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The Madness Vase
Andrea Gibson's second book of poems, The Madness Vase, offers a breathtaking continuation of the poet's most tender and honest work. Her fist book, Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns opened the door to Gibson's unapologetic voice, yet The Madness Vase manages to take an even more intimate look at the subjects of family, war, spirituality, gender, grief and hope. The poems' 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 her darkest moments, then releases out the other side. Moments later, we find ourselves inhaling words that fill us with light. Her luminous imagery is a buoy that allows us to resurface from her world clutching new possibilities of our own. Throughout her career, Gibson's poems have always been a call to social justice. But this collection goes beyond awareness. Her images linger in our psyches and entreat us to action. They challenge us to grow into our own skin. The journey may be raw at times but we are continuously left inspired, held, and certain we are not alone. By the time you finish 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."
120 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2011
156 people are currently reading
5633 people want to read
About the author
Andrea Gibson
44 books3,043 followersAndrea Faye Gibson was an American poet and activist. Their poetry focused on gender norms, politics, social justice, LGBTQ topics, life, and mortality. Gibson was appointed as the Poet Laureate of Colorado in 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 249 reviews
July 15, 2025
Dying is the opposite of leaving.
Andrea Gibson (8/13/1975 - 7/14/2025) ❤️
Favourite poems, some of which I reread, particularly “Ashes,” but also:
“The Jewelry Store”
“Andrew”
“Glider Plane”
“Somewhere, a Carpenter”
“Gospel Salt”
“Staircase”
The poem that actually had me tearing up: “Sleeping.”
I could only read it once.
Andrea Gibson (8/13/1975 - 7/14/2025) ❤️
Favourite poems, some of which I reread, particularly “Ashes,” but also:
“The Jewelry Store”
“Andrew”
“Glider Plane”
“Somewhere, a Carpenter”
“Gospel Salt”
“Staircase”
The poem that actually had me tearing up: “Sleeping.”
I could only read it once.
July 24, 2012
Andrea Gibson is one of my favorite living, breathing poets. She is an activist; the LGBTQ experience and other issues of equality pervade her work. Her poetry, however, very often transcends these themes. "My mouth is a fire escape," she writes, with all the fury of a prophet, "the words coming out don't care that they are naked. There is something burning in here." The Madness Vase is probably my favorite collection of her work. The only real complaint I have is that there are numerous typos throughout this book.
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August 31, 2016There is a god walking among us on this earth
September 3, 2023
4/5
This poetry collection is not for everyone: graphic in places, many triggers for the sensitive and those who may not be in a healthy mental place, wrestling with LGBTQ+ issues and Christianity, and occasional cursing.
BUT for those whom it is for, it is great: full of heart and heartbreak and all the other feels, interesting and original turns of phrase and use of language, undeniable talent, and keen observations. If it appeals to you, it's well worth the read!
This poetry collection is not for everyone: graphic in places, many triggers for the sensitive and those who may not be in a healthy mental place, wrestling with LGBTQ+ issues and Christianity, and occasional cursing.
BUT for those whom it is for, it is great: full of heart and heartbreak and all the other feels, interesting and original turns of phrase and use of language, undeniable talent, and keen observations. If it appeals to you, it's well worth the read!
August 5, 2018
I've heard some of Gibson's slam poetry on YouTube so I was really excited to read this collection and it was absolutely amazing. Gibson writes about a lot of topics such as war, losing people, gender identity, being queer, love(a lot of love poems), and not really fitting the expectations placed upon them. As someone who is queer and trans, I really related to a lot of the poems in this collection. I never really see myself represented at all in anything let alone literature. So for me reading about a person who has gone through the struggles I have was so refreshing and comforting, as I feel less alone in this world. I don't really want to get too personal in this review, so I'll just say I'm really glad I've read it. But even for people who aren't queer in anyway, Gibson writes in such a way that doesn't feel preachy, and really focus on their feelings. As a reader you really understand why certain experience had such a massive impact on Gibson, and really how universal their emotions are. As someone who is trans people often tell me that they don't know what it's like to be trans which is obviously true. Maybe you don't know what it's like to be misgendered on a daily basis, or what it's like to transition etc. but you probably know what it's like to try to be someone your not, or to be confused about self identity, or feel like you don't completely fit in etc. Being trans isn't some abstract idea that only trans people are allow to know what it's like. I am human , and I experience human emotions in the same way you do, maybe for different reasons but you could apply that to everyone. So what I'm trying to say is I think Gibson really expresses questioning gender identity and gender expectations in a retable and understandable to everyone regardless on your own experience with gender. That's why this collection means so much to me.
