'Thoughtful and hypnotic. As rich, lush and meandering as the river it celebrates so well. A book to immerse yourself in, filled with hidden depths and unexpected currents.’ – Neil Ansell
'What a lovely book, written about one of Wales’s most beautiful rivers. An intimate glimpse in prose and poetry by a man with a profound understanding of his subject. Read and enjoy, I certainly did.'
– Iolo Williams.
‘Jack is a wonderful writer - his voice is wonderful company - tender, thoughtful, profound yet understated, never self-indulgent. This is a labour of love filled with the mud and blood and light and half-light of all the secret places of the river. Immersive, often shamanic in its intensity, enthralling and lyrical it brings a startling and authentic new voice to the rich body of writings on place and connection to our known and loved wet places - it’s a sinuous love letter to the self and to rediscovery - of the river, and of its importance - more vital now than ever. I’m left with the sounds of lapwing and of the marshes, of the sweet flow of the river in all its moods, human and animal. What a wonderful contribution. I loved it. Very very well done.’
– Miriam Darlington
"(A) fine, absorbing and wonderfully attentive book." Jon Gower, Nation.Cymru
"Reading Riverwise, we are reminded to find meaning in what truly matters." Sophie Buchaillard, Wales Arts Review
“Riverwise is profoundly personal ... based on real knowledge and love, and is mercifully free from moralising.” – Derek Turner, The Lady
"Wild’s experiences and storytelling come from his knowledge and love of the river and the land which add to a completely enchanting experience for the reader." – The Pilgrim Magazine
"Jack Smylie Wild's Riverwise is a beautifully written ode to the river Teifi and its surrounding landscape." – Ifan Birtwistle, Planet
"cefais bleser aruthrol yn darllen y llyfr Riverwise (Parthian) sy'n fyfyrdod am afon Teifi a'i tharddle. Mae'n glasur bychan sy'n gyfuniad o'i ddiddordeb yn y tir a'r bobl ... mae'n glasur bychan ... dyma drysor o lyfr sydd gyda'r gorau i mi ddarlden eleni."
"I had great pleasure reading Riverwise (Parthian), which is a meditation on the river Teifi and its source. It is a small classic, combining his interest in the land and its people' ... this is a treasure of a book and among the best I've read this year." – Menna Elfyn, The Western Mail
shrinking horns of green amid a white, gridded landscape of human dominance. Riverwise is a clarion call to learn to love and protect the natural world and its waterways.
Aberystwyth in 1989, but mostly raised on the edge of Dartmoor, he has been
moving between Wales and England for nearly 30 years. Jack now resides in
Cardigan, with his wife and young sons, a stone’s throw from the river he loves.