Amanda Gorman
Amanda Gorman was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Daughter of a school teacher, Gorman began writing at an early age in an attempt to cope with a speech impediment. "One of the most rewarding moments of my career is when I'm speaking to a child who tells me they have the same speech impediment that I had to overcome and that they're going to keep writing or sharing their voice after hearing my story," Gorman relayed.
In 2017 Gorman was named the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States. She previously served as the youth poet laureate of Los Angeles (at the age of 16), and she is the founder and executive director of One Pen One Page, an organization providing free creative writing programs for underserved youth. She graduated from Harvard University in 2020.
Gorman was selected by the Biden Administration to read an original poem for his Presidential Inauguration on January 20, 2021, making her the youngest poet to have served in this role.
Amanda Gorman's Work
Read the full text of Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem The Hill We Climb
Amanda Gorman's works on poets.org
Amanda Gorman: Why I Almost Didn’t Read My Poem at the Inauguration - Essay published in The New York Times
A lyrical picture book debut from inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman and #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Loren Long
"I can hear change humming
In its loudest, proudest song.
I don't fear change coming,
And so I sing along."
In this stirring, much-anticipated picture book by inaugural Youth Poet Laureate and activist Amanda Gorman, anything is possible when our voices join together. As a young girl leads a cast of characters on a musical journey, they learn that they have the power to make changes—big or small—in the world, in their communities, and in most importantly, in themselves.
With lyrical text and rhythmic illustrations that build to a dazzling crescendo by #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Loren Long, Change Sings is a triumphant call to action for everyone to use their abilities to make a difference. - publisher's description
Formerly titled The Hill We Climb and Other Poems, the luminous poetry collection by #1 New York Times bestselling author and presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman captures a shipwrecked moment in time and transforms it into a lyric of hope and healing. In Call Us What We Carry, Gorman explores history, language, identity, and erasure through an imaginative and intimate collage. Harnessing the collective grief of a global pandemic, this beautifully designed volume features poems in many inventive styles and structures and shines a light on a moment of reckoning. Call Us What We Carry reveals that Gorman has become our messenger from the past, our voice for the future.
The debut poetry collection by inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman.
Including "The Hill We Climb," the stirring poem read at the inauguration of the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden, this debut collection of the same name reveals an energizing and unforgettable new voice in America poetry. - publisher's description
About Amanda Gorman
Meet Amanda Gorman, America’s First Youth Poet Laureate November 3, 2107, New York Times*
How a 22-year-old L.A. native became Biden’s inauguration poet January 17, 2021, LA Times
Poet tapped for inauguration to spread a message of unity January 18, 2021, PBS
Amanda Gorman Captures the Moment, in Verse January 19, 2021, New York Times*
Lesson of the Day: Amanda Gorman and ‘The Hill We Climb’ January 20, 2021, New York Times*
How a 'Hamilton' song helped Amanda Gorman overcome a speech impediment, January 21, 2021, CNN
‘Unity With Purpose.’ Amanda Gorman and Michelle Obama Discuss Art, Identity and Optimism February 4, 2021, Time
The Bright Light of Amanda Gorman February 5, 2021, All Arts
*SJR State students and employees get free, unlimited access to The New York Times online
Poet Amanda Gorman on how she prepared for Inauguration Day