"Andrea Gibson" is an award-winning poet and activist who lives in Boulder, Colorado. Her poetry focuses on gender role/gender norms, politics, social reform and the struggles LGBTQ people face in today's society. In addition to using poetry to express what she feels and provides social and political commentary on real issues, she is involved with many activist groups. She often performs at Take Back the Night events, LGBTQ events, pride events, trans events, anti-war rallies, peace rallies, organizations against the occupation of Palestine, and groups focused on examining the wrongs of capitalism, patriarchy and white supremacy. She also works with a group called [http://voxfeminista.org/ Vox Feminista] whose model is to "comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable" on all these issues. Throughout the year, she tours Universities and other venues across the country.

More Andrea Gibson on Wikipedia.

This year we were given a one-time fund for this special edition of Engage. We hope to secure funding from the university for a future publications.

The interesting aspect of this publication is that it was produced and written by undergraduate students.

All the students were in charge of interviewing, writing, brainstorming ideas and designing.

He is over in Iraq now, ... I worry every day when I wake up. 'How's he doing? I haven't heard from him, what's going on?' Every once in awhile I get an email and he'll say, 'I'm okay, I love you' and that's pretty much how it is.

Political poems are love poems, and then love poems can be political in this society where people can be so separated from each other.

A lot of my inspiration came from the kids. But then other things; like the news, everything is pretty inspiring these days.