Lord of the Butterflies

by Andrea Gibson

Overview

Andrea Gibson’s latest collection is a masterful showcase from the poet whose writing and performances have captured the hearts of millions. With artful and nuanced looks at gender, romance, loss, and family, Lord of the Butterflies is a new peak in Gibson’s career. Each emotion here is deft and delicate, resting inside of imagery heavy enough to sink the heart, while giving the body wings to soar.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781943735426
Publisher:	Button Poetry
Publication date:	11/27/2018
Series:	Button Poetry
Pages:	96
Sales rank:	85,861
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

One of the most celebrated and successful poets of the last two decades, Andrea Gibson began their career in 1999 with a break-up poem at an open mic in Boulder, Colorado. In 2008, Gibson leapt into the forefront of the national spoken word poetry scene when they won the first ever Woman of the World Poetry Slam. Gibson is the author of four previous books of poetry and has release seven spoken-word albums. The honesty of Gibson’s work makes audiences and readers feel welcome as they are.

Editorial Reviews

11/19/2018
Propelled by all that is raw, heartfelt, and confessional, this fifth collection from Gibson (Take Me With You) is a tour de force of performance poetry. Gibson is a natural storyteller and delivers with gumption, whether narrating a visit to an ex-lover’s new ivy-coated apartment or digitally editing a sister’s mug shot. Recounting the Orlando nightclub shooting, where first responders “walked through the horrific scene/ of bodies and called out,/ If you are alive, raise your hand,” Gibson’s speaker recalls being in bed hundreds of miles away, imagining that “in that exact moment/ my hand twitched in my sleep,/ some unconscious part of me aware/ that I had a pulse,/ that I was alive.” The book’s subject matter ranges widely, with Gibson delivering a tongue-in-cheek ode to public panic attacks (“You found me at Disney World,/ in line for The Little Mermaid/ Slow Moving Clam Ride”) between tackling Tinder dating and gun violence, and confronting issues that affect the greater LGBTQ community. Despite Gibson’s storytelling prowess, some of these poems feel a little too familiar while simultaneously falling flat on the page. Though this work lacks the vivacity of Gibson’s stage presence and live performance, the book is notable for its energy and diverse array of voice-driven poems. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly