Amanda Gorman
Amanda S. C. Gorman[1] (born March 7, 1998)[2] is an American poet and activist. Her work focuses on issues of oppression, feminism, race and marginalization, as well as the African diaspora. Gorman was the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate. She published the poetry book The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough in 2015. She rose to fame in 2021 for writing and delivering her poem "The Hill We Climb" at the inauguration of Joe Biden. Gorman's inauguration poem generated international acclaim and shortly thereafter, two of her books achieved best-seller status, and she obtained a professional management contract.
Amanda Gorman
March 7, 1998
- Poet
- activist
- IMG Models (fashion & beauty)
- Writers House (literary)
- Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown and Passman (legal)
Position established
Patricia Frazier
Inaugural holder
Gorman was highlighted in Time magazine's 100 Next list under the category of "Phenoms", with a profile written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.[3] That same month, Gorman became the first poet to perform at the Super Bowl, when she delivered her poem "Chorus of the Captains" at Super Bowl LV.[4]
Early life and education[edit]
Born in Los Angeles, California,[5][6] Gorman was raised by her single mother, Joan Wicks, a 6th-grade English teacher in Watts,[7] with her two siblings.[5][8] Her twin sister, Gabrielle, is an activist[9] and filmmaker.[10] Gorman has said she grew up in an environment with limited television access.[11] She has described her young self as a "weird child" who enjoyed reading and writing and was encouraged by her mother.[5]
Gorman has an auditory processing disorder and is hypersensitive to sound.[5] She also had a speech impediment during childhood.[12][13] Gorman participated in speech therapy during her childhood and Elida Kocharian of The Harvard Crimson wrote in 2018, "Gorman doesn't view her speech impediment as a crutch—rather, she sees it as a gift and a strength."[14] Gorman told The Harvard Gazette in 2018, "I always saw it as a strength because since I was experiencing these obstacles in terms of my auditory and vocal skills, I became really good at reading and writing. I realised that at a young age when I was reciting the Marianne Deborah Williamson quote that 'Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure' to my mom."[1] In 2021, Gorman told CBS This Morning co-host Anthony Mason that she used songs as a form of speech therapy, and explained, "My favorite thing to practice was the song 'Aaron Burr, Sir,' from Hamilton because it is jam-packed with R's. And I said, 'if I can keep up with Leslie in this track, then I am on my way to being able to say this R in a poem."[15]
Gorman attended New Roads, a private school in Santa Monica, for grades K–12.[16] As a senior, she received a Milken Family Foundation college scholarship.[17] She studied sociology at Harvard College,[18] graduating cum laude in 2020[19][20] as a member of Phi Beta Kappa.[21][22] In 2019, Gorman spent a semester studying in Madrid, Spain,[23] supported by IES Abroad.[24]
Career[edit]
Beginnings and recognition (2014–2020)[edit]
Gorman's art and activism focus on issues of oppression, feminism, race and marginalization, as well as the African diaspora.[25][26] She has said she was inspired to become a youth delegate for the United Nations in 2013 after watching a speech by Pakistani Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai.[27] Gorman was chosen as the first youth poet laureate of Los Angeles in 2014.[28] In 2014 it was reported that Gorman was "editing the first draft of a novel the 16‑year‑old has been writing over the last two years."[29] She published the poetry book The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough in 2015.[30]
In 2016, Gorman founded the nonprofit organization One Pen One Page, a youth writing and leadership program.[31][32] In 2017, she became the first author to be featured on XQ Institute's Book of the Month, a monthly giveaway to share inspiring Gen Z's favorite books. She wrote a tribute for black athletes for Nike[33] and has a book deal with Viking Children's Books to write two children's picture books.[34][35]
Influences[edit]
Gorman has spoken of her early attempts at writing being "very Anne of Green Gables", until she discovered the work of Toni Morrison in middle school: "I realized then that stories could actually be about people who look like me."[23] Observer.com reported in 2019: "It was in high school that she eventually read the poetry of other black women such as Audre Lorde and Phillis Wheatley, and started writing poems that commented on social justice issues such as intersectional feminism and race."[23] Taking a multi disciplined view to self-expression, Gorman has spoken of the connection between fashion and poetry; in 2019, Vogue magazine noted that Gorman drew inspiration "from icons such as Maya Angelou, the Duchess of Sussex, and Michelle Obama", saying: "Fashion brings a distinct visual aesthetic to language. When I'm performing onstage, I'm not just thinking about my clothing, but what my Wakanda Forever T-shirt and yellow skirt is saying about my identity as a poet."[85]
