Amanda Gorman

Amanda Gorman

Amanda S. C. Gorman is an American poet and activist. Her work focuses on issues of oppression, feminism, race, and marginalization. She was the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate in April 2017. She delivered her poem at the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden.

About Amanda Gorman in brief

Summary Amanda GormanAmanda S. C. Gorman is an American poet and activist. Her work focuses on issues of oppression, feminism, race, and marginalization, as well as the African diaspora. She was the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate in April 2017. In 2021, she delivered her poem at the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden. Her inauguration poem generated international acclaim, stimulated her two books to reach best-seller status, and earned her a professional management contract. In 2017, Gorman said she intends to run for president in 2036, and she has often repeated this hope on being selected as one of one of the Women of the Year by Glamour magazine. 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.

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, she founded the nonprofit organization One Pen One Page, a youth writing and leadership program. 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. She won a USD 10,000 grant from OZYZ Genius Awards in 2017, which gives 10 college students the opportunity to pursue their outstanding works through media company OZZYY Genius. In 2018, she was chosen as the one of 10 finalists for the O.ZY Genius Genius Awards, which is given to 10 students each year for outstanding works of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.