Amanda Gorman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Amanda Gorman
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Gorman in 2021 at the inauguration of Joe Biden delivering "The Hill We Climb"
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| Born | March 7, 1998 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
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Notable work
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"The Hill We Climb" |
| National Youth Poet Laureate | |
| In office April 2017 – April 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Patricia Frazier |
| Los Angeles Youth Poet Laureate | |
| In office 2014–2015 |
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| Preceded by | Inaugural holder |
Amanda S. C. Gorman (born March 7, 1998) 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.
Gorman was highlighted in Time magazine's 100 Next list under the category of "Phenoms", with a profile written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. 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.
Contents
Early life and education
Gorman was born in Los Angeles, California. She was raised by her single mother, Joan Wicks, a 6th-grade English teacher in Watts, with her two siblings. Her twin sister, Gabrielle, is an activist and filmmaker. Gorman has said she grew up in an environment with limited television access. She has described her young self as a "weird child" who enjoyed reading and writing and was encouraged by her mother.
Gorman has an auditory processing disorder and is hypersensitive to sound. She also had a speech impediment during childhood. Gorman participated in speech therapy during her childhood. She did not view her speech impediment as a crutch—rather as a gift and a strength.
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 realized 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."
In 2021, Gorman told CBS This Morning co-host Anthony Mason that she used songs as a form of speech therapy.
Gorman attended New Roads, a private school in Santa Monica, for grades K–12. As a senior, she received a Milken Family Foundation college scholarship. She studied sociology at Harvard College, graduating cum laude in 2020 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. In 2019, Gorman spent a semester studying in Madrid, Spain, supported by IES Abroad.
Career
Beginnings and recognition (2014–2020)
Gorman's art and activism focus on issues of oppression, feminism, race, and marginalization, as well as the African diaspora. 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. Gorman was chosen as the first youth poet laureate of Los Angeles in 2014. 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." She published the poetry book The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough in 2015.
In 2016, Gorman founded the nonprofit organization One Pen One Page, a youth writing and leadership program. 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 and has a book deal with Viking Children's Books to write two children's picture books.
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In 2017, Gorman became the first youth poet to open the literary season for the Library of Congress, and she has read her poetry on MTV. She wrote "In This Place: An American Lyric" for her September 2017 performance at the Library of Congress, which commemorated the inauguration of Tracy K. Smith as Poet Laureate of the United States. The Morgan Library and Museum acquired her poem "In This Place (An American Lyric)" and displayed it in 2018 near works by Elizabeth Bishop.
While at Harvard, Gorman became the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate in April 2017. She was chosen from five finalists. In 2017, Gorman won a $10,000 grant from media company OZY in the annual OZY Genius Awards through which 10 college students are given "the opportunity to pursue their outstanding ideas and envisioned innovations".
In 2019, Gorman was chosen as one of The Root magazine's "Young Futurists", an annual list of "the 25 best and brightest young African-Americans who excel in the fields of social justice and activism, arts and culture, enterprise and corporate innovation, science and technology, and green innovation".
In May 2020, Gorman appeared in an episode of the web series Some Good News hosted by John Krasinski, where she had the opportunity to virtually meet Oprah Winfrey and issued a virtual commencement speech to those who could not attend commencements due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. In 2020, Gorman presented "Earthrise", a poem focused on the climate crisis.
Inauguration poem and acclaim (2021–present)
Gorman read her poem "The Hill We Climb" at the inauguration of Joe Biden on January 20, 2021. Jill Biden recommended her for the inauguration. After January 6, 2021, Gorman amended her poem's wording to address the storming of the United States Capitol. During the week before the inauguration, she told The Washington Post book critic Ron Charles, "My hope is that my poem will represent a moment of unity for our country" and "with my words, I'll be able to speak to a new chapter and era for our nation."
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Soon after Gorman's performance at the inauguration, her two upcoming books, the poetry collection The Hill We Climb and a project for youth, Change Sings: A Children's Anthem – both scheduled for release in September 2021 – were at the top of Amazon's bestseller list. A book version of the poem "The Hill We Climb" was published in March 2021, with a foreword by Oprah Winfrey, and debuted at No. 1 on several bestseller lists, including The New York Times adult fiction and USA Today. First printings of one million copies were announced for each of Gorman's three upcoming books.
IMG Models and its parent company WME signed Gorman for representation in fashion, beauty, and talent endorsements.
Gorman was commissioned to compose an original poem to be recited at Super Bowl LV's pregame ceremony on February 7, 2021, as an introduction to the three honorary captains who would preside over the coin toss. The Washington Post reported that the honorary captains were essential workers "James Martin, a U.S. Marine veteran; Trimaine Davis, an educator; and Suzie Dorner, an ICU nurse manager", and that Gorman delivered the poem in their honor in a recorded video. In advance of presenting her new piece, titled "Chorus of the Captains", Gorman said: "Poetry at the Super Bowl is a feat for art and our country, because it means we're thinking imaginatively about human connection even when we feel siloed."
Access to "The Hill We Climb" was restricted at the Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes, Florida, in 2023 based on a filed complaint. In response, Gorman wrote: "Robbing children of the chance to find their voices in literature is a violation of their right to free thought and free speech."
Career outline
- In 2015, she published her poetry book The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough .
- In 2016, Gorman founded the nonprofit organization One Pen One Page, a youth writing and leadership program.
- 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.
- In 2017, Gorman became the first youth poet to open the literary season for the Library of Congress, and she has read her poetry on MTV.
- In 2020, Gorman presented "Earthrise", a poem focused on the climate crisis.
- She read her poem "The Hill We Climb" at President Joe Biden's inauguration in 2021. She is the youngest poet to read at a presidential inauguration in United States history.
- A book version of the poem "The Hill We Climb" was published in March 2021, with a foreword by Oprah Winfrey, and debuted at No. 1 on several bestseller lists, including The New York Times adult fiction and USA Today.
She is represented in the publishing industry by Writers House and by the Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown and Passman law firm.
Influences
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." 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."
Personal life
Gorman is a Black Catholic, a member of St. Brigid Catholic Church, a Black Catholic parish in her hometown of Los Angeles.
The day after Biden's inauguration, she appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden and said that Corden was "like [her] favorite human being ever created."
Michael Cirelli, executive director of Urban Word NYC, called her a "powerhouse" and has joked that her "bio goes out of date every two weeks."
In 2014, it was reported that Gorman "aspires to be a human rights advocate."
Interesting facts about Amanda Gorman
- To battle her speech problems, Gorman practiced to sing the song 'Aaron Burr, Sir,' from Hamilton because it is jam-packed with R's.
- Gorman is the youngest poet to read at a presidential inauguration in United States history.
- In 2017, Gorman said she intends to run for president in 2036, and she has subsequently often repeated this hope. Hillary Clinton tweeted her support for Gorman's 2036 aspiration.
- In May 2020, Gorman appeared in an episode of the web series Some Good News hosted by John Krasinski, where she had the opportunity to virtually meet Oprah Winfrey.
- Gorman was photographed by Annie Leibovitz for the cover-story of the May edition of Vogue. She became the first poet ever to have been thus featured by the magazine.
- In September 2021, it was announced that Gorman would become the first Estée Lauder "Global Changemaker", in addition to work with the company's grantmaking program to promote literacy for girls and women.
- On September 13, 2021, she co-hosted the Met Gala, alongside actor Timothée Chalamet, singer Billie Eilish, and tennis player Naomi Osaka.
- In fashion, Gorman draws inspiration "from icons such as Maya Angelou, the Duchess of Sussex, and Michelle Obama".
Amanda Gorman quotes
- "Seeing the ways that I as a young black woman can inspire people is something I want to continue in politics. I don't want to just speak works; I want to turn them into realities and actions."
- "One of the preparations that I do always whenever I perform is I say a mantra to myself, which is 'I'm the daughter of black writers. We're descended from freedom fighters who broke through chains and changed the world. They call me.' And that is the way in which I prepare myself for the duty that needs to get done."
- "This is the reality of black girls: One day you're called an icon, the next day, a threat."
- "I Am a Threat: a threat to injustice, to inequality, to ignorance. Anyone who speaks the truth and walks with hope is an obvious and fatal danger to the powers that be. A threat and proud."
- "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."
- "We've learned that quiet isn't always peace."
- "There is no better compass than compassion."
Advocacy
Gorman signed an October 2023 open letter of artists for ceasefire during the Israel–Hamas war.
Honors and recognition
- 2014: Chosen as inaugural youth poet laureate of Los Angeles
- 2017: Chosen as National Youth Poet Laureate
- 2017: Ozy Genius Award
- 2018: Named one of Glamour magazine's College Women of the Year
- 2018: Presented a poem at the inauguration of President of Harvard University Lawrence Bacow
- 2019: Named on The Root's "Young Futurists" list
- 2021: Selected to read at the inauguration of Joe Biden, becoming the youngest poet ever to read at a US presidential inauguration
- 2021: Highlighted by Time magazine in their Time100 Next list, under the category of "Phenoms"
- 2021: Winner Goodreads Choice Awards - Best Poetry for The Hill We Climb
- 2022: A new species of alga in central New York was named Gormaniella terricola.
- 2022: Winner Goodreads Choice Awards - Best Poetry for Call Us What We Carry
- 2022: Winner Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Program - We the People
- 2023: Nominated for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards for Call Us What We Carry.
- 2023: Elected to membership in the American Antiquarian Society.
See also
In Spanish: Amanda Gorman para niños
