Amanda Gorman: A Biography

Profile By Liza Blinn '27

Born March 7, 1998 to a single mother in Los Angeles, Amanda Gorman struggled growing into her identity as she reached adolescence. Gormon and her three sisters

struggled with auditory processing disorders, leading them to seek poetry as a means of expressing themselves. Fast forward to 2017, during her second year at Harvard University, where she became part of the inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate: a program dedicated to supporting young poets in more than 60 cities, regions, and states nationwide. Since then, she's been featured in the New York Times, and published three books. Gorman’s works, especially, are known for addressing black identity, feminism, marginalization, and climate change.

Her breakthrough moment, however, came in 2021 during Joe Biden's presidential inauguration. She spoke of the horrors that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how just one year before, George Floyd’s murder began to “wake up” the nation. Gorman became the youngest inaugural poet in U.S History along side Robert Frost and Maya Angelou. From then on, she’s had the opportunity to perform commissioned poems on CBS This Morning, the Library of Congress, and the Lincoln Center. She’s been recognized by Scholastic Inc., YoungArts, and Glamour Magazine. And notably, she was also the recipient of the Poets and Writers Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award. 

Amanda Gorman is an inspiring young woman who is a roll model for young girls and poets across the world.

Photo Courtesy of nytimes.com

Sources: theamandagorman.com, britannica.com

Edited By: Catherine Polatidis '26 and Ms. Brilliant

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