There are some artists who don’t just share their work — they share themselves.
Andrea Gibson is one of them.
I still remember the first time I stumbled upon one of their spoken word videos late one night on YouTube. I was exhausted, scrolling aimlessly, feeling lost in my own skin, and then… I heard their voice.
The poem was called “The Nutritionist.”
And halfway through it, I was crying.
Not the kind of cry that’s loud and dramatic — the kind that sneaks up on you, cracks open something deep, and whispers, "You’ve been needing to feel this for a while."
✍️ Who Is Andrea Gibson?
Andrea Gibson (they/them) is an award-winning American poet, activist, and performer. They're one of the most recognized names in spoken word poetry today, especially within LGBTQ+ communities.
But calling Andrea “just” a poet is like calling the ocean “just” water.
They’re an experience.
A storyteller.
A survivor.
A truth-teller with a microphone and a mission.
Their poetry tackles everything from gender identity, mental illness, political injustice, and grief — to love in all its messy, radiant forms.
🌈 A Lifeline for Queer Souls
As someone who identifies as queer, I can say without hesitation: Andrea’s poetry saved me.
It showed me a version of love I had never seen in literature before — one that didn’t apologize.
One that didn't straighten itself out to be palatable.
Andrea writes with such brutal, beautiful honesty that it makes you want to be honest with yourself too.
Here’s one of my favorite lines from their book Lord of the Butterflies:
"The spaces between the stars are not empty. They are full of my feeling for you."
I remember reading that and gasping. Not because it was flashy or clever. But because it was true in the way only a poem can be true — like it had been sitting in my chest, waiting to be written by someone else.
🎤 Spoken Word: Where Poetry Becomes Pulse
If you’ve never watched Andrea perform live — please, stop reading this and go do it.
Now.
Seriously.
Their voice carries something sacred. There’s a tremble in it. A strength. A softness that cuts through the noise of everyday life. Whether it’s a poem about a lover, a dog, a protest, or a terminal diagnosis — Andrea speaks with an urgency that makes you lean in.
They don’t read poetry.
They deliver it.
Like a prayer.
Like a warning.
Like a hug that says, “You’re not alone.”
💔 Illness, Resilience, and Radical Hope
In 2023, Andrea revealed they had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
For many, this news was heartbreaking. For Andrea — it became another chapter in the story they’ve always told:
That life is messy.
That bodies are fragile.
That we don’t get to choose what breaks us — but we do get to choose how we show up after the breaking.
They’ve continued to write, to speak, to connect.
Their newsletter is full of humor, honesty, and hope.
Their social media is raw and tender — a space that feels like both a diary and a shared heartbeat.
And in all of it, there’s this quiet insistence:
“You don’t have to be okay to be worthy of love.”
📚 Their Books Are Not Books — They’re Survival Kits
Some of Andrea’s most beloved books include:
-
Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns
-
The Madness Vase
-
Take Me With You (a book of quotes & poems people carry like medicine)
-
Lord of the Butterflies
-
You Better Be Lightning (one of my favorites — bold, aching, and unapologetically alive)
Each one is like a map for navigating the human condition — love, rage, fear, joy, grief, recovery.
💬 Why Andrea Gibson Matters So Damn Much
Because we live in a world that often tells us to shut up, numb out, toughen up — Andrea reminds us it’s okay to feel deeply.
To break.
To cry in public.
To love loudly.
To not have it all figured out.
Andrea Gibson matters because they give people like me — and maybe like you — permission to take our softness seriously.
🌻 Final Thoughts (from a fan with a full heart)
If you’ve never read Andrea Gibson’s poetry, let me say this:
Don’t just read it.
Feel it.
Let it sink into the cracks you thought were too ugly to show anyone.
Let it whisper into the places you’ve been quiet for too long.
Let it make you brave.
Andrea once said:
“I want to have lived the width of my life, not just the length of it.”
And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from their work, it’s that being fully alive means being fully feeling — even when it hurts.
Especially when it hurts.
Your Turn:
Have you read Andrea Gibson before?
What poem hit you the hardest?
Let me know in the comments — let’s build a little poetry circle down here. 🌙
#AndreaGibson #PoetryWithHeart #QueerPoets #SpokenWordHealing #BlogWithFeeling
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