Amanda Gorman is a 23-year-old American poet and activist who rose to fame at President Biden’s Inauguration, where she performed her original piece, “The Hill We Climb.”
Soon after, the NFL called Gorman to write a poem for the pregame ceremony of the Super Bowl to honor the heroes of 2020’s pandemic, which she titled “Chorus of the Captains.”
To start off 2022, Gorman partnered with Instagram for her new poem, “A New Day’s Lyric,” which encapsulates the world’s reactions and emotions to this past year as well as a call to keep looking forward.
“We steadily vow that no matter/How we are weighed down,/We must always pave a way forward,” her poem reads.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Gorman talks about the importance of partnering with Instagram for the debut of this specific poem.
Gorman says, “Often, more than not, when I’m having a difficult time writing a poem, I’ll actually turn to what are the photos, what are the messages I’m seeing online, and how can I represent that through poetry?”
Gorman’s poems have revitalized and allowed the art of poetry to become more mainstream. Proof can be found through her partnership with one of the biggest social media platforms in the world, Instagram. It’s an odd but beautiful sight, seeing the traditional aspects of written and spoken poetry mixed with one of modern day’s biggest creative outlets to society, social media.
Amanda Gorman is a poet and activist at the forefront, but growth to stardom has also made her a fashion icon.
In 2021, she was on the cover of Vogue, and even co-chaired at the Met Gala. For her “A New Day’s Lyric” look, she collaborated with stylist Jason Bolden. In her interview, she expresses that both of their creative minds have a similar goal when it comes to fashion and poetry. The fashion should speak to something, or rather say something, while not distracting or diluting the message in the poem.
Amanda Gorman continues to strive and break molds through her several published books, groundbreaking poems, and influential activism work. We’re looking forward to watching what she achieves in 2022.