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Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns
Andrea Gibson's dynamic and energetic first book, Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns, challenges us to not only read, but to react. Hauntingly vivid, the poems march through a soldier's lingering psychological wounds, tackle the curious questions of school children on the meaning of "hate," and tangle with a lover's witty and vibrant description of longing. Gibson's poems deconstruct the current political climate through stunning imagery and careful crafting. With the same velocity, the poignant and vacillating love poems sweep the air out of the room. It's word-induced hypoxia. Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns whispers with a bold and unforgettable internal voice rich with the kind of questioning that inspires action.
99 pages, Paperback
First published June 13, 2008
About the author
Andrea Gibson
39 books2,421 followersAndrea Gibson is an award-winning poet and activist who lives in Boulder, Colorado. Their latest book THE LORD OF THE BUTTERFLIES will be published by Button in November 2018.
Their poetry focuses on gender norms, politics, social reform and the struggles LGBTQ people face in today's society. In addition to using poetry to express what they feel and provide social and political commentary on real issues, they are involved with many activist groups. They often perform at Take Back the Night events, LGBTQ events, pride events, trans events, anti-war rallies, peace rallies, organizations against the occupation of Palestine, and groups focused on examining the wrongs of capitalism, patriarchy and white supremacy. They also work with a group called Vox Feminista whose model is to "comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable" on all these issues. Throughout the year, they tour Universities and other venues across the country.
Their poetry focuses on gender norms, politics, social reform and the struggles LGBTQ people face in today's society. In addition to using poetry to express what they feel and provide social and political commentary on real issues, they are involved with many activist groups. They often perform at Take Back the Night events, LGBTQ events, pride events, trans events, anti-war rallies, peace rallies, organizations against the occupation of Palestine, and groups focused on examining the wrongs of capitalism, patriarchy and white supremacy. They also work with a group called Vox Feminista whose model is to "comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable" on all these issues. Throughout the year, they tour Universities and other venues across the country.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews
July 10, 2020
This is the first poetry collection from Andrea Gibson I have ever read. I wished it included a more comprehensive biography, because a lot of the poems seem to refer to events and people in Gibson’s life that render them a bit obscure to the casual reader.
Gibson also specialises in ‘slam poetry’, I think it is called, which is basically performative poetry. I suspect that many of the pieces here that seem quite bland on the page must really come to life when uttered in person on stage to a rapt audience. There are also a lot of colloquialisms and slang terms used that may seem jarring when read, but probably add a lot of colour when uttered aloud.
My experience in reading this is best encapsulated by referring to two poems. The first one is called ‘El Mozote’, which contains the following section:
And she was only one of over 900 innocent people
tortured and killed that day at the massacre at El Mozote,
funded by the USA.
A crime covered up and denied by our government for years
because the killers were trained
in the School of the Americas, Ft. Benning, Georgia.
Okay, I am still non-plussed as to exactly why this is considered poetry. To me, it is just a rather stark statement of fact (which could, of course, be the point.)
Then there is the quite extraordinary poem ‘Say Yes’, probably my favourite out of the entire collection:
This is for the no becoming yes
For scars becoming breath
For saying I love you to people who will never say it to us
For scraping away the rust and remembering how to shine
For the dime you gave away when you didn’t have a penny
For the many beautiful things we do
For every song we’ve ever sung
For refusing to believe in miracles
because miracles are the impossible coming true
and everything is possible
So basically this is a poetry collection that covers a rather extraordinary breadth of subject matter, style and emotion. It is an intense, demanding experience that forces the reader to pay attention to both the words themselves, and the shadows they cast.
Gibson also specialises in ‘slam poetry’, I think it is called, which is basically performative poetry. I suspect that many of the pieces here that seem quite bland on the page must really come to life when uttered in person on stage to a rapt audience. There are also a lot of colloquialisms and slang terms used that may seem jarring when read, but probably add a lot of colour when uttered aloud.
