Poet Laureate Feature
Andrea Gibson’s Poems and Influence: Necessary Messages From a New Perspective
It’s hard to believe that the stunning cover of Colorado Poet Laureate Andrea (they/them) Gibson’s latest is somehow the least remarkable thing about You Better Be Lightning. The author of six full-length poetry collections, they’ve also won the Independent Publishers Awards twice, was a three-time finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards and won the first-ever Women’s World Poetry Slam. Gibson also performed with Vox Feminista, a “performance tribe of radical feminists bent on social change through cultural revolution,” for more than two decades and they are involved with many activist groups. As credentials go, Andrea Gibson is definitely the Real Deal.
Andrea Gibson’s poems focuses on topics that may be “new issues” to some, but will all feel familiar and universal to the LGBTQIA+ community at large: gender norms, politics, social reform, and LGBTQ rights. Gibson approaches every topic in such a thoughtful way, turning words and phrases in ways that shape their message.
Reviewers and critics consistently use words like “tenderness” when describing Gibson’s work. And if you watch a video clip on YouTube or are lucky enough to see them perform live, you’ll see why. The warmth of their voice settles on your shoulders like a blanket and your heart processes the beauty of the words before your brain does. Gibson’s poetry and spoken word pieces are thoughtful, vulnerable, and unbelievably honest, and each one meets readers wherever they may be on their journey of self-reflection or discovery.
Andrea Gibson’s Life
Gibson’s ability to shine a light in the darkest places of grief, even her own personal journey with a terminal cancer diagnosis while dealing with chronic Lyme disease, is a truly inspirational look at mortality and how it defines us.
Andrea currently lives with their partner, Megan Falley. You can hear Falley talk about Gibson’s diagnoses and mortality here:
As poet laureate…
Gibson serves as an active advocate for poetry, literacy and literature by participating in readings and other events at schools, libraries, literary festivals and the State Capitol of Colorado. Gibson will also provide the governor with an annual account of the impact and success of the poet laureate program and prepare a poem for the opening of the legislative session. But as a human, as a human being moving through a world of grief and suffering, Andrea Gibson’s voice truly speaks for all of us. Poetry fans in Colorado are in very good hands indeed!
Andrea Gibson’s Poems and Collection:
