It takes a monster to kill children. But to watch monsters kill children again and again and do nothing isn’t just insanity—it’s inhumanity.
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Amanda Gorman
@TheAmandaGorman
Poet
Amanda Gorman’s Tweets
I AM ON THE FLOOR MY BOOKS ARE #1 & #2 ON AMAZON AFTER 1 DAY! Thank you so much to everyone for supporting me and my words. As Yeats put it: "For words alone are certain good: Sing, then"
Thank you! I would be nowhere without the women whose footsteps I dance in. While reciting my poem, I wore a ring with a caged bird—a gift from for the occasion , to symbolize Maya Angelou, a previous inaugural poet. Here’s to the women who have climbed my hills before.
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I have never been prouder to see another young woman rise! Brava Brava, @TheAmandaGorman! Maya Angelou is cheering—and so am I.
Thx ! Did you catch the 2 references in the inaugural poem? I couldn’t help myself!
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YES @TheAmandaGorman!!! -LMM
Poetry at the Super Bowl is a feat for art & our country, because it means we’re thinking imaginatively about human connection even when we feel siloed. I’ll honor 3 heroes who exemplify the best of this effort. Here’s to them, to poetry, & to a #SuperBowl like no other 💛
A security guard tailed me on my walk home tonight. He demanded if I lived there because “you look suspicious.” I showed my keys & buzzed myself into my building. He left, no apology. This is the reality of black girls: One day you’re called an icon, the next day, a threat.
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Wow, a fantastic @washingtonpost piece by @nnekamcguire . We live in a contradictory society that can celebrate a black girl poet & also pepper spray a 9 yr old. Yes see me, but also see all other black girls who've been made invisible. I can not, will not, rise alone. twitter.com/nnekamcguire/s…
The fact that we know what the verdict SHOULD be but remain unsure of what it WILL be speaks volumes about our nation. We have work to do.
What a day. What a life. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you ✨ @ United States Capitol instagram.com/p/CKVEITzFTYG/
So humbled by everyone's support! If you'd like to read more of my words, you can pre-order my first ever poetry collection, The Hill We Climb, here! amazon.com/dp/0593465067/
2 years ago today, and still so immensely grateful for the moment of a lifetime 💛
thank you to everyone who has followed my journey before and after this life-changing day 💛
One parent could get my poetry banned from classrooms. And yet one country can't ban assault rifles from massacring them.
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A reminder that victory would be George Floyd being alive. Every day Black Americans worry if they will be next is another day without justice.
Schools scared to death.
The truth is, one education under desks,
Stooped low from bullets;
That plunge when we ask
Where our children
Shall live
& how
& if
Got to hold my book for the first time today and wow…can’t believe that all that work and sweat and love is now in something I can carry. Can’t wait for it to be yours this Dec 💛💙
Self-love is revolutionary. We cannot fight for others when we're fighting a war inside ourselves. Compassion is a power that we first bestow on ourselves & then give away through our actions—to people, to our planet. When we recognize this, that is when love becomes our legacy.
Meghan was the Crown's greatest opportunity for change, regeneration, and reconciliation in a new era. They didn't just maltreat her light--they missed out on it.
In a sense, he was right. I AM A THREAT: a threat to injustice, to inequality, to ignorance. Anyone who speaks the truth and walks with hope is an obvious and fatal danger to the powers that be.
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A security guard tailed me on my walk home tonight. He demanded if I lived there because “you look suspicious.” I showed my keys & buzzed myself into my building. He left, no apology. This is the reality of black girls: One day you’re called an icon, the next day, a threat. twitter.com/TheAmandaGorma…
Being alive while Black is exhausting. Take care of yourself and each other.
Honored to be the first poet EVER on the cover of , & what a joy to do so while wearing a Black designer, . This is called the Rise of Amanda Gorman, but it's truly for all of you, both named & unseen, who lift me up 🕊🦋
Love,
Amanda
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.@TheAmandaGorman is our May cover star!
Poet, activist, optimist, style icon—Gorman has become so much more than a literary star. Meet the phenomenon in the making: vogue.cm/eb0wD9V
What an honor to be on 's new cover. From the interview: "In all the forms of expression of human life, we’re seeing that artistry be informed by the Black experience. I can’t imagine anything more exciting than that."
This is 99 year old Althea. Her aide Cristy sent me this video of her responding to my inaugural poem that just warmed my heart. Part of the privilege of writing poetry is getting to touch other people’s lives. Thank you so much Althea for this gift 💛🙏🏿
This ruling was never about caring for people. It's always been about controlling them.
Let us not return to what was normal, but reach toward what is next.
