Yesterday, 22-year-old Amanda Gorman presented a poem for the inauguration of President Joe Biden. Amanda is the youngest poet to present at an inauguration and only the sixth inaugural poet ever! She is preceded by Robert Frost (for John F. Kennedy in 1961), Maya Angelou (for Bill Clinton in 1993), Miller Williams (for Bill Clinton in 1997), Elizabeth Alexander (for Barack Obama in 2009), Richard Blanco (for Barack Obama in 2013).
If you’re as in love with Amanda’s use of rhythm and rhyme as we are, don’t worry. You don’t have to do too much digging to find even more of her work. You can find more of Amanda’s readings–like her recent appearance on PBS News Hour to read her poem “This Miracle Morning” below–online.
But what might be even more exciting is that Amanda also has two books coming out in 2021. She is releasing a collection of poetry titled The Hill We Climb (after her inauguration poem) will makes its debut on September 21, 2021. Simultaneously releasing with her collection is a picture book titled Change Sings about communities coming together to create change.
It might seem like a long wait until fall to get your hands on Amanda’s work in print, but you can still keep up with her on Instagram (@amandascgorman) and Twitter (@TheAmandaGorman) where she shares her work and the important issues she’s passionate about.
