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Amanda Gorman s Poem Stole the Show at the Inauguration. Read It Again Here.
The National Youth Poet Laureate read The Hill We Climb, a poem she finished after witnessing the siege on the Capitol. Jan 21, 2021
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris s inauguration ceremony was a star-studded affair, with the likes of Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez stepping up to the mic. But even amidst such fanfare, a relatively unknown figure managed to steal the show: Amanda Gorman, National Youth Poet Laureate and the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history.
Gorman, the 22-year-old National Youth Poet Laureate, commanded the spotlight during her passionate reading on Inauguration Day. Author: Tony Black Updated: 5:28 PM PST January 21, 2021
For six minutes on Wednesday at President Joe Biden’s Inauguration, all eyes were on Amanda Gorman. The 22-year-old National Youth Poet Laureate combined a message of hope and promise as she read, even as we grieved, we grew.
In less than a day, Gorman gained more than a million social media followers.
“The fact that she s actually dominating my feed on LinkedIn, that we re not even talking about Twitter or Facebook, but LinkedIn, the professional network, tells you how much she s resonated with people across the spectrum,” said Hanson Hosein from the University of Washington’s Communication Leadership said.
Joe Biden greets Jesuit Fr. Leo O Donovan during Biden s inauguration as the 46th president of the United States at the U.S. Capitol in Washington Jan. 20, 2021. (CNS/Reuters pool/Patrick Semansky)
Wednesday, Jan. 20, was a very Catholic day. It began with the president-elect bringing the political leadership of the nation to Mass. Joe Biden walked into my old parish, the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, followed by the vice president-elect, the speaker of the House, and the majority and minority leaders of both chambers of Congress. After four years of a president incapable of not patting himself on the back in every public moment, it was a welcome change to see a president who is not afraid to go to Mass, where we begin by begging pardon and finish by receiving the gift of eucharistic grace.
How Inaugural Poet Amanda Gorman Overcame A Speech Impediment And Found Her Voice
National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman reads a poem during President Joe Biden s inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2021.
Patrick Semansky/AP
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The breakout star of yesterdayâs inauguration ceremony wasnât the new president or vice president, nor was it Lady Gaga. Arguably, it was 22-year-old Amanda Gorman, a Harvard graduate and the first National Youth Poet Laureate who captivated the world with the commanding recital of her poem,
Open Studio with Jared Bowen last spring and performed
âThe Miracle Of Morning,â an ode to the victims of the pandemic that she wrote while finishing her senior year at Harvard.