The Madness Vase

by Andrea Gibson

Overview

Andrea Gibson's second poetry collection, The Madness Vase, beautifully extends their tender and honest work.

While their first book, Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns, unveiled Gibson's unapologetic voice, The Madness Vase delves even deeper into themes like family, war, spirituality, gender, grief, and hope.

Covering subjects from hate crimes to love and loneliness to global conflicts, Gibson's verses pull us into their darkest moments, only to release us into words that radiate light.

Their luminous imagery acts as a buoy, guiding us to new possibilities. Throughout their career, Gibson's poetry has called for social justice, and this collection pushes past mere awareness. After reading "The Madness Vase," 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."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781935904373
Publisher:	Write Bloody Publishing
Publication date:	07/29/2011
Pages:	100
Sales rank:	636,470
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.40(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. They are based out of Boulder, CO.

Read an Excerpt

“..when a war ends, what does that look like exactly?
do the cells in the body stop detonating themselves?
does the orphanage stop screaming for its mother?
when the sand in the desert has been melted down to glass
and our reflection is not something we can stand to look at
does the white flag make for a perfect blindfold?
yesterday i was told a story
about this little girl in Iraq, six-years-old,
who cannot fall asleep
because when she does
she dreams of nothing
but the day she watched her dog
eat her neighbor's corpse.
if you told her war is over
do you think she can sleep?”
―Andrea Gibson, The Madness Vase

Editorial Reviews

"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'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, National & International Poetry Slam Champion









"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, The Body Is Not an Apology

From the Publisher