December 12, 2011
This is absolutely amazing. I have no words to describe how beautiful Andrea Gibson's writing is. I love her style, metaphors and passion behind her words. This book, hands down, is now one of my all time favorites.
March 7, 2015
2015 Reading Challenge - Read as many Poetry Books as you may.
Andrea Gibson is one of my favourite poets. Her voice is strong and her emotions are real and raw.
I have read Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns. And I liked it better than the Madness Vase. Actually I just liked a lot of poems from each one. But I prefer PDtGH
I like the imagery she paints, the words she weaves. She is soo awesome. <3
The best part about this collection was that there were these couple of fun poems. :'D
God I can't wait for Pansy to come out.
Andrea Gibson is one of my favourite poets. Her voice is strong and her emotions are real and raw.
I have read Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns. And I liked it better than the Madness Vase. Actually I just liked a lot of poems from each one. But I prefer PDtGH
I like the imagery she paints, the words she weaves. She is soo awesome. <3
The best part about this collection was that there were these couple of fun poems. :'D
God I can't wait for Pansy to come out.
May 24, 2015
For the past few years, I've seen many quotes from Andrea Gibson's poems on tumblr and other places. I've also seen some of her performances on YouTube (many/most of the poems from this book are up on YouTube if you search for them). I'm not a poetry guru by any means, so I don't have much to compare this to? But I did enjoy it. I really like her lyrical style. Some of her stanzas hit me like a ton of bricks. I got this from the library, but I'd love to own it someday.
November 25, 2023
I will never not give Andrea Gibson’s poetry 5 stars. The amount of highlights speak for themselves, I mean come on. The way they transcend time and space and queerness is what I strive to do as a writer. I feel so seen by their poetry in ways that I even try to keep hidden from myself. It’s as though they’ve read my inner thoughts and articulated them in a way I could only ever dream of doing. Even my girlfriend, who is not a fan of reading in general, likes their work because it goes beyond poetry. It’s visceral and visual and very very freaking good. Even if you don’t read poetry I recommend this book, no matter what you’re going through there is a poem, or at least a line that will speak to you.
July 31, 2024
3.5 stjörnur
Líklega eitt af fáum tilvikum þar sem betra væri að hlusta á höfundinn lesa.
Myndi skilja þessa bók betur ef ég væri frá Bandaríkjunum.
Líklega eitt af fáum tilvikum þar sem betra væri að hlusta á höfundinn lesa.
Myndi skilja þessa bók betur ef ég væri frá Bandaríkjunum.
July 7, 2022
I loved their voice throughout, I’d be excited to read more of their poetry!
September 17, 2016
"In the morning I shovel blood from white snow, I wipe my frantic breath from the window, and bind my breasts so that something will hold my breath so tight not even the air in my lungs could be identified as woman."
Exceptionally moving read and talented poet! I definitely found parts of myself in her writing. Though I am not religious her references were not an annoyance and her written struggles with LGBTQ I found to be fascinating. What a gifted author - one of a kind - I couldn't help but be gripped by this book & Andrea's presence...
Exceptionally moving read and talented poet! I definitely found parts of myself in her writing. Though I am not religious her references were not an annoyance and her written struggles with LGBTQ I found to be fascinating. What a gifted author - one of a kind - I couldn't help but be gripped by this book & Andrea's presence...
June 15, 2016
I wanted some poetry as catharsis from the horrific events that happened in Orlando this past weekend, and Andrea Gibson was just what my heart needed.