My experience in reading this is best encapsulated by referring to two poems. The first one is called ‘El Mozote’, which contains the following section:
And she was only one of over 900 innocent people
tortured and killed that day at the massacre at El Mozote,
funded by the USA.
A crime covered up and denied by our government for years
because the killers were trained
in the School of the Americas, Ft. Benning, Georgia.
Okay, I am still non-plussed as to exactly why this is considered poetry. To me, it is just a rather stark statement of fact (which could, of course, be the point.)
Then there is the quite extraordinary poem ‘Say Yes’, probably my favourite out of the entire collection:
This is for the no becoming yes
For scars becoming breath
For saying I love you to people who will never say it to us
For scraping away the rust and remembering how to shine
For the dime you gave away when you didn’t have a penny
For the many beautiful things we do
For every song we’ve ever sung
For refusing to believe in miracles
because miracles are the impossible coming true
and everything is possible
So basically this is a poetry collection that covers a rather extraordinary breadth of subject matter, style and emotion. It is an intense, demanding experience that forces the reader to pay attention to both the words themselves, and the shadows they cast.
October 17, 2016
all kinds of heavy and sad and radical and loud and beautiful.
September 19, 2021
This book is magnificent in every sense of the word. I loved it and, even more than I did before, I love Andrea Gibson. I cannot really say much on it because I don't read a lot of poetry, so I have nothing really to compare this too, but I thoroughly enjoyed this. Please read this book. It's eye opening, in my opinion.
August 1, 2021
considering i have abandoned my book review snapchat story, i think that i’ll take to goodreads to review when it feels warranted. and in this case i feel a review is warranted. as in i can hardly understand why people can rate something so low or so high without explaination.
so this poetry anthology did disappoint me, maybe because of my natural attraction to the title and the writer. however, i think i just didn’t get on with the ‘slam-poetry’ style of writing, or was i just bored of the content in general? now i’m not going to sit here and devalidate andrea gibson’s experience, but her writing just felt so similar to a lot i’ve read before. whilst what she writes about is of deep importance, there was no new experience that captivated me. perhaps that is my fault for staying in my comfort zone.
i also do think i struggle in general with millennial poetry in general, as it often comes across as self-entitled and pretentious. if any of you know of some millennial written poetry that doesn’t make u wanna stick your head in an oven, lmk :))
so would I recommend this? to new poetry readers, i suppose. the style is basic and accessible enough and would be decent exposure to important themes. however when i read poetry i sort of want it to hit a nerve, or a heartstring, or at least a small incentive in my head, and this left my body kind of dissatisfied.
so this poetry anthology did disappoint me, maybe because of my natural attraction to the title and the writer. however, i think i just didn’t get on with the ‘slam-poetry’ style of writing, or was i just bored of the content in general? now i’m not going to sit here and devalidate andrea gibson’s experience, but her writing just felt so similar to a lot i’ve read before. whilst what she writes about is of deep importance, there was no new experience that captivated me. perhaps that is my fault for staying in my comfort zone.
i also do think i struggle in general with millennial poetry in general, as it often comes across as self-entitled and pretentious. if any of you know of some millennial written poetry that doesn’t make u wanna stick your head in an oven, lmk :))
so would I recommend this? to new poetry readers, i suppose. the style is basic and accessible enough and would be decent exposure to important themes. however when i read poetry i sort of want it to hit a nerve, or a heartstring, or at least a small incentive in my head, and this left my body kind of dissatisfied.
October 15, 2019
When I read Andrea Gibson's Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns, I think of one poet: Walt Whitman. In many respects, Gibson's first book reads like Whitman's seminal text: "Song of Myself." Whitman's blade of grass ("A child said What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands; / How could I answer the child? I do not know what it is any more than he") becomes the oft-mentioned and equally enigmatic star in Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns. For example, in "Anything," Gibson writes:
but you never wish on shooting stars
you wish on the ones
that have the courage to shine where
they are,
no matter how dark the night.
