Andrea Gibson's second poetry collection,
The Madness Vase
, beautifully extends their tender and honest work.
While their first book,
Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns
, unveiled Gibson's unapologetic voice,
delves even deeper into themes like family, war, spirituality, gender, grief, and hope.
Covering subjects from hate crimes to love and loneliness to global conflicts, Gibson's verses pull us into their darkest moments, only to release us into words that radiate light. Their luminous imagery acts as a buoy, guiding us to new possibilities.
Throughout their career, Gibson's poetry has called for social justice, and this collection pushes past mere awareness.  After reading
The Madness Vase,
you too will believe, "Folks like us/ We've got shoulder blades that rust in the rain/But they are still G-sharp/Whenever our spinal chords are tuned to the key of redemption/So go ahead world/Pick us/To make things better."