A success timeline featuring the most significant achievements of Amanda Gorman.
Amanda Gorman is an American poet, activist, and model known for her work addressing oppression, feminism, race, and the African diaspora. She was the first National Youth Poet Laureate and gained widespread recognition for her poem "The Hill We Climb," delivered at Joe Biden's inauguration in 2021. This performance catapulted her to international fame, leading to best-selling books and a professional management contract. Gorman's powerful and evocative poetry has established her as a prominent voice in contemporary literature and social commentary.
2014: First Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles
In 2014, Amanda Gorman was chosen as the first youth poet laureate of Los Angeles.
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April 2017: Named National Youth Poet Laureate
In April 2017, Amanda Gorman became the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate.
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2017: Featured on XQ Institute's Book of the Month
In 2017, Amanda Gorman became the first author to be featured on XQ Institute's Book of the Month, a monthly giveaway to share inspiring Gen Z's favorite books.
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2018: Glamour's College Woman of the Year
In 2018, Amanda Gorman was selected as one of Glamour magazine's "College Women of the Year", where she expressed her desire to inspire people as a young black woman in politics.
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2018: Speech Impediment as a Strength
In 2018, Elida Kocharian of The Harvard Crimson wrote that Gorman doesn't view her speech impediment as a crutch but as a gift and a strength. Gorman told The Harvard Gazette in 2018 that her obstacles in terms of auditory and vocal skills made her really good at reading and writing.
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2018: Poem Displayed at Morgan Library
In 2018, The Morgan Library and Museum acquired Amanda Gorman's poem "In This Place (An American Lyric)" and displayed it near works by Elizabeth Bishop.
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2019: Named a Young Futurist
In 2019, Amanda Gorman was chosen as one of The Root magazine's 'Young Futurists'. She also expressed support for abortion rights in a NowThis News video.
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January 20, 2021: Inauguration Poem
On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman read her poem "The Hill We Climb" at the inauguration of Joe Biden, becoming the youngest poet to read at a presidential inauguration in United States history.
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February 7, 2021: Super Bowl LV Performance
On February 7, 2021, Amanda Gorman delivered an original poem at Super Bowl LV's pregame ceremony, honoring essential workers.
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February 2021: Time Magazine Cover
Amanda Gorman made the cover of Time magazine's February 2021 issue.
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September 2021: Estée Lauder Global Changemaker
In September 2021, it was announced that Amanda Gorman would become the first Estée Lauder "Global Changemaker", as a representative of the brand in ad campaigns and speaking events, in addition to work with the company's grantmaking program to promote literacy for girls and women.
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December 2021: Release of Poetry Collection
In December 2021, Amanda Gorman released her poetry collection, 'Call Us What We Carry', published by Viking Books. The collection received critical acclaim.
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2021: Rise to Fame
In 2021, Amanda Gorman rose to fame after writing and delivering her poem "The Hill We Climb" at the inauguration of Joe Biden. Subsequently, two of her books became best-sellers, and she secured a professional management contract.
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2021: Speech Therapy Through Song
In 2021, Amanda Gorman told CBS This Morning that she used songs as a form of speech therapy, with 'Aaron Burr, Sir' from Hamilton being a favorite practice song because of its abundance of 'R' sounds.
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