This sharp turn of phrase cuts two ways. It is simultaneous a point of fascination and a point of departure. As Gibson suggests, the shooting star is too fantastical; it must be supplanted for something more grounded and real. Yet, this star worms its way into many of Gibson's poems. It is to Gibson what zoo music is to Patricia Lockwood in "What Is the Zoo for What," always "attacking / the happy wagging ends of my poems." In the collection's penultimate poem, "Say Yes," Gibson's star returns not as something we must reconfigure, reject or recontextualize, but as something we must embrace. Gibson writes:
The world needs us right now more
than it ever has before.
Pull all your strings.
Play every chord.
If you're writing letters to the
prisoners
start tearing down the bars.
If you're handing out flashlights in
the dark
start handing out stars.
Gibson encourages their reader to adopt one of Whitman's edicts: Surrender. "Say Yes" ends with a rousing call to action:
You have a song like a breath that
could raise us
like the sunrise into a dark sky that
cries to be blue.
Play like you know we won't survive if
you don't
but we will if you do.
Play like Saturn is on his knees
proposing with all of his ten thou-
sand rings
that we give every single breath.
This is for saying, YES.
This is for saying, YES.
This surrendering, though, is not a passive, powerless act. It is, in fact, the source of one's power. Gibson's words, for example, echo Whitman's final lines in "Song of Myself." There he writes:
I bequeathe myself to the dirt, to grow from the grass I love;
If you want me again, look for me under your boot-soles.
You will hardly know who I am, or what I mean;
But I shall be good health to you nevertheless,
And filter and fibre your blood.
Gibson's star filters and fibers the blood of Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns, and by doing so, it gestures toward Whitman's transcendentalism but with a cosmic twist. Whitman's rebirth ("look for me under your boot-soles") becomes phoenix in form for Gibson. It is a cosmic rebirth.
There is something worth saying about how Gibson references soldiers in her work as well. Gibson is a queer poet, and by referencing soldiers with such tenderness and care, I want to imagine they are doing the work of queering them. Queer theory is a refusal of sorts. It is a refusal of clearly-defined identities and the ideological injunctions that produce them. By placing the soldier in their work, Gibson attempts to wrestle the soldier away from the exclusive confines of a particular political group. Gibson's queer soldier is a disruptive subject, given more agency and recognition than neo-conservative warmongers would ever afford them. To put it simply enough: They become human in Gibson's work.
but you never wish on shooting stars
you wish on the ones
that have the courage to shine where
they are,
no matter how dark the night.
This sharp turn of phrase cuts two ways. It is simultaneous a point of fascination and a point of departure. As Gibson suggests, the shooting star is too fantastical; it must be supplanted for something more grounded and real. Yet, this star worms its way into many of Gibson's poems. It is to Gibson what zoo music is to Patricia Lockwood in "What Is the Zoo for What," always "attacking / the happy wagging ends of my poems." In the collection's penultimate poem, "Say Yes," Gibson's star returns not as something we must reconfigure, reject or recontextualize, but as something we must embrace. Gibson writes:
The world needs us right now more
than it ever has before.
Pull all your strings.
Play every chord.
If you're writing letters to the
prisoners
start tearing down the bars.
If you're handing out flashlights in
the dark
start handing out stars.
Gibson encourages their reader to adopt one of Whitman's edicts: Surrender. "Say Yes" ends with a rousing call to action:
You have a song like a breath that
could raise us
like the sunrise into a dark sky that
cries to be blue.
Play like you know we won't survive if
you don't
but we will if you do.
Play like Saturn is on his knees
proposing with all of his ten thou-
sand rings
that we give every single breath.
This is for saying, YES.
This is for saying, YES.
This surrendering, though, is not a passive, powerless act. It is, in fact, the source of one's power. Gibson's words, for example, echo Whitman's final lines in "Song of Myself." There he writes:
I bequeathe myself to the dirt, to grow from the grass I love;
If you want me again, look for me under your boot-soles.
You will hardly know who I am, or what I mean;
But I shall be good health to you nevertheless,
And filter and fibre your blood.
Gibson's star filters and fibers the blood of Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns, and by doing so, it gestures toward Whitman's transcendentalism but with a cosmic twist. Whitman's rebirth ("look for me under your boot-soles") becomes phoenix in form for Gibson. It is a cosmic rebirth.
There is something worth saying about how Gibson references soldiers in her work as well. Gibson is a queer poet, and by referencing soldiers with such tenderness and care, I want to imagine they are doing the work of queering them. Queer theory is a refusal of sorts. It is a refusal of clearly-defined identities and the ideological injunctions that produce them. By placing the soldier in their work, Gibson attempts to wrestle the soldier away from the exclusive confines of a particular political group. Gibson's queer soldier is a disruptive subject, given more agency and recognition than neo-conservative warmongers would ever afford them. To put it simply enough: They become human in Gibson's work.
October 17, 2019
I just got back from watching Maleficent 2. Without spoiling anything, there's a scene that mirrors a gas chamber. And this absolutely terrible scene doesn't get addressed. The main sentence that gets repeated is, "we should move on, let's think about the future", as if innocents didn't get killed in this way. I can't get that scene out of my head, I've never seen such a visualization of the Holocaust (and, I guess, North Korea).
And yes, this is a review about Andrea Gibson's poetry and not Maleficent 2 but thinking about the film led me to think about healing broken things. And that's really what their poetry is all about, as I see it.
This short book talks about the author's own experience with mental health issues while also talking about political issues. They manage to play around with the combination of both, expressing how they're correlated.
There's this conversation about how broken everything is, both politically and individually. Andrea Gibson manages to express how horrible this is while still infusing everything hope. They acknowledge the pain, speak up about the mistakes of the past, about knowing your history, knowing who you are and what's brought you to this state and yet, being able to regrow, through an understanding. To be hopeful and powerful at the same time. It's almost as if their poetry manage to live in the future and the past in the same time.
Andrea Gibson has a way with words. They manage to make me feel, to make me upset and excited and just here, present in their words.
Admittedly, I liked Take Me With You more. It felt closer to who I am and spoke to me more. But this is great as well. More political, closer to conventional poetry but just as beautiful.
All in all, this is so relevant. I'm definitely going to read more of their poetry.
what I'm taking with me
• Real talk, I could write an article about how Andrea Gibson's ideas could have influenced the plot of Maleficent 2.
• Non-binary pride!
• There's something magical about their writing, as if nature and fairies and witchcraft co-exist and are going to defeat every war.
And yes, this is a review about Andrea Gibson's poetry and not Maleficent 2 but thinking about the film led me to think about healing broken things. And that's really what their poetry is all about, as I see it.
This short book talks about the author's own experience with mental health issues while also talking about political issues. They manage to play around with the combination of both, expressing how they're correlated.
There's this conversation about how broken everything is, both politically and individually. Andrea Gibson manages to express how horrible this is while still infusing everything hope. They acknowledge the pain, speak up about the mistakes of the past, about knowing your history, knowing who you are and what's brought you to this state and yet, being able to regrow, through an understanding. To be hopeful and powerful at the same time. It's almost as if their poetry manage to live in the future and the past in the same time.
Andrea Gibson has a way with words. They manage to make me feel, to make me upset and excited and just here, present in their words.
Admittedly, I liked Take Me With You more. It felt closer to who I am and spoke to me more. But this is great as well. More political, closer to conventional poetry but just as beautiful.
All in all, this is so relevant. I'm definitely going to read more of their poetry.
what I'm taking with me
• Real talk, I could write an article about how Andrea Gibson's ideas could have influenced the plot of Maleficent 2.
