The Madness Vase

Popular in queer communities, anti-war organizations, college campuses and women/gender studies programs, Andrea Gibson's second book of poems, The Madness Vase topics range from hate crimes to playgrounds, from international conflict to hometowns, from falling in love to the desperation of loneliness.

Gibson's work seizes us by the collar and hauls us inside some of their darkest moments, then releases to the other side. Moments later, we find ourselves inhaling words that fill us with light. Their luminous imagery is a buoy that allows us to resurface from their world clutching new possibilities of our own, and linger in our psyches and entreat us to action. They challenge us to grow into our own skin.
By the time you finish reading, 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."


Praise

"If spoken word were professional boxing Andrea Gibson would be the light weight you don't think much of until she knocks you flat on your ass."

--The Denver Westword


"Andrea Gibson is a truly American poet, or rather, she represents the America I want to live in. Beautiful, thoughtful and grounded, her poetry doesn't just give us an honest look at who we are today -- as a country and as a people--but also lights a candle to lead us where we need to go."

--Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz


"Gibson is among the nation's most admired and emulated poets. Her verse is at once personal and political, feminist and universal, filled with incinerating verbs and metaphor, and delivered with gut punching urgency."

--Metaphor Media


"Andrea Gibson's poems are active Volcano. They burn away and rebirth... a creation story in every line. They remind us that the world will keep spinning if we just push a little. This book will make you PUSH "

--Sonya Renee