On March 7, 1998, Amanda S. C. Gorman was born in Los Angeles, California. She is an activist and poet from America. Her work mostly addresses the African diaspora as well as topics of oppression, feminism, race, and marginalisation.
Gorman has stated that she had little access to television growing up. She has characterised herself as a “weird child” who loved to read and write and who received support from her mother.
Gorman is extremely sensitive to sound and has an issue with auditory processing. In her early years, she also struggled with speech. Nonetheless, she revealed, “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 say ‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure’ to my mom.”
Gorman was the inaugural recipient of the National Youth Poet Laureate title. In 2015, she released the poetry collection The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough. She gained notoriety in 2021 when she composed and read her poem “The Hill We Climb” at Joe Biden’s inauguration. International praise for Gorman’s inauguration poem led to the publication of two of her books that quickly became best-sellers and the signing of a management deal.
Gorman received a Milken Family Foundation college scholarship as a senior and attended New Roads, a private school in Santa Monica, for grades K–12. She was featured in Time magazine’s 100 Next list under the category of “Phenoms,” with a profile written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Gorman read her poem “Chorus of the Captains” at Super Bowl LV. That same month, she became the first poet to perform at the Super Bowl.
Recognitions
In 2014, Gorman was chosen as inaugural youth poet laureate of Los Angeles
National Youth Poet Laureate (2017).
Won 2017 Ozy Genius Award
One of Glamour Magazine’s College 2018 Women of the Year.
2019: Listed as the Root’s “Young Futurists” in 2019
2021: The youngest poet ever to read at a US presidential inauguration
In 2021, Goran made it to Time Magazine’s Time 100 Net List under “Phenoms” category
2021: Won Goodreads Choice Awards, Best Poetry for “The Hill We Climb”
In 2022, a new species of alga in central New York was named Gormaniella terricola.
Won 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards’ Best Poetry for “Call Us What We Carry“
