So glad I picked this book. Just what I needed to read. Excellent choice of topics and what a variety! Splendid read.

Andrea Gibson introduced me to the power of poetry.

I thought verse was all flowers and love and a bunch of other crap that, not only could I not relate to, I also couldn't give one single solitary f#ck about.

YouTube is where my love affair with Andrea began. After inadvertently coming across a spoken word video (I was most likely watching pimple popping videos at the time) my view on poetry changed.

I changed.

I became educated on the LGBTQ community in a way that was relatable and tangible. I had gay friends, isn't that what every heterosexual person says? I realized they weren't really friends because I didn't know them as intimately as I did my straight friends. I naively thought I knew the life that they had and continued to endure because I watched that one movie that one time that had a gay guy in it. I watched Queer Eye and The L Word and considered myself enlightened.

My level of ignorance was shameful at best.

After devouring every video I could find, I then ordered the book The Madness Vase. My very first poetry purchase.

Next, I drove four hours to go and witness these words that I had fallen in love with spoken by their architect.

Words had never had such an effect on me before that live spoken word performance. I was gutted and resuscitated, my heart injured and then revived. I was a mass of emotions and then I realized I was crying. Out of embarrassment, I glanced around to see if anybody was looking at me only to discover that the entire audience was in tears.

I'm going to see my second live performance by Andrea on April 9, 2019. I'm bringing tissues this time.

This new book is beyond words, it is simply something that you must experience for yourself. It is now available in paper and ebook form.

As someone that has suffered with panic disorder for 23 years, ODE TO A PANIC ATTACK resounds with me on a level I never thought possible, giving me words to describe the indescribable.
_________________________________________________

A very small excerpt from
ODE TO A PANIC ATTACK

If you've never had a panic attack,
there's a good chance that you've
been an ass to someone who has.
JUST RELAX
and CALM DOWN
always seem like helpful things
to scream if oxygen
has never been over your head,
if your body has never been it's own corset.
______________________________________________

Thank you, Andrea, for sharing your words with the world and for being you.



I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lovely and heartfelt poetry collection with a gorgeous cover. Read as the description said it was LGBTQIA and this was delivered, very happy to see more poetry like this being published.

Andrea Gibson's Lord of the Butterflies is a collection of poems that will pull at ankles and lift hearts up to shatter them like fireworks against dark skies.

With a focus on LGBTQ struggles, mental health, and family, Gibson built a door to welcome pain, loss, and love that will reform the lives of readers. This book is powerful and it matters.

Thirty-eight amazing poems in this collection from Andrea Gibson, one of the well-known spoken word poetry performers and author of poetry books as well. While browsing for poetry books in an online bookstore, I stumbled to her recently published book, Take Me With You, and I was captivated immediately to it because the included poems are easy to comprehend.

As for this new book of hers, the theme varies from politics, anxiety, current events such as the mass shootings in America, depression, love, heartbreak, and LGBTQ to name a few. The poems that I found truly remarkable are Orlando, Diagnosis, Thankstaking, America Wakes Me in the Middle of the Night, Depression, All The Good In You, Dear Trump Voter, Until We Act, and America, Reloading.

This is my first time to read poems about some of the social issues in the land of the free and home of the brave. And a lot of its citizen who will read this book will also appreciate these poems because of how they reflect what is currently happening to their country. Writing these poems are like a different course to fight oppression and to stand up for better gun control all over their states.

There is also a high probability that I will re-read this book in the future because of how easy it is to comprehend the poems. Getting a copy is a must especially those who are lovers of poetry or spoken words.

I am not one for poetry, but I found that this one was a lot better than I expected. It touches on a lot of different aspects regarding LGBTQ life and experiences that not a lot of people understand. My favorite was the one about Orlando (Pulse Night Club shooting). They were far away from when it happened, but the author illustrated a little bit of the connectedness that spreads across people as people.

Some of the others I didn't quite feel connected to, but it was enough so that I left with a positive feel of this work.

God, I adore Andrea Gibson. They’re poetry is just so amazing and powerful, and always makes my heart feel so full. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to read ORLANDO without wanting to curl up and cry. DEAR TRUMP VOTER, is a super important piece and it hurt to read. On the other hand, FIGHT FOR LOVE is a wonderful love poem and I loved all the “definition” pieces for their shortness yet intense impact.

Definitely a recommend!

An extraordinary exploration of self, of gender, of intimacy, of love, and of loss. As a queer person I saw parts of myself looking back, vulnerable, and yet for this reason Gibson's poetry worked to knit me together just as tears fell, knowing this: I am not alone.

The Lord of the Butterflies, by Andrea Gibson, is a book that was accessed by NetGalley (free), in exchange for an honest opinion. Honestly, from now on, I will follow the work by Andrea Gibson and I intend to acquire the Vase of Madness.

