Morning Leaves: Cultivating a Life of Beauty, Meaning, and Joy

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR
"Morning Leaves is a gift to all who open their eyes to its images and their hearts to its whispers and exhortations."--Faith Salie, Emmy-winning contributor to CBS News Sunday Morning and author of Approval Junkie
A radiant fusion of poetry and nature art, Morning Leaves: Cultivating a Life of Beauty, Meaning, and Joy is a tender, soul-stirring meditation on grief, healing, and the quiet joy of rediscovering beauty one morning at a time.
Steeped in beautiful art and verse that invites reflection, Morning Leaves is the perfect gift book or self-purchase.
Steeped in beautiful art and verse that invites reflection, Morning Leaves is the perfect gift book for self-purchase or those seeking greater meaning and joy.

An award-winning blend of reflection, poetry, and nature-inspired art, Morning Leaves invites readers to slow down into the beauty of everyday life. With honesty and warmth, Laing Rikkers offers insights on healing, presence, and hope.

Through the lens of nature and creativity, she reveals that in uncertain or chaotic times, there is a path to meaning, connection, and light. Walk with her through the garden of imagination and rediscover your own wellspring of joy.

AWARD WINS FOR MORNING LEAVES:
2023 FOREWORD INDIES AWARDS WINNER
2023 PUBWEST DESIGN AWARDS WINNER
2024 FEATHERED QUILL BOOK AWARDS WINNER GOLD
2024 IBPA BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AWARDS WINNER GOLD
MORE PRAISE FOR MORNING LEAVES:
"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, co-author of A Widow's Guide to Healing

"So beautifully written and thoughtfully constructed. Visceral. Visual. Vulnerable. The passages cracked open my heart."
--Amy K. Hutchens, award-winning speaker and bestselling author of Get It and The Secrets Leaders Keep

Author: Laing F. Rikkers
Publisher: Red Hen Press
Published: 03/24/2026
Pages: 120
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.71lbs
Size: 8.10h x 6.10w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9781636284729

About the Author

Laing F. Rikkers was raised in New York City and earned her BA from Harvard College, followed by an MA in psychology from Columbia University. She spent most of her career as a medical device investor and co-founded ProSomnus Sleep Technologies. Currently, she works as an executive coach and public speaker, supporting leaders through periods of transition and growth. Laing lives in Southern California with her husband and their spirited dog and is the proud mother of two adult children.

Kelly Leahy Radding honors the natural world she loves through her art. She finds all aspects of nature interesting subjects for her paintings. Animals, plants, butterflies, rocks, the sometimes overlooked minute details of Nature, are to her an integral and necessary part of the whole. Kelly grew up in rural Connecticut on the edge of a state forest and has come full circle living on a farm in Columbia, Connecticut at the end of a dirt road surrounded by woods. She shares the farm with her husband, her brother, three gray cats, seven elderly goats and one perfect border collie.