• Non-binary pride!
• There's something magical about their writing, as if nature and fairies and witchcraft co-exist and are going to defeat every war.
December 24, 2020
This one is really hard-hitting!💯
I don't think I will read something better than this from the same author ever again.
This one is serious with themes of disturbed childhood, times of war and turmoil, misunderstood adolescence, misleading politics, abuse, mistaken identity and gender issues, sexuality, race, religion and love.
I am so lost in this one.
Poetry moments.
I don't think I will read something better than this from the same author ever again.
This one is serious with themes of disturbed childhood, times of war and turmoil, misunderstood adolescence, misleading politics, abuse, mistaken identity and gender issues, sexuality, race, religion and love.
I am so lost in this one.
Poetry moments.
January 9, 2020
En ees tiiä mitä sanoa, näissä niin paljon osui sellaisiin juttuihin joita en tienny olevankaan. Psyykkisiin, kielellisiin. Miten kauniita ja riipiviä ja korjaavia!
December 17, 2018
Andrea Gibson was the first spoken word poet I followed. It was she who drew me to the beauty of spoken word poetry and slam performances. I have been wanting to read one of her books for a long time, so imagine my delight to finally read one. (Thanks, Anybooks.)
Reading her poetry is a different experience from listening to her read it aloud or watching her perform. But, there is a distinct rhyme in Andrea's words, and her insight and messages are loud and clear; they deliver, regardless of a performance.
Reading her poetry is a different experience from listening to her read it aloud or watching her perform. But, there is a distinct rhyme in Andrea's words, and her insight and messages are loud and clear; they deliver, regardless of a performance.
April 10, 2018
These gut-wrenching poems are so freaking beautiful. I had to remind myself to breathe while holding back tears in awe of what I was reading. I love the descriptiveness, the rhythms and cadences... the statements! It felt empowering and cathartic, even in the toughest moments, because they GET it. I'll be reading more (as in, everything) by Gibson now.
February 14, 2018
I bought this after reading the first poem in the bookstore and loving it. Unfortunately, it was the best one. Many of the others were too on the nose for me--perhaps because they're meant to be performed.
September 28, 2023
I really did not like this one! And I really subscribe to “there’s no such thing as a bad book” but .. wow.. I feel like the author called out a lot of injustice in the world (pertaining to communities that they’re not a part of) and then didn’t do anything transformative or interesting with it. Totally understand calling that out - it’s allyship to do so - but I think something should be done with it or it’s trauma porn. All the poems were derivative and boring… I just wouldn’t recommend.
February 14, 2019
Andrea Goddess Gibson, is there anyone better? The answer, as you come to finish her book, Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns, is no.
This book of poetry and art is radiant. Never have I felt a person so express themselves in who they are and what is important to them, than the heart that Andrea leaves on her pages. This is powerful work. She details life in a way that is felt so deeply, I'm both afraid and excited to go out in the world and try to experience it too. This is love and heartbreak bleeding on both pages.
To anyone looking to feel, whether that means to be angry, passionate, love-struck, or to come to tears by words, this is what you've been looking for. Not only is Andrea a miracle on the stage as she performs, but she continues to be in the covers of this book; a small bit of magic you can keep on your shelf.
This book of poetry and art is radiant. Never have I felt a person so express themselves in who they are and what is important to them, than the heart that Andrea leaves on her pages. This is powerful work. She details life in a way that is felt so deeply, I'm both afraid and excited to go out in the world and try to experience it too. This is love and heartbreak bleeding on both pages.
To anyone looking to feel, whether that means to be angry, passionate, love-struck, or to come to tears by words, this is what you've been looking for. Not only is Andrea a miracle on the stage as she performs, but she continues to be in the covers of this book; a small bit of magic you can keep on your shelf.
March 29, 2015
I've never been one for poetry. I'm a very literal person and lofty metaphors go way over my head ("Animal Farm wasn't just about animals?").
