Many years ago I obtained a handful of mp3s of Andrea Gibson's spoken word pieces, and they are so raw and powerful that even now, after I have heard them so many times, they are so intense that more times than not I have to skip past them if they come up on shuffle because I am just not ready for the tears.

So when I saw Lord of the Butterflies on the National Poetry Month display at my local library, I knew I had to pick it up, even if I had concerns about how painful it might be to read it.

While there were poems in this collection that brought me to tears, overall I found the heart of this to be one of hope and persistence. These poems pick at gender, celebrate queerness, mourn violence, and struggle with mental illness. CW in particular for gun violence.

I liked this so much I was browsing the button poetry website between poems, planning to buy my own copy to keep. ( )

You can really guess the political atmosphere of the year it was written, and it was certainly a book id have found comfort in at the time. It reflects how being in any minority group-then and now- generally feels less like you want to be on top and more like youre drowning with everyone else too poor or too queer or too brown to get by. ( )

Lord of the Butterflies is a standout. Truly one of the best poetic releases of 2018. The thing that makes Lord of the Butterflies so interesting is the author Andrea Gibson.Gibson's voice is very important to note because if there is one thing you should know about before reading Lord of the Butterflies, You'll cry and smile. Lord of the Butterflies treats you to any emotion imaginable.You can always tell when a poet is genuine in their words, and Gibson is at a certain point beyond genuine. This book is amazing and has the best quotes and poetry as well. ( )

I fear I'll never read a book of poetry this beautiful again. ( )

An extraordinary exploration of self, of gender, of intimacy, of illness, of love, and of loss. As a queer, chronically ill person I saw parts of myself looking back, vulnerable, and yet for this reason Gibson's poetry worked to knit me together just as tears fell, knowing this: I am not alone. ( )