I inhaled it with the same necessity as real air. Gibson’s poems are raw emotion, shaking fury and soft vulnerability. She navigates trauma and queerness and love and heartbreak while never losing her thread of activism nor her keen sense of beauty. Splendid.
I inhaled it with the same necessity as real air. Gibson’s poems are raw emotion, shaking fury and soft vulnerability. She navigates trauma and queerness and love and heartbreak while never losing her thread of activism nor her keen sense of beauty. Splendid.
December 27, 2017
It's hard to put into words what I think about Andrea Gibson. They move me so much and leave me speechless and thinking about what I've done with my life so far.
I'd say I preferred Pansy, but it's close.
I'd say I preferred Pansy, but it's close.
December 20, 2015
My favourites:
Sleeping
Somewhere, A Carpenter
Ashes
I Sing The Body Electric, Especially When My Power's Out
Sleeping
Somewhere, A Carpenter
Ashes
I Sing The Body Electric, Especially When My Power's Out
February 11, 2018
These aren't poems one can read passively; they require devotion.
December 6, 2024
I don't think I knew just how much I could love poetry until I found Andrea's poems. Each book tears me into pieces and somehow glues me back together even better each time.
February 26, 2025
I am in love with this collection. Two of my highlighters died during my annotating process.
August 28, 2022
she has insane gay anti-war poetry on lock
December 22, 2017
While Andrea Gibson's first poetry collection is obviously superior, their second collection The Madness Vase is still superb. They still deal with hard hitting issues such as the consequences of war on veterans, their families, and the people we fight against ( Sleeping ), suicide (Piano), and violence against the LGBT community (Ashes). Gibson does not pull any punches, and they approach their subjects with raw honesty and rich emotion. Nothing in their work is contrived or forced. Maybe it's because they started out in poetry slams and spoken word, but Gibson's writing never feels stiff. They are not only honest but also funny. Not laugh out loud funny but a nudge-in-the-ribs and a sly smirk kind of funny. More poetry should be like theirs.
Perhaps the best poem in the collection is the title poem The Madness Vase. I love this poem because it gets to the core of why people write poetry. We write it so that we can breathe again, so that we can be okay. I have problems with anxiety and am not ashamed to admit I take medication for it, but sometimes writing a poem helps me more than those pills ever could. It feels like a weight is lifted off my chest. When I read The Madness Vase, I thought, "Somebody understands." Because I love this poem, here it is in full text (and my favorite part in bold).
“The nutritionist said I should eat root vegetables.
Said if I could get down thirteen turnips a day
I would be grounded, rooted.
Said my head would not keep flying away
to where the darkness lives.
The psychic told me my heart carries too much weight.
Said for twenty dollars she’d tell me what to do.
I handed her the twenty. She said, “Stop worrying, darling.
You will find a good man soon.”
The first psycho therapist told me to spend
three hours each day sitting in a dark closet
with my eyes closed and ears plugged.
I tried it once but couldn’t stop thinking
about how gay it was to be sitting in the closet.
The yogi told me to stretch everything but the truth.
Said to focus on the out breath. Said everyone finds happiness
when they care more about what they give
than what they get.
The pharmacist said, “Lexapro, Lamicatl, Lithium, Xanax.”
The doctor said an anti-psychotic might help me
forget what the trauma said.
The trauma said, “Don’t write these poems.
Nobody wants to hear you cry
about the grief inside your bones.”
But my bones said, “Tyler Clementi jumped
from the George Washington Bridge
into the Hudson River convinced
he was entirely alone.”
My bones said, “Write the poems.”
Perhaps the best poem in the collection is the title poem The Madness Vase. I love this poem because it gets to the core of why people write poetry. We write it so that we can breathe again, so that we can be okay. I have problems with anxiety and am not ashamed to admit I take medication for it, but sometimes writing a poem helps me more than those pills ever could. It feels like a weight is lifted off my chest. When I read The Madness Vase, I thought, "Somebody understands." Because I love this poem, here it is in full text (and my favorite part in bold).
“The nutritionist said I should eat root vegetables.
