Andrea Gibson, the acclaimed poet and LGBTQ+ advocate, has died at age 49 following a courageous battle with cancer, their family and friends confirmed. Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post and a longtime admirer of Gibson’s work, honored their memory, describing their final years as a “courageous journey with cancer.”
Gibson, who was born in 1975 in Maine and later moved to Boulder, Colorado in 1999, became a vital voice in contemporary poetry and a powerful force for queer visibility. Rising from the local open mic scene, Gibson became a four-time Denver Grand Slam champion and won the 2008 Women of the World Poetry Slam. Identifying as non-binary and using they/them pronouns, Gibson was a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, mental health awareness, and social justice.
Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in August 2021, Gibson faced the illness with unflinching honesty and poetic grace. They chronicled their experience in deeply personal writings, including reflections on their treatment and the emotional toll of the disease. “The day we find out the cancer has returned, Meg and I have a quiet dinner. We don’t know what to do with ourselves. What happens now?” Gibson wrote in a piece shared widely by their fans.
In addition to cancer, Gibson also dealt with Chronic Lyme Disease (CLD), a controversial and often misunderstood condition.
Over the course of their career, Gibson published seven poetry collections, with themes that explored gender identity, queer love, trauma, and resilience. They also authored the memoir How Poetry Can Change Your Heart. In September 2023, Gibson was appointed Colorado’s 10th Poet Laureate by Governor Jared Polis, a role that reflected their profound influence on the state’s literary and cultural life.
Tributes have poured in from across the literary and LGBTQ+ communities. “Andrea Gibson wrote words that impacted my life, my heart, and my very way of being many times over. May they rest in peace,” one fan wrote online.
Boulder Book Store shared a heartfelt message: “We’re heartbroken to hear that the wonderful Andrea Gibson died today. They were a favorite author of many of our staff, and we’re so grateful for the times we were able to host them in our store and hear their words in our Ballroom.”
Writer Joseph Fasano added, “RIP Andrea Gibson, a brilliant poet.”
Gibson is survived by their partner, fellow poet and author Megan Falley. The couple had been together since around 2015 and got engaged in 2022.
