ANDREA GIBSON on the Blessings of the Wound /347
Engraved image by William Baxter Closson (Night Moths) depicting an eclipse of moths aflight in the night. Public Domain.
In an episode that cuts straight to the soul, this week’s guest Andrea Gibson joins Ayana in a conversation that asks what it means to truly live. Andrea contemplates the ways we cope with loneliness and the deeply rooted societal fears of disconnection and of death. Facing fear, confusion, and loss head on, Andrea reminds us that healing is a return to the self, a return to community.
What is there to be gained from the wounds of life, from loss, from our own mortality? These questions guide this emotional and heartfelt conversation. Hard things will happen in life, yes, but when we leave behind the impulse to control, we can learn so much from simply being. Andrea’s openness about their diagnosis and emotional journey, brings depth and emotion to the conversation. Through poem and spirituality, Andrea draws us to see the beauty in being alive in this particular life, in our particular bodies, at this particular time. Their presence and attention is life-giving.
As Andrea shares their journey connecting to the eternal, genderless “We,” they invite listeners to contemplate their identities beyond this life alone. As we let the need to know fall away, what miracles might reveal themselves to us?
“Death itself is the seed that blooms a beautiful life.”
Photo of Andrea Gibson
Andrea Gibson is one of the most celebrated and influential spoken word poets of our time. Best known for their live performances, Gibson has changed the landscape of what it means to attend a “poetry show” altogether. To hear Gibson is like hearing songwriters play their music, their trademark honesty and vulnerability are on full display. Gibson’s poems center around LGBTQ issues, gender, feminism, mental health and the dismantling of oppressive social systems. The winner of the first Women’s World Poetry Slam, Gibson has gone on to be awarded the LGBTQ Out100 and has been featured on BBC, NPR and CSpan. Gibson is the author of seven award winning books and seven full length albums. Their live shows have become loving and supportive ecosystems for audiences to feel seen, heard, and held through Gibson’s art.
♫ The music in this episode is “Cascata Di Malbacco” by John Carrol Kirby (generously provided by Patience Records), “We’re All going To Die (In Paris)” by Kesia Negata, and “The World Survives” by Katie Gray.
Episode References
Mary Oliver: “The Uses Of Sorrow”
”We Can Do Hard Things” Ep 215 | Momastery
”Our Angel of the Get Through” | An Interview with Andrea Gibson
”Your Life” (Official Video) | Andrea Gibson
”In Conversation with Andrea Gibson” | Rough Cut Press
CHRISTIAN SCHWARZ on the Sublime World of Fungi /158
Reading Recommendations
You Better Be Lightning (2021) by Andrea Gibson
“Things That Don't Suck” on Andrea Gibson’s Substack
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For The Wild is a slow media organization dedicated to land-based protection, co-liberation, and intersectional storytelling. We are rooted in a paradigm shift away from human supremacy, endless growth, and consumerism. As we dream towards a world of grounded justice and reciprocity, our work highlights impactful stories and deeply-felt meaning making as balms for these times.