Amanda Gorman today becomes the youngest inaugural poet in American history when she recites her poem “The Hill We Climb” during President-elect Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old Los Angeles resident and daughter of a schoolteacher began writing at an early age in an attempt to address a speech impediment. Her writing practice began and at the age of 14 she joined WriteGirl, a non-profit organization in LA that helps teenage girls discover the power of their voice through creative writing. Gorman acknowledges the group’s support for allowing her dreams to become a writer, reports CBS Los Angeles.
At the age of 16, she was named the Los Angeles Youth Poet Laureate, and a few years later, while studying sociology at Harvard, she became the first National Youth Poet Laureate.
At the request of Jill Biden, the incoming first lady, who saw the young poet read aloud in the Library of Congress, Gorman was invited to speak at the inauguration and suggested at the end of December that she read something during the inauguration.
For the past few weeks, Gorman has been writing a few lines a day and she finished writing late on the night of January 6 when pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol building.
Her poem, ‘The Hill We Climb’, will join the theme of the swearing-in ceremony to call for national unity during an unprecedented illness, death and political division in the country. In researching her work, Gorman draws inspiration from the speeches of American leaders during other historical times of division, including Abraham Lincoln and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
“I had this great thing, probably one of the most important things I will ever do in my career,” she said in an interview with The New York Times. “It was like, if I try to climb this mountain at the same time, I’m just going to pass.”
Gorman will join Maya Angelou and Robert Frost in the small group of poets invited to celebrate a presidential inauguration. In preparation for the event on Wednesday, she consulted with two former inaugural poets, Elizabeth Alexander and Richard Blanco.
Blanco offered comforting words, Gorman told The New York Times when he said that “it’s just not one of us up there, it’s a representation of American poetry.”
“Now more than ever, the United States needs an introductory poem,” Gorman said. “Poetry is typically the touchstone we return to when we need to remind ourselves of the history we stand for, and the future we stand for.”
Gorman’s own future is bright: she will soon publish two books, including the children’s book ‘Change Sings’ which will be published in September. She also announced her intentions to run for president in 2036, reports the LA Times, the first election cycle when she’s old enough to do so. The poet acknowledges the political career and achievements of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris for inspiring her plans.
“There is no denying that a victory for her is a victory for all of us who would like to see us portrayed as women of color in office,” Gorman told the LA Times. “It makes it more conceivable. Once girls can see it, it can be girls. Because they can be anything they want to be, but the idea of making the dream come true in the first place is great – even for me.”
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