Andrea Gibson's poetry and performances, used in the slam poetry circuits, have a strong focus on issues of gender identity and the difficulties of the LGBTQ community. But not only.

I have found in the Lord of the Butterflies, expressions of love, of social indignation (with emphasis on mass homicides and Trump, of course), mental health problems and references to as relationships in the modern world, namely in social networks.

I read each page, of this small book of poetry with more emotion and pleasure.

Luckily I do not live with mental health issues, or the barriers that are the everyday life of the LGBTQ community. I also have the privilege of having being born in one of the safest countries in the world.

But the Lord of the Butterflies is magnificent because it transports us to the lives of other people, and in such a beautiful form that it becomes magical.

And although this, Andrea Gibson, because it deals with humanity, prints its universal poetry.

There are so many amazing poems in this collection!
"Orlando" made me cry, "Good Lights" made me feel things, and "Ode to the Public Panic Attack" was so relatable!
Incredible imagery in most of the poems, and all of them manage to stir emotions with seemingly no effort.
Only thing is that I tend to prefer shorter poems, and a lot of these were quite long, but the quality more than made up for it.

Chills. I had bloody chill reading this book. Oh dear god, Andrea Gibson can do nothing wrong. As my favorite poet I wasn't expecting any thing less from her, but those freaking goosebumps were even better than I had anticipated!

I guess not all poetry is for me. Some of these poems really hit me hard in the chest, a big punch in the feels, but some others, I just couldn't connect to them, especially for the longer ones. But they speak of something important, this constant battle around us, about us and it's something more people need to read/hear.

These poems packed a punch and didn't ever hold back. I loved how true and honest and raw each and every one of these poems was and I loved reading this lovely collection of poetry.

The only thing that has me docking stars is that the poems were longer than I'm used to, and sometimes the length would lose me along the way. Nothing against longer poems, I guess they just aren't for me, though.

A collection of poems with very powerful messages and a gorgeous cover. I was first drawn to this book because it was tagged as LGBT poetry, but the collection touches on several other topics that are just as interesting and important. Some poems were not my cup of tea, but some of them were beautiful, thought-provoking, heartbreaking, and even difficult to read.

WOW. This collection left me speechless. I'm trying to find the words to describe the love/heartbreak, fear/rage, grief/joy of Lord of the Butterflies, but I just don't have them. Read it. I'll return to these poems again and again.

Another amazing book of poetry by Andrea Gibson! This collection was timely, courageous, and honest. I recommend this for anyone who is concerned about the state of our current United States as well as anyone who has experienced battles with their mental health.

These poems are revolutionary.

This poetry novel was one of the best i've ever read. I expected it would be something like milk & honey, which I didn't like much. The poems tackle issues that people face in a way that does not romanticize nor downsize the issue. The way the sentences were written struck me to the bone, and made me rethink about a lot of things i've done with my life.

Lord of the Butterflies is described in the About the Author section as “a book of protests, panic attacks, and pride parades. These poems riot against gun violence, homophobia, and white supremacy, while jubilating gender expansion, queer love, and the will to stay alive.” It also says Gibson is “known for pulling hearts out of chests to either wrench or kiss”. Yes, hundred times over, yes. I’m quoting because I honestly couldn’t sum it up any better than that.

Some of these poems make you want to stop reading and go share them with a friend, now. Others feel like private messages, meant just for you. Some need to be posted on billboards and played over the airwaves for all to see and hear.

I thought it was interesting that “Until We Act” was placed right after “Dear Trump Voter”. I know people who refuse to keep up with what’s going on around us, claiming “it’s too hard” because they “care too much.” They practically boast about the fact that they don’t know what’s happening in the world. While “Dear Trump Voter” is a direct message to a very particular group of people, “Until We Act” serves as a pointed rallying cry to moderates and armchair liberals.

That being said, having an open heart—for oneself and for others—and learning to open your heart, seems to be a common thread throughout this collection. Everything I felt about Gibson’s writing in Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns holds true here: I love the descriptiveness, the rhythms and cadences, the statements! The writing is empowering and cathartic, even in the toughest of moments. Gibson's poetry is perfection, really and truly. But most importantly, Andrea Gibson makes me feel like poetry is for everyone to read.

I'm a latecomer to the Andrea Gibson party. I'm so glad I made it though. Their poems cover everything in such beautiful, but accessible language.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion.

I've already said it many times this year, but I have found such an interest in poetry recently. Button Poetry never ceases to amaze me with the talents writers and performers they find. I took my time with this one because some of the poems did get a little heavy, but in a great way. I think there is literally something everyone can relate to in the book, and it had many pieces that were thought provoking to say the least.

I enjoyed every minute of this collection, I really felt some of it on a personal level. Andrea Gibson is incredibly talented.