# Amanda Gorman
**Amanda Gorman** (born 1998) is an American poet and activist who became the youngest poet to deliver a reading at a [United States presidential inauguration](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-presidential-inauguration) when she recited her poem "The Hill We Climb" at [Joe Biden](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-biden)'s inauguration on January 20, 2021, at age 22[1](https://www.theamandagorman.com/). She was the first National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States, named to that inaugural title in 2017[2](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/amanda-gorman).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1998, Los Angeles, California[2](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/amanda-gorman) |
| Education | Harvard University, cum laude, degree in sociology, 2020[2](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/amanda-gorman) |
| Youth laureate titles | First Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, 2014; first US National Youth Poet Laureate, 2017[2](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/amanda-gorman) |
| Inauguration | Sixth and youngest inaugural poet in US history, January 20, 2021, reading "The Hill We Climb"[1](https://www.theamandagorman.com/) |
| First collection | *The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough* (Penmanship Books, 2015)[3](https://poets.org/poet/amanda-gorman) |
| Bestseller record | *The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country* was the first book of poetry to debut at No. 1 on USA Today's Best-Selling Books list[4](https://www.axios.com/2021/04/09/amanda-gorman-poetry-no-1-usa-todays-bestsellers) |
| Super Bowl first | First poet commissioned to write a poem for the Super Bowl, performed at Super Bowl LV in February 2021[3](https://poets.org/poet/amanda-gorman) |
| Grammy nomination | *Call Us What We Carry* audio edition nominated for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album at the 65th Grammy Awards[5](https://www.grammy.com/artists/amanda-gorman/51789) |
## Early life and education
Gorman was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, one of twin daughters of Joan Wicks, a single mother who taught middle-school English[2](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/amanda-gorman) • [6](https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/amanda-gorman). As a young child she had an auditory processing disorder that produced a speech impediment, most visibly in her pronunciation of the letter "r"[6](https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/amanda-gorman). In the third grade she turned to writing as an outlet, and she has described the difficulty as a source of strength: learning poetry taught her about sound, pitch, and pronunciation, and she has said she could not pronounce her own last name clearly until about three years before the inauguration[7](https://time.com/5933596/amanda-gorman-michelle-obama-interview/).
She found an early role model in [Maya Angelou](https://www.edgepedia.org/maya-angelou), whose autobiography *I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings* she has said reminded her of her own life[8](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jan/22/how-amanda-gorman-became-the-voice-of-a-new-american-era). She attended the New Roads School in Santa Monica and entered Harvard University, graduating cum laude in 2020 with a degree in sociology[2](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/amanda-gorman) • [6](https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/amanda-gorman).
## Youth poet laureate years
**Early publication.** Gorman published her first poetry collection, *The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough*, with Penmanship Books in 2015, when she was 16[3](https://poets.org/poet/amanda-gorman) • [9](https://milkeninstitute.org/article/milken-scholar-amanda-gorman-becomes-youngest-inaugural-poet). At sixteen she also became Los Angeles Youth Poet Laureate, chosen as one of nineteen finalists brought to the stage of the Central Library's Taper Auditorium[2](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/amanda-gorman) • [10](https://time.com/5938544/amanda-gorman-poem-america/).
In April 2017, at [Gracie Mansion](https://www.edgepedia.org/gracie-mansion) in New York City, the nineteen-year-old was named the country's inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate, a title administered by Urban Word, a program supporting youth poets laureate in more than 60 cities, regions, and states[11](https://www.youthlaureate.org/youth-poet-laureates/2017-amanda-gorman) • [1](https://www.theamandagorman.com/). Her early career brought invitations to the Obama White House and performances for figures including [Lin-Manuel Miranda](https://www.edgepedia.org/lin-manuel-miranda), Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, and [Malala Yousafzai](https://www.edgepedia.org/malala-yousafzai), and she read at venues including the Library of Congress and Lincoln Center[1](https://www.theamandagorman.com/). She also composed poems for major ceremonial events, such as a Fourth of July program with the Boston Pops in 2019 and the 2018 swearing-in of Harvard's president, Larry Bacow.[12](https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/01/poet-amanda-gorman-20-to-read-at-biden-inauguration/)
During this period she founded One Pen One Page, a nonprofit that runs a youth writing and leadership program providing free creative writing programs for underserved youth[2](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/amanda-gorman) • [3](https://poets.org/poet/amanda-gorman).
