Amanda Gorman Tells Oprah She Was "Terrified" to Become the Inaugural Poet
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Amanda Gorman's inaugural poem, "The Hill We Climb," was released in the form of a book on March 30. To celebrate the publication of The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Nation, the 23-year-old poet gathered virtually with important figures from throughout her life, including friends, family, high school teachers, and her literary agent and books team.
At the end of the party, a surprise guest arrived: Oprah herself, who wanted to share in the "glorious things" that Gorman has brought to the world. "This is your day," Oprah said. As the above recording of the meeting shows, Gorman couldn't hide her shock at Oprah's appearance.
Oprah, who wrote the poetry book's foreword, has been a champion of Gorman's work. Ahead of her performance at President Joe Biden's inauguration in January 2021, Oprah sent Gorman jewelry, just as she had provided inaugural poet Maya Angelou with a gift for her own inauguration performance in 1993. Gorman was also recently a guest on the Oprah Conversation, available to stream on AppleTV+, where she said she was "still absorbing" the impact of her poem.
As it turns out, Oprah also played a major part in making sure Gorman's starring moment in front of the nation happened at all. During her virtual book party, Gorman revealed that she was "really terrified" to perform at the inauguration in D.C, and was even considering turning the position down.
"I texted Oprah asking, 'Are you going to be there? I'm really deliberating because I'm really scared,'" Gorman recalled. Oprah's encouragement helped Gorman say yes. "You said, 'Mask up, show up, and go.' To have you cheer me on and say that and believe that I could do it meant everything."
For Oprah, there was no question on whether or not Gorman should go. "I have not left the house in 365 days, but you have to go," Oprah said on the call. "I think I said, the trajectory of your life is going to change if you do it."
Gorman nodded, saying: "You said it was a huge moment for Maya [Angelou] and it'll be a huge moment for you."
As Gorman mentioned, Oprah sees similarities between Gorman and Angelou, the poet she called her "mother-sister-friend," especially when it came to their impact. "Maya Angelou used to say, 'I have a certain way of being in this world.' You embody that. You are the epitome of that. And that's what the people are captivated by: This inner being that you carry that allows the rest of the world to see themselves in you. And when we see ourselves in you, we're looking at our best, brightest, and most colorful yellow selves. I celebrate that," Oprah said.
In addition to Angelou, Oprah also compared Gorman to herself. "I see a lot of myself in you." Specifically, Oprah said she relates to Gorman's sudden stardom. After the inauguration, Gorman gained millions of Instagram followers and a national platform. "I know what it's like to have your life feel like it was shot out of a cannon. That happened to me at 31 with The Oprah Show. It's happening to you a full decade earlier," Oprah said.
Oprah went on to predict this would be the first of "many, many, many more launches" in Gorman's career. That much is already true: Gorman has two more books coming out in 2021. The Hill We Climb, out on September 21, is a collection of many of Gorman's poems (including her famous inaugural poem), and Change Sings, out the same day, is an illustrated children's book.
According to Oprah, Gorman's destiny is to reach people through language. "I don't know how you're going to speak to the world in your fullness, but I know that you are one of those lights that are going to have the fullest expression of yourself as a human being here on this planet," she said.
"I love you, Oprah," Gorman said, at the end of her speech. Oprah returned the sentiment: "I love and adore you, too."
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