“Come See Me in The Good Light”
by daithí
Daughter Caitlin wrote to my wife and I to recommend a recently released documentary about the life and poetry of Andrea Gibson, Colorado’s Poet Laureate from September 2023 until her death in July 2025. Since she has consistently pointed us in wondrous directions, I went to a local theater to experience “Come See Me in The Good Light,” directed by Ryan White. It was more than worth the watch. (If you can’t view it at a local theater, it is currently being streamed by Apple.)
For those who may not be familiar with Andrea Gibson, the Academy of American Poets link, has this to share:
“Andrea Gibson was born on August 13, 1975, in Calais, Maine. They are the author of seven albums and seven poetry books, including You Better Be Lightning (Button Poetry, 2021); Lord of the Butterflies (Button Poetry, 2018); Take Me With You (Penguin, 2018); Pansy (Write Bloody Publishing, 2015); The Madness Vase (Write Bloody Publishing, 2011); and Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns (Write Bloody Publishing, 2010). They are the coauthor, with Megan Falley, of the prose work How Poetry Can Change Your Heart (Chronicle Books, 2019). They also edited We Will Be Shelter: Poems for Survival (Write Bloody Publishing, 2014), an anthology that addresses social justice issues.
In 2008, Gibson won the first Women of the World Poetry Slam. They are a two-time winner of the Independent Publisher’s Award, in 2021 and 2019, respectively, and a three-time Goodreads Choice Awards finalist. In 2023, they were appointed poet laureate of Colorado. In 2024, they received an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship.”
When I muse over the contents of the film, it is an extraordinary and brilliant film in so many ways. Let me count some of them.
Andrea demonstrates their courage battling with incurable ovarian cancer, asserting their identity in the midst of trauma that she encountered in a small town in Maine. It traces her remarkable ascension as a poet celebrating the LGBTQ community, which now, more than ever, deserves respect. Take into consideration that the documentary was “conceived by American comedian Tig Notaro and producer Stef Willen, both longtime friends of Gibson and Falley, who contacted Jessica Hargrave and Ryan White.”
On another plane, we get to hear and watch Andrea perform their poetry out loud as well as enter into wonderful conversational exchanges with their wife, Megan Falley, who is a prolific writer and who met Andrea when they were both working Slam Poetry circuit. It is a love story front and center. I was so fortunate to watch the film on the eve of Valentine’s Day.
After viewing the film, a quote by Thornton Wilder’s Our Town came to mind. In the third Act, Emily wonders if anyone really realizes life while living it. The Stage Manager replies; “No. The saints and poets, maybe; they do some”. Andrea Gibson was definitely one of those poets.