## The 2021 inauguration
Gorman was selected by President-elect Biden, recommended by [Jill Biden](https://www.edgepedia.org/jill-biden) according to a January 15, 2021 Associated Press report, to read an original poem at his inauguration on January 20, 2021[13](https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2021/01/amanda-gorman-selected-as-president-elect-joe-bidens-inaugural-poet/). She was given no specific instructions on what to write but was encouraged to emphasize unity and hope[14](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/books/amanda-gorman-inauguration-2021-poem-b1790342.html). The January 6 attack on the Capitol, a week before the ceremony, shaped the finished poem; she told ABC News that the day "gave me a second wave of energy to finish the poem" and that the poem "isn't turning your back to the evidence of discord and division"[12](https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/01/poet-amanda-gorman-20-to-read-at-biden-inauguration/).
Standing on the Capitol steps in a bright yellow coat and red Prada headband, she recited "The Hill We Climb" after Biden was sworn in as the 46th president[8](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jan/22/how-amanda-gorman-became-the-voice-of-a-new-american-era) • [15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ055ilIiN4). She became the sixth poet to deliver an inaugural reading, joining [Robert Frost](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-frost) (1961), Maya Angelou (1993), Miller Williams (1997), Elizabeth Alexander (2009), and Richard Blanco (2013), and by far the youngest[1](https://www.theamandagorman.com/) • [16](https://www.fastcompany.com/90596213/everyone-is-blown-away-by-amanda-gorman-heres-what-to-know-about-the-history-making-inaugural-poet). The performance drew a broadcast audience reported at more than thirty million viewers and made her a household name within days[17](https://journal.jctonline.org/index.php/jct/issue/download/119/103).
The recognition came quickly. [Oprah Winfrey](https://www.edgepedia.org/oprah-winfrey), who had advised Gorman since their 2020 meeting on [John Krasinski](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-krasinski)'s YouTube show *Some Good News*, gave her a ring depicting a caged bird, a nod to Angelou, for inauguration day[8](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jan/22/how-amanda-gorman-became-the-voice-of-a-new-american-era) • [18](https://www.biography.com/writer/amanda-gorman). In February 2021 she became the first poet to perform at a [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl), reciting "Chorus of the Captains" before the introduction of three honorary captains at Super Bowl LV[6](https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/amanda-gorman). That April, the special edition of her inaugural poem became the first book of poetry to debut at No. 1 on USA Today's Best-Selling Books list, and she became the first poet on the cover of *Vogue*, appearing on two editions of the May 2021 issue[4](https://www.axios.com/2021/04/09/amanda-gorman-poetry-no-1-usa-todays-bestsellers).
## Books
Gorman's 2021 output was unusually large. In September 2021 [Penguin Random House](https://www.edgepedia.org/penguin-random-house) published her debut picture book, *Change Sings*, illustrated by Loren Long. The poetry collection *Call Us What We Carry* was formerly titled *The Hill We Climb and Other Poems*.[1](https://www.theamandagorman.com/) • [30](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/688816/call-us-what-we-carry-by-amanda-gorman/9780593465066/) In December 2021 came *Call Us What We Carry*, her first full poetry collection, which tells the story of the COVID-19 pandemic from a collective point of view in seven sections and experiments with form, including erasure and concrete poems[19](https://time.com/6125483/amanda-gorman-call-us-what-we-carry-interview/) • [20](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/books/reviews/156995/call-us-what-we-carry). The collection debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and its audio edition was nominated for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album at the 65th [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards)[21](https://publiccounsel.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Douglas-Dinner-Sponsor-Deck-4.29.26.pdf) • [5](https://www.grammy.com/artists/amanda-gorman/51789).
