On January 20th, the United States witnessed a young poet who inspired many. At President Joe Biden’s inauguration, 22-year-old Amanda Gorman performed her self-written poem titled “The Hill We Climb,” addressing the need for hope and perseverance in America.

Gorman was born in Los Angeles, California and was raised by a single mother of 3. She was born with a speech impediment and auditory processing issues. However, Gorman sees the impediment as “a gift”, and eventually overcame it through speech therapy. She expresses her love for reading and writing through poetry. In her senior year of high school at New Roads Private School, she received a scholarship, and ended up studying sociology at Harvard College. Gorman’s work focuses on the oppression faced by people of color and women.

The young poet now has a deal with Viking’s Children’s Books, and intends on writing two picture books for kids in the future. She has also expressed her intentions on running for President of the United States in 2036.

Gorman is planning on publishing three new books by Penguin Random House this year. The first book, The Hill We Climb and Other Poems, is a collection of some of her poems and works so far. The second publication is entitled Change Sings, a lyrical picture book. These two works are scheduled to be published on September 21st, 2021. Her third book, which is a collectable edition of her Inaugural poem, is scheduled to be published on March 16th, 2021. These books are estimated to have an initial publishing run of 1 million copies, and her performance at the Inauguration has brought her poetry to light.

Not only does Amanda Gorman have several works being published, but she is also scheduled to perform an original poem about three community heroes at the Super Bowl pre-show this Sunday, February 7th. She is considered to be the first poet to ever perform at the Super Bowl.

Whether you see Amanda Gorman on the television at the Super Bowl or read a book that bears her name, her past work should be a sign of a shining light in America’s future.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Gorman
https://www.npr.org/2021/01/29/962030186/amanda-gorman-and-poetry-will-be-part-of-super-bowl-lv
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/01/27/amanda-gorman-poem-super-bowl/