Andrea Gibson’s dynamic and energetic first book, Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns, challenges us to not only read, but to react. Hauntingly vivid, the poems march through a soldier's lingering psychological wounds, tackle the curious questions of school children on the meaning of "hate", and tangle with a lover's witty and vibrant description of longing. Gibson's poems deconstruct the current political climate through stunning imagery and careful crafting. With the same velocity, the poignant and vacillating love poems sweep the air out of the room. It’s word-induced hypoxia. Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns whispers with a bold and unforgettable internal voice rich with the kind of questioning that inspires action. Andrea Gibson does not just show up to pluck your heart strings, she sticks around to tune them. If being floored is new to you, ya might wanna grab a cushion. Beware the highway in her grace and the crowbar in her verse. -Buddy Wakefield, "Live for a Living" To call her one of the best poets would be a gross understatement. Her words cut so sharply and completely they cannot be shaken. She is a rare artist who forever changes those who experience her poems." -Carlos Andres Gomez, HBO Def-Poet/co-star Spike Lee’s Inside Man