She has continued in the picture-book form. *Something, Someday*, illustrated by Christian Robinson, appeared in 2023[22](https://apnews.com/article/16a095e92e731b29e3cece5a69852361), and *Girls on the Rise*, illustrated by Loveis Wise and adapted from her 2021 poem "We Rise," was published on January 7, 2025[23](https://global.penguinrandomhouse.com/announcements/penguin-young-readers-to-publish-new-childrens-picture-book-by-amanda-gorman-1-bestselling-author-poet-activist/).
## Activism and later public work
Gorman's advocacy centers on literacy, the environment, racial equality, and gender justice[24](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2210710/amanda-gorman/). In 2021 she partnered with the [Estée Lauder Companies](https://www.edgepedia.org/estee-lauder-companies) to found Writing Change, an initiative that by 2024 supported ten nonprofit literacy organizations across the United States, including Girls Write Now, We Need Diverse Books, and WriteGirl[25](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.unfoundation.org/2024/12/WtPs-Amanda-Gorman-OFFICIAL-1.pdf). She has spoken out against book bans: in May 2023 she said she was "gutted" to learn that a [Miami-Dade County, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/miami-dade-county-florida), school had moved *The Hill We Climb* from its elementary library section to the middle school section following a parent's complaint[26](https://www.axios.com/2023/05/23/amanda-gorman-florida-book).
She returned to national political stages after the inauguration. On August 21, 2024, she performed a new poem, "This Sacred Scene," at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in support of Kamala Harris's campaign, reframing the American dream in lines such as "perhaps the American dream / Isn't a dream at all, but instead, a dare"[27](https://time.com/7013701/amanda-gorman-dnc-poem-interview/). In 2025 the Los Angeles Times honored her with its Innovator's Award for efforts to bring books, publishing, and storytelling into the future[28](https://www.latimes.com/about/pressreleases/story/2025-02-19/los-angeles-times-book-prizes-to-honor-pico-iyer-and-amanda-gorman), and she was named a UNICEF Ambassador in December 2025[21](https://publiccounsel.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Douglas-Dinner-Sponsor-Deck-4.29.26.pdf).
**Political ambitions.** Gorman has said she has been interested in a presidential run since she was eleven and plans to run in 2036, the first election cycle in which she would be old enough to be elected[18](https://www.biography.com/writer/amanda-gorman). She has framed the ambition partly as a message: voicing it, she says, helps normalize the idea of a young Black woman seeing the presidency as a possibility[29](https://qa.time.com/6150541/amanda-gorman-interview/).