Said if I could get down thirteen turnips a day
I would be grounded, rooted.
Said my head would not keep flying away
to where the darkness lives.
The psychic told me my heart carries too much weight.
Said for twenty dollars she’d tell me what to do.
I handed her the twenty. She said, “Stop worrying, darling.
You will find a good man soon.”
The first psycho therapist told me to spend
three hours each day sitting in a dark closet
with my eyes closed and ears plugged.
I tried it once but couldn’t stop thinking
about how gay it was to be sitting in the closet.
The yogi told me to stretch everything but the truth.
Said to focus on the out breath. Said everyone finds happiness
when they care more about what they give
than what they get.
The pharmacist said, “Lexapro, Lamicatl, Lithium, Xanax.”
The doctor said an anti-psychotic might help me
forget what the trauma said.
The trauma said, “Don’t write these poems.
Nobody wants to hear you cry
about the grief inside your bones.”
But my bones said, “Tyler Clementi jumped
from the George Washington Bridge
into the Hudson River convinced
he was entirely alone.”
My bones said, “Write the poems.”
August 11, 2014
I bought this book when Andrea Gibson performed at my college (UTD whoosh!). She was amazing. I literally cried listening to her perform. So I was excited to read this collection.
There were a lot of really great poems, but just as many that fell flat for me, unfortunately. I think part of it is that her style of poetry lends itself more to performance than the written page (obviously, since she's a slam poet champion). I don't usually read a lot of slam poetry either, so that could just be my bias showing.
Some of my favorites:
"Maybe I Need You"
"Gravity" -- "We wear our traumas / the way the guillotine / wears gravity. / Our lovers' necks / are so soft."
"Somewhere, A Carpenter" -- "To think a sweater / is made entirely of knots. / My stomach could clothe a village tonight. / I am not ready. / The hungry never are."
"Andrew"
"Contact Solution"
"I Sing The Body Electric, Especially When My Power's Out" -- "I started talking to the stars in the sky instead. / I said, 'Tell me about the big bang.' / The stars said, 'It hurts to become.'"
There were a lot of really great poems, but just as many that fell flat for me, unfortunately. I think part of it is that her style of poetry lends itself more to performance than the written page (obviously, since she's a slam poet champion). I don't usually read a lot of slam poetry either, so that could just be my bias showing.
Some of my favorites:
"Maybe I Need You"
"Gravity" -- "We wear our traumas / the way the guillotine / wears gravity. / Our lovers' necks / are so soft."
"Somewhere, A Carpenter" -- "To think a sweater / is made entirely of knots. / My stomach could clothe a village tonight. / I am not ready. / The hungry never are."
"Andrew"
"Contact Solution"
"I Sing The Body Electric, Especially When My Power's Out" -- "I started talking to the stars in the sky instead. / I said, 'Tell me about the big bang.' / The stars said, 'It hurts to become.'"
July 15, 2025
Andrea Gibson is a strong person and an equally strong poet. I say that with conviction after reading this collection. A lot of their poems are on the long side for my taste (about 3 pages on average), but the ideas and language are there. They write a lot about gender identity and sexual identity, which I really enjoyed but may put some people off. Their metaphors are surprising and fresh, and the subjects are raw and passionate. This is without a doubt a book I'll be reading again.
Book #15 for 2013
Book #15 for 2013
August 9, 2025
A once-in-a-lifetime talent, more with us than they ever were before. Reading Andrea Gibson poetry has always felt like a religious experience since I was in high school, and even more so the older I get.
May 4, 2024
I found this book quite organically, and I am glad I did. Andrea Gibson is an important living poet. Their topics are wide ranging and go from global interests to personal tragedies.
There is a lot to unpack in all of the work from LGBTQ issues, to small Southern towns, to wars raging abroad, to love.
Some of my favorite poems in this book are: the title poem, Crab Apple Pirates, Sleeping, Ashes, The Jewelry Store, Andrew, Gospel Salt, and Yellow Bird.
These are some of the passages that I just delighted in how the words were used to denote multiple meanings.
