Reviews for Quickwater Oracles

“The poems are infused with a sense of playfulness, wonder, and joy … [A] slow build toward jubilance appears in multiple poems, making the collection crackle with energy … The book’s more imagery-centered poems, with their visual descriptions, are spectacular…. Quickwater Oracles is an inspiring, thought-provoking collection of spiritual poetry that will carry the heart, mind, and soul toward broader, more open horizons.” Foreword Reviews, August 2021

“In this philosophical, nature-minded collection of free verse, poet Thompson (Whale Fall & Black Sage) opens up about her experiences channeling a wide range of beings … Readers … will enjoy Thompson’s idiosyncratic, unconventional poems and her mind-bending exploration of what the world could look like with some creative reorienting. Takeaway: This joyful collection of free verse poses challenging alternative views of nature and humanity in a compact, unique style. Publishers Weekly (Booklife 11/08/2021)

“Quickwater Oracles should be considered for any literary collection, [and is] a recommended pick for philosophy, self-help, and creative writers and readers, as well. The fervor of its voice, the unconventional pieces that eschew propriety for passion, and the many insights into personal power and integrity that wind through these reflections are poignant, revealing, and powerful.” Donovan’s Bookshelf, Midwest Book Review, October 2021

“…. playful and sensual; they pulse with energy and convey a sense of repose … these pieces expand the reader’s mind to a new acceptance of the Universe’s breadth, depth, positive energy, and wisdom.” BlueInkReview, August 2021

Quickwater Oracles is a 2022 Montaigne Medal Winner and Finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Awards Grand Prize.

It also won the Independent Press Award for Distinguished Favorite.

“I am in love with this book! Ruth’s … conversations with the lively spirits [of] elements, trees, mountains, flowers, animals and birds help us to let go of fear and failure, remembering that our purpose here is to dance and sing, to love and be joyful. The voices come through Ruth with true innocence and humility. They reach right into the soul [from] a time when we were one closely linked family with Nature and all life forms. Quickwater Oracles is a treasure to turn to often, healing the wound of separation and recovering a sense of simplicity and the joy of being fully human.” Angela Farmer, international yoga teacher, Lesvos, Greece

“The natural world speaks—no, sings—through Ruth Thompson’s poetic channelings in Quickwater Oracles….An accomplished, late-in-life author from a scientific and skeptical family discovers the delightful surprise of relinquishing strivings, like the pine trees who whisper, “All is for no reason. It is for pleasure. It is for itself knowing itself.” [Here], creatures both mythical and familiar tell us that self-compassion opens up into love for the whole web of life.” Jendi Reiter, author of Bullies in Love and Made Man

“Reading Ruth Thompson feels like reading Rumi or Lakshminkara or Julian of Norwich. Rich, free, joyful, Quickwater Oracles expands me. Do I understand channeling? No. Yet whenever I return to Quickwater I find myself happy in ways I can’t explain. Read it. You’ll never be the same.” Mary Johnson, author of An Unquenchable Thirst

“… I read one “conversation/poem” per day at night before sleeping … Then something strange happened…. Never have I dreamed so much than when I was reading Quickwater Oracles. They made me giggle and ponder what else might be out there that I am not aware of. And they made me want to read the book again and again. To me, these “conversations/poems” are like a treasure trove that will give me new experiences every time I read them.” – Liz Halton, lemonsbutnolemonade.co.uk blog

“This is by far my favourite collection of poems this year. As a Buddhist and newcomer to tarot, I love how Thompson incorporates spirituality into her work…. My favorite poem in this book is Duffy. I felt a deep and personal connection to this piece. It’s such a beautiful depiction that those who part from this physical world are still with us in spirit.” Her Digital C blog

“Reading these channels I laughed out loud, I was moved and expanded, enriched and delighted. What a book! What a way to use the attentiveness and presence of one’s life! Thank you, Ruth, for daring to claim your true name and sing for all of us with ears to hear.” Ailia Mira,  artist and conscious channel

“Ruth Thompson is a diminutive poet, yogi, dancer, [yet] a person who is larger than most of us. She has allowed herself to embrace a world she doesn’t know, the world of channeling, of deep spirits, of all that earth is, ancient and true. In her beautiful book of poetic revelations she gifts us with what she learned.” Esther Cohen, author of Overheard and Breakfast With Allen Ginsberg

Quickwater Oracles … will open the door to your own inner magician and connect you to an amazing world of nonphysical beings and energies….Here are songs, conversations, and meditations so engaging that you may find yourself seeking a similar path to freedom and expansion of spirit.” – Judith Slater, PhD, clinical psychologist

“Quickwater Oracles reads like a conversation with your wise elder …. [I]nspiration for daily life and beyond.” Helané Wahbeh, ND, MCR, author of The Science of Channeling and Director of Research, IONS

“This is very different than anything I’ve ever read before, and I adore it. It made me feel the way I did when I was a child exploring the woods behind my great-grandparents’ home, searching for something magical. Definitely something I will be rereading and meditating alongside for years to come!” Haley Jade Hanson, on Goodreads