Amanda Gorman remembers how difficult it was for her to find her unique voice as a young writer, and she has teamed up with Penguin Random House to create the Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry. Original work from public high school students is encouraged, and one young poet will be chosen to receive a $10,000 prize and recognition.
When Joe Biden took the oath as the 46th president of the United States on Jan. 20, 2021, Gorman became the youngest poet to perform her piece during a presidential inauguration. Gorman, who was 22 at the time, presented a poem titled “The Hill We Climb” about the insurgency in the United States Capitol during Trump’s final days in office.
“As someone who found my love of writing at a young age, I want to continue to foster that same love in the next generation of great poets,” Gorman said in a statement Thursday to The Associated Press.
