"When your heart is broken, you plant seeds in the cracks and pray for rain."- Andrea Gibson
Andrea Gibson, Colorado poet laureate, performance artist, and purveyor of words that will reach past all your defenses, has died. They were 49 years old. This AP story will give you all the facts. https://apnews.com/article/andrea-gibson-died-49-cancer-documentary-7fd829ad0acee18fe76614f9f1fdeae5
What it won’t do, and I won’t try to do, is capture the exquisite white flame of clarity that radiated from them. For that, you will have to listen to the final poem they shared days before their death with their life partner, Megan Falley.
Love Letter From the Afterlife: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1LPerbaSxC/
In addition, you can and should see the award winning film about their life entitled, “Come See Me in the Good Light.” It’s the winner of six Festival Favorite awards this year at the Sundance Film Festival, and is scheduled to air this fall on Apple TV+. Here’s what Andrea had to say about their hopes for the film:
“We hope you get the chance to watch it beside people you love—and maybe even beside people you think are strangers, until the lights come up and you realize none of us really are.”
I also won’t try to tell you what their work meant to me other than to say that the moment I read these words, “…I love sentences. I love words huddled together like strangers trying to survive a frigid night,” I knew I’d found a kindred spirit.
One of my favorite quotes from Andrea is, “In the end, I want my heart to be covered in stretch marks.” Having watched in awe and gratitude as you ran straight into the challenge of living and loving despite your diagnosis, Andrea, I have no doubt that your heart is beautifully stretched. Thank you so much. I’ll be looking and listening for you in that good light.
Resources
Andrea’s Substack: Things That Don’t Suck
The Wrap (interview with the director and producer)
P.S. Andrea’s friends and followers are writing some beautiful poetry of their own about Andrea’s life and how their own were impacted. I know they’d love this and hope you will share your work with the rest of us.
With love,
Jena
Copyright 2025 by Jena Ball. All Rights Reserved.
I’m not crying. I swear. 😭😭😭