Andrea Gibson, Beloved Colorado Poet Laureate and LGBTQ+ Advocate, Dies at 49
Andrea Gibson, Colorado’s poet laureate and a powerful national voice on LGBTQ+ issues, passed away Monday at the age of 49 after a years-long battle with ovarian cancer.
Gibson’s poetic voice was deeply rooted in lived experience, known for its clarity, emotional depth, and unwavering advocacy for marginalized communities. Their work touched on queer rights, political division, gun reform, environmental justice, and the complexities of the American healthcare system—subjects they felt were central to everyday Coloradans.
A tireless advocate beyond the page, Gibson worked with Power to the Patients, a national campaign pushing for transparent hospital pricing. They used their personal journey through the healthcare system to illuminate broader systemic issues and inspire reform.
In 2023, Gibson was named Colorado’s poet laureate, an honor they described as more meaningful than national awards because of their deep connection to Colorado’s literary community. “Everything I know about poetry, I learned from Colorado poets,” Gibson told The Colorado Sun.
Their passion for accessible art was evident in their commitment to spoken word. “I don’t write poetry that I think is hard to understand,” they said in a 2023 interview. “The spoken word movement created poems that you don’t need a Ph.D.—or even a high school diploma—to understand.”
Gibson had been writing since childhood and committed to poetry full-time in 2005, leaving a Montessori school job to tour, publish, and perform. They went on to win numerous accolades, including four Denver Grand Slam titles, the first Women’s World Poetry Slam championship, and two Independent Publishers Awards. Over the years, they published seven books and toured internationally as one of spoken word’s most celebrated voices.
Their life and marriage to fellow poet Megan Falley were chronicled in the 2024 Sundance Festival Favorite-winning documentary Come See Me in the Good Light, produced by Tig Notaro. The film captured the couple’s journey through Gibson’s diagnosis and celebrated their resilience, humor, and deep love.
Rather than retreat into despair after the 2021 cancer diagnosis, Gibson embraced life more fully. “It changed me,” they said. “These interactions with people who I frankly might be afraid of… would be these very tender, loving interactions with strangers. And I started thinking, ‘Where is the bridge here?’”
Their poem “MAGA Hat in the Chemo Room” explored such complex, humanizing moments—seeking connection even across ideological divides.
In August 2024, Gibson received a prestigious fellowship from the Academy of American Poets to develop an anthology of Colorado poet laureates. Proceeds will help fund the future of the laureate position—a testament to Gibson’s dedication to nurturing poetic community.
Governor Jared Polis praised Gibson’s “fierce conviction in inspiring others to pursue art and take action toward solving social issues,” calling them “renowned for inspiring poetry, advocacy for arts in education, and a unique ability to connect with the vast and diverse poetry lovers of Colorado.”
In a moving social media tribute, Falley wrote: “Over the last four years, they danced with their diagnosis and continually aimed their internal compass toward joy. One of the last things Andrea said on this plane was, ‘I fucking loved my life.’”
In December 2023, Gibson wrote “Love Letter From the Afterlife”, a poem for those grieving during the holidays:
“My love, I was so wrong. Dying is the opposite of leaving… That portal of light was not a portal to elsewhere, but a portal to here. I am more here than I ever was before.”