Andrea Gibson's stuff, however, is raw and accessible. She talks eloquently about causes I hold dear and ones I didn't even know existed.
This is an excellent book.
Andrea Gibson's stuff, however, is raw and accessible. She talks eloquently about causes I hold dear and ones I didn't even know existed.
This is an excellent book.
November 3, 2020
I admire poetry with fast-paced wordplay. The kind you expect to see performed with aggressive rhythm, meaningful hand gestures and dramatic pauses. It always seems courageous to me.
That's precisely how I would describe Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns: courageous. I will admit that I was drawn in by the suggestive title but stuck around for the way that Gibson strings ideas together. The crossing of imagery is seamless and I rarely lost grip of the overall meaning.
While most contemporary poetry leaves me flat, Gibson's verse is filled with raw emotion. It was fascinating to read the ballad of an out-and-proud lesbian bard who has risen up out of her troubled past and is up front about current hardship. Some of her chosen subject matter took me well out of my comfort zone but this collection clearly comes from the heart.
If there were more shorter and funnier poems involved, I would have loved Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns. For what it is though, it is a collection of poetry that deserves much wider circulation. I recommend Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns to those looking for stirring verse about heartache in all its forms.
Notable Poetry
• Pole Dancer – a perfect lead-in to Gibson’s expansive multifaceted descriptions of love.
• Swing-Set – a wise poem about gender and sexuality straight from the mouth of babes.
• Stick – a universal expression of intense and delirious love delivered within four lines.
That's precisely how I would describe Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns: courageous. I will admit that I was drawn in by the suggestive title but stuck around for the way that Gibson strings ideas together. The crossing of imagery is seamless and I rarely lost grip of the overall meaning.
While most contemporary poetry leaves me flat, Gibson's verse is filled with raw emotion. It was fascinating to read the ballad of an out-and-proud lesbian bard who has risen up out of her troubled past and is up front about current hardship. Some of her chosen subject matter took me well out of my comfort zone but this collection clearly comes from the heart.
If there were more shorter and funnier poems involved, I would have loved Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns. For what it is though, it is a collection of poetry that deserves much wider circulation. I recommend Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns to those looking for stirring verse about heartache in all its forms.
Notable Poetry
• Pole Dancer – a perfect lead-in to Gibson’s expansive multifaceted descriptions of love.
• Swing-Set – a wise poem about gender and sexuality straight from the mouth of babes.
• Stick – a universal expression of intense and delirious love delivered within four lines.
December 21, 2018
one of the most excellent things about reading through a poet's catalog is that you can watch their growth. Gibson wrecked me with these poems, as they always do--there were so many to pause over and chew through, to cry about or send to loved ones. you can hear them in these poems, the poet they were when they were written and the poet they have shown themself to be in Lord of the Butterflies. I think Gibson's later work is much stronger, but I only know that because I've read their work out of order--this is a collection full of gut-punches, stand-out poems, and brilliant brutal love.
September 7, 2017
Fav poems in the collection that is stronger than 3 stars: "See Through", "Birthday","Swing-Set","When the Bough Breaks".
I look forward to reading more poetry collections of Gibson, at times t there is such power in poets voice that it can almost hit you in the face like the first i saw Gibson reading even better poems at a Spoken word poetry festival in Uppsala, Sweden.
I look forward to reading more poetry collections of Gibson, at times t there is such power in poets voice that it can almost hit you in the face like the first i saw Gibson reading even better poems at a Spoken word poetry festival in Uppsala, Sweden.
January 20, 2018
Absolutely amazing. Wondrous lyrics that inspire revolution and celebrate connection in a way that makes these things feel new.
December 11, 2019
One of the most lyrical spoken words poets. Really good!
February 1, 2020
Loved this, loved this, loved this
November 28, 2022
this is Andrea's debut and I was definitely not expecting it to be as good as their most recent book which is now one of my favourites. and it wasn't, of course. but I could still see that most of the themes were already there in their poetry, what really grew over time was the style, the metaphors, the construction.
Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns sometimes has pretty common images, it rarely suprises. it's still heartwarming, but definitely not heartwrenching. and honestly I loved that - I loved that I have the chance to read through their books and see them growing, becoming better, crafting their art.
I do that with all my favourite poets and it's such a great experience, seeing someone you love so much becoming better, becoming truly themselves, it brings me so much closer to them and to their art
Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns sometimes has pretty common images, it rarely suprises. it's still heartwarming, but definitely not heartwrenching. and honestly I loved that - I loved that I have the chance to read through their books and see them growing, becoming better, crafting their art.
I do that with all my favourite poets and it's such a great experience, seeing someone you love so much becoming better, becoming truly themselves, it brings me so much closer to them and to their art
April 23, 2018
I am madly in love with this book.
June 14, 2022
I've been in love with Andrea Gibson for years but have never been able to find their books anywhere. I feel blessed to now finally have their work on my bookshelf, and I have really nothing to say about how brave and incredible and gutting and gentle this book is besides just leaving quotes from it here:
Lover, this is not just another poem.
This is my goddamn revolt.
I am done holding my tongue like a bible.
There is too much war in every verse of our silence.
We have all dug too many trenches away from ourselves.
This time I want to melt like a snowman in Georgia,
til my smile is a pile of rocks you can pick up
and skip across the lake of your doubts.
from Pole Dancer
+
Our eyes are closed, America.
There are souls in the boots of the soldiers, America.
Fuck your yellow ribbon.
You wanna support our troops,
bring them home,
and hold them tight when they get here.
from For Eli
+
I'll breathe I love you into your bloodstream
until the needles can't compare.
I'll tether my veins into thread
and stitch them through your torn seams.
I'll scream LIGHT into your bruises,
still lives beneath your track marks.
You can stand on the cliff of my heart
and shout nothing but ugly through me
I promise all I will echo back is
"Beauty, beauty, you have always been beauty."
from The Moon is a Kite
sometimes it's the metal in the wind chimes
that reminds us how soft the breeze is.
from The Moon is a Kite
and sometimes it takes the most wounded wings
the most broken things
to notice how strong the breeze is,
how precious the flight.
from The Moon is a Kite
+
At his side there's a boy with eyes like an anthem
no one stands up for.
from When the Bough Breaks
+
This is for the time you went through hell
so someone else wouldn't have to.
For the time you taught a 14-year-old girl
she was powerful.
For the time you taught a 14-year-old boy
he was beautiful.
from Say Yes
Lover, this is not just another poem.
This is my goddamn revolt.
I am done holding my tongue like a bible.
There is too much war in every verse of our silence.
We have all dug too many trenches away from ourselves.
This time I want to melt like a snowman in Georgia,
til my smile is a pile of rocks you can pick up
and skip across the lake of your doubts.
from Pole Dancer
+
Our eyes are closed, America.
There are souls in the boots of the soldiers, America.
Fuck your yellow ribbon.
You wanna support our troops,
bring them home,
and hold them tight when they get here.
from For Eli
+
I'll breathe I love you into your bloodstream
until the needles can't compare.
I'll tether my veins into thread
and stitch them through your torn seams.
I'll scream LIGHT into your bruises,
still lives beneath your track marks.
You can stand on the cliff of my heart
and shout nothing but ugly through me
I promise all I will echo back is
"Beauty, beauty, you have always been beauty."
from The Moon is a Kite
sometimes it's the metal in the wind chimes
that reminds us how soft the breeze is.
from The Moon is a Kite
and sometimes it takes the most wounded wings
the most broken things
to notice how strong the breeze is,
how precious the flight.
from The Moon is a Kite
+
At his side there's a boy with eyes like an anthem
no one stands up for.
from When the Bough Breaks
+
This is for the time you went through hell
so someone else wouldn't have to.