From the Jewelry Store:
" They wanna make us something
They wanna toothpick our bones
and keep them between their teeth."
From Andrew:
"I want to bend in a thousand directions like the sun does.
Like love does.
Like time might stop
so the hands of the clock can hold each other."
From Gospel Salt:
"Tell me we will get there
before we come up broke,
believing that people, like levies,
have to hold themselves together
when often it's the falling apart
that gives them the grace
that ensures no one ever
builds a condo over their open hearts."
Just wow... keep writing Andrea.
There is a lot to unpack in all of the work from LGBTQ issues, to small Southern towns, to wars raging abroad, to love.
Some of my favorite poems in this book are: the title poem, Crab Apple Pirates, Sleeping, Ashes, The Jewelry Store, Andrew, Gospel Salt, and Yellow Bird.
These are some of the passages that I just delighted in how the words were used to denote multiple meanings.
From the Jewelry Store:
" They wanna make us something
They wanna toothpick our bones
and keep them between their teeth."
From Andrew:
"I want to bend in a thousand directions like the sun does.
Like love does.
Like time might stop
so the hands of the clock can hold each other."
From Gospel Salt:
"Tell me we will get there
before we come up broke,
believing that people, like levies,
have to hold themselves together
when often it's the falling apart
that gives them the grace
that ensures no one ever
builds a condo over their open hearts."
Just wow... keep writing Andrea.
October 16, 2025
There were some poems here I really did not like, but the ones I did like made up for it in a big way. Andrea Gibson got really big on tumblr when I was a teenager and their words always rang with so much raw truth in my little child heart. "Slip Your Mind" (which is not part of this collection) was the most romantic thing I'd ever read in my life and maybe it still is.
Andrea died this year of cancer. This world fucking sucks. So when I saw a brand new copy of this book come in at work I checked it out immediately.
Some of my favorites were "Crab Apple Pirates," "Staircase," "The Vinegar Club," "and "I Sing the Body Electric, Especially When My Power's Out," the last of which contains that extremely famous line "it hurts to become." Yeah it does, man. Hopefully the unbecoming was alright.
Andrea died this year of cancer. This world fucking sucks. So when I saw a brand new copy of this book come in at work I checked it out immediately.
Some of my favorites were "Crab Apple Pirates," "Staircase," "The Vinegar Club," "and "I Sing the Body Electric, Especially When My Power's Out," the last of which contains that extremely famous line "it hurts to become." Yeah it does, man. Hopefully the unbecoming was alright.
September 29, 2024
had its moments and i marked quite a few beautiful passages but i think those one-liners work better on their own. the poems in themselves felt, for the lack of a better word, too straightfoward. and i don’t think great poetry needs to have layers on layers of meaning to uncover for it to feel profound (ie. mary oliver). but here it all just felt heavy-handed and i wanted to see gibson reach different associations than the first ones readily available, which she seemed most often to pick. i watched her perform on youtube because i’ve seen a lot of people say her poetry works better in spoken form but still, i wasn’t too convinced. maybe just not the collection for me!
December 15, 2018
Andrea Gibson is one of my favorite poets so I'll read/listen to about anything they write. I appreciated that this poetry collection had a few pieces that I wasn't familiar with (from listening to their albums). Beautiful/heartbreaking/inspiriting. I love the way that they play with metephore especially with the body/politics/the world/queerness/ religion
January 31, 2022
This collection contains some of my favorite poems by Andrea Gibson, like "Ashes" (written from the point of view of a GLTBQ+ soldier tortured and burned), "Maybe I Need You" (about love and heartbreak), "Somewhere, a Carpenter" (about Andrea's love for their grandmother)... Honestly, I feel like nearly all of the poems in this collection are favorites, and they tend to make me bawl.
July 9, 2022
I found myself quoting a lot of poems and sending some of the poems to friends because some poems hit me really hard and had a beautiful message but others rambled on a bit too long for me. I’m new to poetry, though.
March 1, 2020
I got my copy signed at a show last night, and I already know the next week is going to hazy with the love that Andrea speaks so strongly about
Displaying 1 - 30 of 249 reviews