Andrea Gibson 360 aka the night I had a permasmile that wouldnt end

It is not often that you get to be as close as I was to someone that has completely changed my life. Andrea Gibson is an amazing poet and an amazing person. Andrea is one of the few people that I have met that really lets her soul step into her body and it lets that energy fill the hearts and ears of those in her presence. She is small in stature, but her energy makes her bigger than life. I remember hearing "Ashes", a poem about a gay soldier that was burned to death, for the first time-- my life changed. She inspires creativity, and speaks a truth that will cut through the reality of our little bubbles and she helps us to see what is really there.

I teared up the moment I saw her, and when I got that first hug of the evening from one of my personal heros- God truly was pulling at the corners of my cheeks ( a great line from her poem photograph). We got to help man her merch table, and I got an autograph in my book. She read my favorite poems, and at times I felt like she was speaking directly to my soul.

I think the biggest lesson in this encounter is learning to speak from the soul. How often do we have chances and opportunities to do so, but let those moments pass us by?

Here are a few of her poems, and I hope you will find as much enjoyment in hearing her words as I have.

Much love,

Mike-