Science and poetry dovetail in Anne Simpson's latest collection, Is, in which she meditates on what it means to be human. She starts with the cell and examines what happens as it divides and multiplies. As she moves from the "world not yet world" through the flood and war, intimate scenes of love, parenthood, illness and death emerge.

Simpson explores the synthesis of form and content while retaining the lyricism that distinguished earlier works like the award-winning Light Falls Through You. In "Book of Beginnings," the words hum with the energy of creation and the lack of punctuation enhance the melodic fluidity of the lines:

Despite the current unsustainability of our individual carbon footprints, the standard method of personal renewal in affluent postmodern society continues to be tourism. Eyes glazed over by routine and sameness are opened to the pseudo-newness of "elsewhere." It's a strategy often used in the creative writing game. From that temporary, distant perspective, one can cast a long look back at one's homeland, and gain fresh insights.

It's refreshing to see a new poet on the scene who brings a different perspective to the privileged life we live as Canadians. Salimah Valiani, a queer activist of colour, brings readers to different places with very different views on what it is to educate and challenge through poetry, letters and memoir.

Packed in the 150 pages that is Valiani's second, and newest, collection, Letter Out: Letter In, are memories, meditations and calls to action through radical thought and crisp sentences. The collection is split in four parts: Letter to South Africa; Letter to Canada; Letter to All; Letter Out: Letter In.