Speaking of beautiful books, I got my contributor's copy of A Verse Map of Vancouver today and what a stunning production it is. I thought the Halifax antho I was in a few years ago was nice--it is--but this beats it hands down. A full-sized, full colour hardback coffee table book, Derek Von Essen's photos not only gorgeous but carefully chosen to accompany the selected poems. Wowzas. Kudos to George McWhirter for conceiving of the project and executing it so finely, to Von Essen for his hard work and beautiful results, and to the city and Anvil Press for not stinting in the production values. You can tell a lot of labour went into this--time well spent. And money well spent if you get yourself a copy.