Andrea Gibson, Queer Poet And Colorado Laureate, Dies At 49
The beloved spoken word artist, known for their piercing poetry on gender, illness, and justice, died surrounded by loved ones at home in Boulder.
Andrea Gibson, the acclaimed spoken word poet and Colorado’s Poet Laureate, died on July 14 at their home in Boulder. They were 49.
Gibson had been living with ovarian cancer since 2021. Their death was confirmed in a public statement posted to social media, which noted that Gibson died at 4:16 a.m., “surrounded by their wife, Meg, four ex-girlfriends, their mother and father, dozens of friends and their three beloved dogs.”
Known for blending personal storytelling with themes of gender, politics, illness, and queerness, Gibson published seven books and released seven spoken word albums over the course of a two-decade career. Their work earned numerous accolades, including the first Women’s World Poetry Slam title, multiple Denver Grand Slam victories, and two Independent Publishers Awards.
Related: Poetry Is A Lifeline: An Ode To Andrea Gibson
Gibson rose to national prominence in the spoken word scene for poetry that was accessible and emotionally direct. “I don’t write poetry that I think is hard to understand,” they told The Colorado Sun in 2023. “What I think the spoken word movement has done for poetry is that it created poems that you don’t need a Ph.D. to understand, that you don’t need a high school diploma to understand.”
In 2023, Gibson was appointed Colorado Poet Laureate by Governor Jared Polis, who praised them for their “fierce conviction in inspiring others to pursue art and take action toward solving social issues.” In a statement released following their death, Polis wrote that Gibson was “truly one of a kind and will be deeply missed by personal friends as well as all who were touched by their poetry.”
Born on August 13, 1975, in Calais, Maine, Gibson began writing poetry in childhood and started performing full-time in the early 2000s after leaving a job at a Montessori school. In addition to their literary accomplishments, Gibson was involved in activism around healthcare transparency and LGBTQ+ rights. Their work frequently addressed gun violence, political division, and access to care, including through their involvement with Power to the Patients.
After being diagnosed with cancer, Gibson became increasingly public about their health and its impact on their creative process. They chronicled their experience in interviews and through poetry, and were the subject of the 2025 documentary Come See Me in the Good Light, which followed Gibson and their wife, poet Megan Falley, during treatment. The film, produced by comedian Tig Notaro, won the Festival Favorite Award at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.
In December 2023, they released a poem titled Love Letter From the Afterlife, written for those grieving during the holiday season. It includes the line:
“I am more here than I ever was before. I am more with you than I ever could have imagined.”
The full statement announcing their death celebrated Gibson’s continued sense of purpose and clarity in the final years of their life. It read, in part:
“Andrea Gibson accomplished much on their 49 years on this planet. Though Andrea desperately wished to have lived a longer life, they could not have possibly lived a fuller one. Since learning they had cancer in 2021, Andrea has been a champion of finding beauty in unlikely places and gratitude in the hardest hours. Over the last four years, they danced with their diagnosis, and continually aimed their internal compass toward joy.
Related: Andrea Gibson’s ‘Lord Of The Butterflies’ Will Crack Your Queer Heart Wide Open
One of the last things Andrea said on this plane was, ‘I f***ing loved my life.’
Today, and all days forward, we hope you feel Andrea’s enormous spirit and immense presence beside you.
Meg and Heather, the authors of this post, have absolutely no idea how to encapsulate the magnitude and magnificence of a life like Andrea Gibson’s, so they intend to keep writing, to keep telling Andrea’s story, to keep Andrea alive in every way they can.
Andrea would want you to know that they got their wish. In the end, their heart was covered in stretch marks.”
Gibson is survived by their wife, Megan Falley, their parents, and a wide community of readers, friends, and fellow artists. Plans for a public memorial or celebration of life have not been announced.