## References
1. [Amanda Gorman, official website](https://www.theamandagorman.com/)
2. [Amanda Gorman, The Poetry Foundation](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/amanda-gorman)
3. [About Amanda Gorman, Academy of American Poets](https://poets.org/poet/amanda-gorman)
4. [Amanda Gorman authors first book of poetry to debut at No. 1 on USA Today's bestseller list, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2021/04/09/amanda-gorman-poetry-no-1-usa-todays-bestsellers)
5. [Amanda Gorman, GRAMMY.com](https://www.grammy.com/artists/amanda-gorman/51789)
6. [Amanda Gorman, Biography, EBSCO Research Starters](https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/amanda-gorman)
7. ['Unity With Purpose.' Amanda Gorman and Michelle Obama Discuss Art, Identity and Optimism, TIME](https://time.com/5933596/amanda-gorman-michelle-obama-interview/)
8. [How Amanda Gorman became the voice of a new American era, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jan/22/how-amanda-gorman-became-the-voice-of-a-new-american-era)
9. [Amanda Gorman, a Milken Scholar, Becomes Youngest Inaugural Poet, Milken Institute](https://milkeninstitute.org/article/milken-scholar-amanda-gorman-becomes-youngest-inaugural-poet)
10. [What Amanda Gorman Teaches Us About Our Shared America, TIME](https://time.com/5938544/amanda-gorman-poem-america/)
11. [Amanda Gorman, National Youth Poet Laureate, Urban Word](https://www.youthlaureate.org/youth-poet-laureates/2017-amanda-gorman)
12. [Poet Amanda Gorman '20 to read at Biden inauguration, Harvard Gazette](https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/01/poet-amanda-gorman-20-to-read-at-biden-inauguration/)
13. [Amanda Gorman Selected as President-Elect Joe Biden's Inaugural Poet, Library of Congress](https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2021/01/amanda-gorman-selected-as-president-elect-joe-bidens-inaugural-poet/)
14. [Amanda Gorman: Who is the 22-year-old poet who read at Joe Biden's inauguration, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/books/amanda-gorman-inauguration-2021-poem-b1790342.html)
15. [WATCH: Amanda Gorman reads inauguration poem, 'The Hill We Climb', PBS NewsHour](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ055ilIiN4)
16. [Everyone is blown away by Amanda Gorman, Fast Company](https://www.fastcompany.com/90596213/everyone-is-blown-away-by-amanda-gorman-heres-what-to-know-about-the-history-making-inaugural-poet)
17. [FEATURE ARTICLE, Journal of Curriculum Theorizing](https://journal.jctonline.org/index.php/jct/issue/download/119/103)
18. [Amanda Gorman: Biography, Poems, Books & Quotes, Biography.com](https://www.biography.com/writer/amanda-gorman)
19. [Amanda Gorman on the Greatest Lesson She's Learned This Year, TIME](https://time.com/6125483/amanda-gorman-call-us-what-we-carry-interview/)
20. [Call Us What We Carry, review, The Poetry Foundation](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/books/reviews/156995/call-us-what-we-carry)
21. [William O. Douglas Award Dinner sponsor deck, Public Counsel](https://publiccounsel.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Douglas-Dinner-Sponsor-Deck-4.29.26.pdf)
22. [Amanda Gorman writes children's book 'Something, Someday', AP News](https://apnews.com/article/16a095e92e731b29e3cece5a69852361)
23. [Penguin Young Readers to Publish New Children's Picture Book by Amanda Gorman, Penguin Random House](https://global.penguinrandomhouse.com/announcements/penguin-young-readers-to-publish-new-childrens-picture-book-by-amanda-gorman-1-bestselling-author-poet-activist/)
24. [Amanda Gorman, Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2210710/amanda-gorman/)
25. [Amanda Gorman remarks, UN Foundation We the Peoples Global Leadership Awards 2024](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.unfoundation.org/2024/12/WtPs-Amanda-Gorman-OFFICIAL-1.pdf)
26. [Florida school restricts inauguration poem access: Amanda Gorman "gutted", Axios](https://www.axios.com/2023/05/23/amanda-gorman-florida-book)
27. ['The Stuff That Black Girl Magic Is Made Of.' Amanda Gorman on Her Big Night at the DNC, TIME](https://time.com/7013701/amanda-gorman-dnc-poem-interview/)
28. [Los Angeles Times Book Prizes to Honor Pico Iyer and Amanda Gorman, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/about/pressreleases/story/2025-02-19/los-angeles-times-book-prizes-to-honor-pico-iyer-and-amanda-gorman)
29. [Amanda Gorman Wants You to Be Your Own Hero, TIME](https://qa.time.com/6150541/amanda-gorman-interview/)
30. [Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman: 9780593465080, PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/688816/call-us-what-we-carry-by-amanda-gorman/9780593465066/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Literature and written works › Writers and literary biographies › Poets › American and Canadian poets*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license