Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history and an award-winning writer and social activist. In January 2021, Gorman, then 22, gained instant fame and admiration when she recited her poem, "The Hill We Climb," at President Joe Biden's inauguration. In 2014 Gorman was named the first Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, and in 2017 was named the first U.S. National Youth Poet Laureate. She has performed at many prominent venues, including the Obama White House, the Library of Congress, and Lincoln Center. Gorman was born March 7, 1998 in Los Angeles, and is a cum laude graduate of Harvard University, where she studied sociology. She is the founder of One Pen One Page, an organization providing free creative writing and leadership programs for youth. Her art and activism focus on issues of oppression, feminism, race, and marginalization, as well as the African diaspora.

BIOGRAPHY AND POETRY