows us through her poetic words and unique perspectives. The art has a story of its own and takes me to places I cannot touch in the busyness of life. This is a retreat for your soul. This is a way to connect to your heart. This is a way to slow down and truly see the interconnections of all of life. This is love.”
—Jessica Zemple, author of Shuck This Way, contributor to the HuffPost, Inc.com, and Forbes, and professional Life and Business Coach
“When grieving from the loss of a loved one, or of anything we hold dear to us, finding a spark of beauty is like finding a raft in turbulent seas. Morning Leaves, Laing Rikkers’s sweet book of poems, can be that raft.
Laing’s beautiful poems offer reflections of her deep connection with the simple beauty that exists all around us and allows the reader a glimpse beyond what the eyes see, into what the soul experiences. The poems are soothing and provocative at the same time.
As a physician who specializes in supporting people through their end-of-life journeys, I’m grateful to have this book to offer to my patients and families, so they can have this little life raft at their side, to ground them and soothe them, and to connect them with something beautiful and inspiring.”
—Dr. Bob Uslander, Empowered Endings Medical Group San Diego, California
"With spare, lyrical verses, Rikkers brings us into commune with the earth, with all of life; connecting us with ourselves, with each other. What a gift to see and feel these relationships so palpably, to show how easily and perfectly it can all link up. A gift indeed!"
—Tucker Malarkey, author of An Obvious Enchantment, Resurrection, and Stronghold
"This is a beautiful book. I think it will be very helpful to people navigating grief or loss, pointing the way to finding meaning and solace in connecting to plants, animals and the rhythms of nature."
—Edward Slingerland, author of Drunk and Trying Not to Try and Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia
“I was so moved and consoled by Morning Leaves, whose poems—like the enchanting varieties of nature they observe—offer a path to healing, growth, and insight.”
—Charmaine Craig, author of the novels My Nemesis; Miss Burma, longlisted for the 2017 National Book Award for Fiction and the 2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction; and The Good Men, a national bestseller
“I was moved by this writing, I feel called to connect more deeply with the world of flora, and I am made better somehow by this.”
—Killu Sanborn, Ph.D
“Beautiful, soulful, deep writing. Joyous, yet grieving and strong.”
—Carrie Frantzich, CNM
“The story that this book tells is certainly valuable to anyone who has not “ stopped to smell the roses”. No one ever thinks that life will throw them a curveball with the magnitude Laing Rikkers experienced with the loss of her sister, Ginna.
This book not only can help those who have had loss but can help serve as a warning light to millions of people who do not realize either they or a loved one may be walking around with a ticking time bomb only moments away from an irreversible catastrophe.
Remarkably, as serious as OSA is, this disease can be treated and completely stopped in its tracks before it has an opportunity to do harm as long as the medical world intervenes early enough.
—Neal Seltzer DMD, FAGD, DABDSM, DACSDD, DASBA
“In Morning Leaves, Laing F. Rikkers’ poetry travels the path of her healing and meaning-making following the heart-shattering death of her sister Ginna. Laing bravely lifts her raw pain and willingness to listen to the lessons offered by the natural world during her morning walks and waits for the metaphors to be revealed.
The death of a beloved cracks us open, and it is in that hollowed darkness, our journey through grief and loss, that we encounter the possible seeds from which our attention, sorrow, and love can grow the new person we are invited to become as we heal. Rikkers asks us to consider that life does not end in that place of darkness but continually resurrects and flowers in gardens of deeper authenticity, connection, and meaning. Now and now.
The striking illustrations by Kelly Leahy Radding perfectly accompany this journey, underscoring its fragility, unique gifts, and profound unfolding beauty.”
—Kitty O'Meara, bestselling author of And the People Stayed Home, The Rare, Tiny Flower and Oliver and the Night Giants (Fall 2023)
“So beautifully written and thoughtfully constructed. Visceral. Visual. Vulnerable. The passages cracked open my heart.”
—Amy K. Hutchens, International award-winning speaker and Amazon bestselling author of Get It and The Secrets Leaders Keep
"Through Morning Leaves, Laing has found an elegant, beautiful way to deal with her loss. Poetry is so helpful here, isn’t it. The book is quite beautiful to look at as well."
—Nils Peterson, first Poet Laureate of Santa Clara County and author of The Comedy of Desire
"The poems within Morning Leaves are tender, compassionate and full of wonder. Laing's writing and Kelly's illustrations are conduits for healing and hope."
—Kristin A. Meekhof, M.S.W., co-author of A Widow's Guide to Healing
“This beautiful, gorgeous thing that Laing Rikkers and Kelly Leahy Radding have created together is…incredible, deeply moving, and profound. Laing took the great leap of putting her heart out there into the universe and it sings. I walked with her. I felt with her. I cried with her throughout the book and through that journey of loss, but also indescribable hope.”
–Trish Healy Luna, author of Timbi Talks about Addiction
"In this lovely volume written through a season of grief, Laing Rikkers shows us how the natural world can guide, inspire, and sustain us through heartache and loss. Morning Leaves is a call to move our bodies, commune with creation, and breathe in fresh air. But most of all, Rikkers’ beautiful volume demonstrates how artistic endeavors can become healing balms.
—Bonnie Smith Whitehouse, Author of Seasons of Wonder: Making the Ordinary Sacred Through Projects, Prayers, Reflections, and Rituals, Afoot and Lighthearted: A Journal for Mindful Walking, and Kickstart Creativity: 50 Prompted Cards to Spark Inspiration
“The poems within Morning Leaves are tender, compassionate and full of wonder. Laing's writing and Kelly's illustrations are conduits for healing and hope.”
—Kristin A. Meekhof, M.S.W., co-author of A Widow's Guide to Healing
“This is one of the most stunning books I have ever read. The poetry, elegant and poignant, captures the author's grief about the loss of her sister to undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The illustrations are exquisite, showing nature's healing beauty.”
—Literary Redhead, Blogger, Influencer
