Amanda Gorman: 6 Notable Amanda Gorman Poems
Have you had enough information about Amanda Gorman Poems? Perhaps yes, but not as you should by this time.Amanda Gorman uses themes of light, love, and courage in her poetry to give her readers hope. Continue reading to learn more about Amanda’s numerous honors and recognitions.
Who is Amanda Gorman?
Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in American history. Amanda began writing at the age of five in Los Angeles, California. Amanda realized she could use poetry to overcome her speech impediment after being diagnosed with an auditory processing disorder at a young age.
She joined the Los Angeles-based creative writing nonprofit WriteGirl when she was fourteen, where she learned to conduct poetry close readings and workshop her own early poems.
Her time at WriteGirl gave her the confidence to translate her voice to the page and project it publicly, which led to her selection as the United States’ first-ever Youth Poet Laureate.
She made her national debut at the age of twenty-two when she performed her poem “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
A Look Back at Amanda Gorman’s Career
Poet Amanda Gorman’s writing has received numerous honors, including invitations to perform for Oprah Winfrey, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Secretary Hillary Clinton, and former President Barack Obama. Her accomplishments include the following:
1. 2013: After hearing a speech by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, Amanda decided to become a United Nations youth delegate.
2. In 2014, Amanda was named the first Los Angeles Youth Poet Laureate. During this time, she collaborated with the County of Los Angeles Commission on Human Relations to create youth programs.
3. In 2015, Amanda self-published her first poetry collection, The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough, while still in high school. Although this book is no longer in print, several of its original poems were included in Gorman’s subsequent poetry collections.
4. Amanda enrolled at Harvard University in 2016. She would eventually earn a bachelor’s degree in sociology.
5. 2017: Amanda was named the first National Youth Poet Laureate by Urban Word, an organization that supports Youth Poets Laureates across the country.
6. 2021: Amanda made US history by performing “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden’s inauguration in Washington, D.C., becoming the country’s youngest poet to do so and joining a long list of literary heavyweights such as Robert Frost and Maya Angelou.
7. Amanda became the first poet to perform at the Super Bowl in 2021. She read her poem “Chorus of the Captains.”
8. Amanda co-hosted the 2021 Met Gala with actor Timothée Chalamet, singer Billie Eilish, and tennis player Naomi Osaka.
9. Amanda became the first poet to appear on the cover of Vogue in 2021. The cover was photographed by Annie Leibovitz.
10. 2021: Amanda’s children’s book, Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem, and a poetry collection, Call Us What We Carry, were both published by Penguin Random House (formerly titled, The Hill We Climb and Other Poems). The New York Times Bestseller list debuted at No. 1 with Call Us What We Carry.
6 Significant Poems by Amanda Gorman
Amanda Gorman has published poetry collections, and a children’s book, and has written for publications such as The New York Times. Here are five of the poet’s most well-known works:
1. “In This Place (An American Lyric)” (2017): Amanda Gorman wrote this poem for Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith’s inaugural reading at the Library of Congress. “In This Place (An American Lyric)” contains recurring themes from Gorman’s other poetry, such as courage, hope, and strength.
2. “Earthrise” (2018): Amanda dedicated “Earthrise” to former Vice President Al Gore in support of The Climate Reality Project, which aims to raise awareness about climate change and encourage activism.
Amanda’s poem’s strong use of language reminds us that we must all work together to protect our planet.
3. “Making Mountains While We Run” (2018): “Making Mountains As We Run,” which was performed during the inauguration ceremony for Lawrence S. Bacow, Harvard University’s twenty-ninth president, draws on Gorman’s experiences writing poetry about discrimination, gender, and race.
4. “The Morning Miracle” (2020): “The Miracle of Morning,” written in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, conveys a message of hope through the use of language associated with love, light, and courage.
5. “The Hill We Climb” (2021): Themes of hope, healing, and unity pervade “The Hill We Climb,” which Amanda performed at President Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
This inaugural poem acknowledges that the United States has come a long way but that the work is not yet done by reflecting on the past but also looking to the future.
6. “Chorus of the Captains” (2021): Amanda read this poem during the Super Bowl LV halftime show. “Chorus of the Captains” honors frontline workers who risked their lives to help others during the global coronavirus pandemic, with a focus on three heroes: nurse Suzie Dorner, teacher Trimaine Davis, and US Marine Corps veteran James Martin.