Andrea Gibson reflects on growing up in Maine, waking up to classism, and the politics of beauty

Andrea Gibson is as nervous about this interview as I am. One would probably not expect a spoken word poet who is currently on an international tour promoting their seventh album and their fourth book to be nervous about a phone interview with a twenty-something from Maine — but Gibson, having grown up in the northern part of the state, tells me that this is the tour stop that always makes them the most nervous. This isn’t because they’re nervous about what anyone is going to think, but because “I just really want this show to be great for the people who are there. I want them to have a blast, even if they’re crying.” 

Their work has a way of doing that — making folks cry. Gibson themself is no exception to this rule. “There’s been a lot of crying on this tour,” they tell me. “I’ve cried a lot while reading these poems and I’m thinking I’ve got to get a grip because you can’t talk if you’re crying, but it’s happened more this year than any other year that I’ve performed, where I’m getting really emotional on stage and just giving myself permission to do that.” And there is a lot to feel. After a deep breath to calm our mutual nerves, Gibson and I chatted on the phone for an hour to talk about their new album, Hey Galaxy, and all of the feelings that go with it.