'Sarah Thomson's Before it's too late captures the contradictory nature of humanity. We are deeply flawed: we destroy the planet, we make war, and we often don't appreciate what is valuable until it's too late. Yet we're also capable of selfless, enduring love. Her gentle and moving poems show us that it's these connections with others that give life its meaning and make it fulfilling. Thomson's chapbook leaves us with a challenge: like the two shadows in her 'At the cinema' we can sit and watch life pass us by, or, as she exhorts Ellen to do in the book's final poem, we can 'live life with love.' Nigel Kent, poet

Individual feedback for 'Lament of a Sperm Whale' from Isabelle Kenyon, Fly on the Wall Press: 'We particularly enjoyed the use of language which really delved into how an animal like a Whale may think'

Individual feedback for 'Song for Ellen' from granddaughter Ellen, aged 6: 'I never thought someone would write a poem for me. It made me cry a bit but it was a very, very happy cry'

On hearing the poems: 'The poet has a 'mogelijkheid', an ability to absorb and transmit the emotion of a situation so that the reader feels it too.' Hans Vermeulen, businessman.

On hearing the poems: 'The difference between ordinary and extra-ordinary is just...that little extra!' Anton Mullan, Composer.