Photo courtesy of Brooke Matson. Brooke Matson is a Spokane-based poet and book artist whose latest collection, In Accelerated Silence , explores the intersections of Big Science (think astrophysics) and Big Feeling (think grief and resilience). Both philosophical and grounded in the elements and the body, these poems read like missives from a starry night, when the body feels alive and the mind contemplative. Hum by Jamaal May: Maybe because I read it on my first writing residency, May’s first full collection showcases his talent for word choice, rhythm, and creativity on the page. You can almost feel him pushing the boundaries of each poem in terms of structure, perspective, imagery, or all of them at once. The word choice is so spot-on that many of the poems take on a texture or resonant quality (as the title of the book implies). Needless to say, these poems inspired me to experiment during my residency and I still return to the poems often. Some have become downright imprinted on my mind.