The gallery, near Grand and 13th avenues, housed about 100 people who sat listening to, laughing at and applauding for the 37-year-old activist on her nationwide tour.
“I’d just like to say one more time that Mitt Romney is not our president,” Gibson reiterated the first line of her poetry show. The crowded room erupted in applause.
People filled the chairs, sat on the ground and stood in the back of the gallery. Art hung on all of the walls and the back room was full of jewelry, clothing, art, refreshments and the poet’s merchandise, all available for purchase.
Gibson is very popular with the LGBT community and is an activist supporting LGBT rights and anti-war. The first line of one of her poems on gender is, “’Are you a boy or a girl?’ he asked.”
Soft music played as Gibson performed her poems during her nearly two-hour set beginning at 7 p.m.
Between poems, Gibson told stories to preface her next piece or offer a funny quip to the audience. About halfway through her show, she asked for the air-conditioning to be turned on because she was sweating so profusely.
“Just pretend that it’s God breathing sexy,” Gibson said.
Gibson and owner and curator of {9} The Gallery, Laura Dragon, said they were surprised at the large turnout to her event.
“I loved her message and energy,” Dragon said.
She said she was excited to have Gibson at her venue because Gibson performed a great mix of political, social and gender-based poems.
Dragon said the event catered to the vibe that she tried to establish with her gallery.
“I created {9} as a place to hold any kind of creative expression,” Dragon said. Gibson’s tour contacted the gallery as a place to hold the show because Gibson likes the environment of a coffee shop or art gallery as a place to read.
Alec Johnson, a 19-year-old college student, said the setting was perfect for the event.
“I’ve always loved the small shows, everyone is so close,” Johnson said.
The audience apparently enjoyed Gibson’s performance and made that clear through their applause and cheers.
“It was amazing. I was tearing up, I had goose bumps, it was great,” said 18-year-old Isabelle Cranick, a student at Grand Canyon University.
Cranick said she didn’t know about Gibson until a few days before Wednesday’s event, but once she was introduced she was hooked.
“She changed my life,” Cranick said.
Dragon said she was glad she could get so many people to come gather at her gallery, and that the venue has truly transformed into what she had hoped for, “a multi-platform for the arts.”
Gibson said she was excited to be reading to such a big and diverse audience. After the show, Gibson sat at her merchandise table to talk to and take photographs with her audience members.
“I feel really excited that people come out to hear poetry, and to hear what I have to say,” Gibson said.
Contact the reporter at alexandria.conrad@asu.edu