For the time you taught a 14-year-old girl
she was powerful.
For the time you taught a 14-year-old boy
he was beautiful.
from Say Yes
July 23, 2008
Incredible poetry. Andrea Gibson is a master.
I've given it 4 stars instead of 5 because of the quality of the book itself - where was the copy editor? There are typos throughout and the layout detracts from the poetry. The line breaks aren't quite ideal, either, especially after listening to the poems performed so many times on youtube. I don't know whether that had to do with the poet's decisions or an editor's because the poems she has on her website are split differently.
There are some other differences between the poems as she performs them and as they're in the book - presumably because she has made changes since she originally wrote them. In most cases, I prefer the versions I've heard performed, although that's probably due in part to my familiarity with the performed versions.
From such a powerful performance artist, the text itself will never quite live up to the text paired with a performance. Still, the poems themselves are incredible, and if not for the sloppiness of the publication itself, I'd give this collection 5 stars.
I've given it 4 stars instead of 5 because of the quality of the book itself - where was the copy editor? There are typos throughout and the layout detracts from the poetry. The line breaks aren't quite ideal, either, especially after listening to the poems performed so many times on youtube. I don't know whether that had to do with the poet's decisions or an editor's because the poems she has on her website are split differently.
There are some other differences between the poems as she performs them and as they're in the book - presumably because she has made changes since she originally wrote them. In most cases, I prefer the versions I've heard performed, although that's probably due in part to my familiarity with the performed versions.
From such a powerful performance artist, the text itself will never quite live up to the text paired with a performance. Still, the poems themselves are incredible, and if not for the sloppiness of the publication itself, I'd give this collection 5 stars.
May 26, 2016
Powerful and honest. An essential read for all, though very often not an easy one. Gibson captures moments of tenderness as well as brutality, and everything is shot through with an honesty about society as it stands. Poems about gender, love, violence, and an overwhelming optimism for surviving no matter what. I was able to read this in a day without fear that the poems might blur into one. They are distinctive: each is important, each is unique and each is powerful.
It's hard to 'enjoy' moments of these poems, but it's rare that I recommend a book because it feels important. Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns, which exceeds beyond any expectations its title might offer, is one of these books.
It's hard to 'enjoy' moments of these poems, but it's rare that I recommend a book because it feels important. Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns, which exceeds beyond any expectations its title might offer, is one of these books.
January 28, 2020
in this book, Andrea takes a sledgehammer to their emotions, to your emotions, and to society at large. They then invite the reader to look at the aftermath and find something beautiful in the wreckage.
The subject matter of this book is heavy. The way it is written is shockingly human and deeply emotional. If you are looking to have your soul shaken up, I would highly recommend getting your hands on this work.
The subject matter of this book is heavy. The way it is written is shockingly human and deeply emotional. If you are looking to have your soul shaken up, I would highly recommend getting your hands on this work.
January 25, 2013
"She pole dances to gospel hymns."
The thing that first caught my attention about this book was the title. The rest unfolded for itself. Andrea Gibson is one of the fiercest contemporary poets I've ever come across, and watching her perform her poems while reading them myself made the experience so much more poignant and life-changing.
A full five stars deserved. Cheers for Andrea! :)
The thing that first caught my attention about this book was the title. The rest unfolded for itself. Andrea Gibson is one of the fiercest contemporary poets I've ever come across, and watching her perform her poems while reading them myself made the experience so much more poignant and life-changing.
A full five stars deserved. Cheers for Andrea! :)
April 21, 2013
As if I needed a reminder that Andrea is perfect.
May 1, 2013
Andrea Gibson is my favourite spoken word poet. I'm so thrilled to have some of her works in a book. Particularly one that is signed.
March 24, 2014
I absolutely adore Andrea Gibson, but I do think her poetry works better performed than read off the page. I also noticed more than a few typos in the book, which was a little disappointing.
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