A Poet’s Goodbye: Andrea Gibson’s Story Shared in New Documentary

Andrea Gibson didn’t live to see their new documentary reach the world, but their presence is all over “Come See Me in the Good Light,” now streaming on Apple TV+. The film follows the late Colorado poet laureate and their wife, fellow poet Megan Falley, through the final year of Gibson’s life after doctors diagnosed them with incurable ovarian cancer. 

The story still makes room for belly laughs, sex jokes, chemo appointments, and legendary poetry. On paper, this is a cancer documentary. On screen, it plays like an intimate, queer love story that happens to be ending. 

How Did Andrea Gibson’s Documentary Come to Life?

The project began close to home for Gibson. Comedian Tig Notaro and producer Stef Willen connected Gibson and Falley with director Ryan White because they believed Gibson’s blend of raw honesty and dark humor could anchor a film. According to AP News, White initially thought he was signing on to make a heavy story about dying. Once cameras started rolling at the couple’s Colorado home, the tone shifted. The crew flew in every three weeks for three days, capturing everything from chemo appointments to kitchen-table trash talk. No one knew if each visit might be the last.

“I don’t think that they had any expectation that it would be fun,” Gibson told AP News. “They’re like, ‘OK, we’re creating a death documentary about serious poets.’” Because their prognosis was so fragile, the team worked unusually fast. At Sundance, Gibson told the crowd, “It took a year to make this film, and I never expected to live to see it,” adding that the crew rushed so they’d get that chance.

The gamble paid off. “Come See Me in the Good Light” premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 25 and won the Festival Favorite Award. The film then picked up a streak of audience prizes at festivals in Cleveland, Boulder, and Hot Docs.

Andrea Gibson Was an Award-Winning Poet

Gibson was born in 1975 in Calais, Maine, and came out as genderqueer in their 20s while studying creative writing at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, according to The New York Times. They moved to Colorado in the late 1990s, discovered the slam poetry scene, and stayed onstage from that point forward. Gibson became a four-time Denver Grand Slam champion and, in 2008, the first winner of the Women of the World Poetry Slam. Their work explored gender norms, queer identity, politics, gun violence, illness, and mental health.

Colorado made it official in 2023, when Governor Jared Polis appointed Gibson as the state’s poet laureate. Polis cited Gibson’s ability to connect with everyday people and their years of touring, activism, and community work.

Gibson revealed their ovarian cancer diagnosis in 2021 on Instagram, and the disease recurred in the years that followed. They canceled tours more than once but kept writing, performing when they could, and working on the film. Gibson died at home in Colorado in July at age 49, surrounded by Falley, family, friends, and their dogs.

Which parts of the documentary’s humor or intimacy surprised you the most? Comment below!

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