Amanda Gorman, the country’s first national youth poet laureate, will take the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night to recite a brand-new poem in support of Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
Gorman’s scheduled appearance at the DNC comes more than three years after she was invited to recite another original poem, “The Hill We Climb,” at President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021, continuing a tradition of other famous poets such as Robert Frost and Maya Angelou.
The 26-year-old will give a speech and present a brand new poem titled “This Sacred Scene,” inspired by the “atmosphere of change and unity,” reports Vanity Fair, which spoke to Gorman.
“It’s such a big convention… I’m used to speaking at one-off, one-day events,” Gorman told Vanity Fair. “This is a four-day, magical gathering with so many other speakers that I really want to do the occasion justice.”
Here you can find out everything about Amanda Gorman.
When will Amanda Gorman take the DNC stage?
Gorman will recite “This Sacred Scene,” a poem she wrote specifically for the occasion, at 9:45 p.m. ET (6:45 p.m. PT) at the United Center in Chicago, the site of the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
USA TODAY will provide live stream coverage of the DNC every night Monday through Thursday on YouTube. You can view Gorman’s poem here.
Who is Amanda Gorman?
As USA TODAY previously reported, Gorman is considered the country’s first national youth poet laureate and the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history.
She began writing at a young age to cope with a speech impediment. She grew up in Los Angeles with her mother, who was a public school teacher. At age 14, Gorman joined WriteGirl, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit dedicated to helping teenage girls discover their voice through creative writing.
At age 16, she was named Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, and three years later, while studying sociology at Harvard University, she became the first national Poet Laureate.
Gorman’s appearance at Biden’s inauguration
Gorman was invited to recite her original poem “The Hill We Climb” at the White House in 2021 to celebrate the beginning of Biden’s presidency.
In his roughly five-minute reading, Gorman celebrated the diversity of our nation, called on Americans to leave their country in better condition than they found it, and referred to the January 6 Capitol riots that took place earlier this month in an appeal for healing and unity.
Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem: Read the full text of “The Hill We Climb”
Contributors: Hannah Yasharoff and Charles Trepany, USA TODAY