Wow second week atop the NYT best-seller list! So much gratitude as I look back on how I first started performing poetry years ago despite my speech impediment. All I can say is to any young writer, keep writing. Keep going. Your day will come.
What might we be if only we tried.
What might we become if only we’d listen.
Though we strobed
That we came in peace,
He was already at war.
We have battled hard to be.
Nothing—
Nothing—
Can keep you safe.
Silence least of all.
Look alive, everyone.
May such a prayer,
A people,
A peace,
A promise,
Be ours.
Be right
& radiant
& real.
When I dress up as my idol I have to dress up as him!
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This little guy chose to dress as Amanda Gorman for “Dress as Your Idol” day at (remote) school. Thank you @TheAmandaGorman for inspiring all of our children to change the world!
Pregnancy is a private and personal decision.
It should never require the permission of any politician.
I also can’t reiterate how exciting it is for me that others are excited to see poetry at a football game. What a time to be alive
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Poetry at the Super Bowl is a feat for art & our country, because it means we’re thinking imaginatively about human connection even when we feel siloed. I’ll honor 3 heroes who exemplify the best of this effort. Here’s to them, to poetry, & to a #SuperBowl like no other 
Why is it that no matter how many shout outs from I get I still have a heart attack? That surprise was such a gift thank you!
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She smashed it! twitter.com/GMA/status/135…
Holding a space for those estranged/distant from family, mourning the loss of loved ones, or struggling privately. You are not alone. This holiday season give yourself the gift of gentle loving. Even where it’s hard to find joy there is always a journey back to ourselves.
-A
I am so thankful for the outpouring of support since the incident last night. It won't change the truth of what happened, and continues to happen to Black Americans, but it reassures me of what I already know: There is always far more good in this world than bad. Love, Amanda
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In a sense, he was right. I AM A THREAT: a threat to injustice, to inequality, to ignorance. Anyone who speaks the truth and walks with hope is an obvious and fatal danger to the powers that be. twitter.com/TheAmandaGorma…
Meghan is living the life Diana should have, if only those around her had been as brave as she was. Meghan isn’t living a life without pain, but a life without a prison.
Definitely nailed it! A+!
& my heart rips again. Ma'Khia Bryant was a child. A child. A child.
The days between Christmas and New Year are when I realize my destiny to become an extended part of my sofa
So the parent who got my inaugural poem The Hill We Climb banned for elementary students @BGEC_Bobcats has ties to WHITE SUPREMACIST ORGS. Anyone surprised? This is a shame for the children in your school system who deserve to have access to poetry.
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This is the one parent who successfully got Amanda Gorman’s poem banned. Will the Miami-Dade school district reverse this decision now that it’s surfaced that parent as ties to a white supremacist organization? Or does the comfort of a white supremacist matter more? twitter.com/MIAagainstFash…
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🤯🤯🤯Showing this to 19-year-old me still struggling with a speech impediment
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accidentally google "speech" and was delighted to see @TheAmandaGorman as the example.
A friend gifted me this engraved compass and it took me several moments to remember I wrote this line in my book😂
My mom is going to flip when she sees this 😍
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Replying to @TheAmandaGorman
I’ve this one of you made by a welknown Dutch artist, Klashorst. Inspired by Girl with the pearl by Vermeer.
For news outlets, here is a necessary clarification about poet laureates by incredible US Poet Laureate . I am not the only one, nor the last
Living that life today
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These are the pages of my inaugural poem that an objecting parent cited as "not educational and have indirectly hate messages". And now because of that one complaint, my poem is now banned for elementary school students at a school in .
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Replying to @TheAmandaGorman @Oprah and @FLFreedomRead
In case anyone is wondering what pages 12 and 13 say, here they are. Someone please tell me what is hateful about this…
1/6 Today I turn 23🥳🎉 As I reflect gratefully on this whirlwind year, I can’t help but believe that the best gift is one that pays your blessings forward. If you’ve been touched by my words, please consider donating or sharing these wonderful nonprofits. Even $1 works magic
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After reciting her poignant piece at yesterday's Inauguration, @Lin_Manuel had a special message for National Youth Poet Laureate @TheAmandaGorman on @GMA today.
They won't call it a ban. Yet not only has my book been moved, but now elementary schoolers must request a copy from a specialist at its new site AND then also PROVE their reading level before seeing a copy. All these hurdles for a young reader just to access a poem in history… Show more
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It's not a ban, they said.
It just on another shelf, they said.
But the truth about the ban on @TheAmandaGorman's book—as is often the case with book banners—was something quite different:
An elaborate—& daunting—process for elementary school children simply to access a poem. twitter.com/jonfreadom/sta…
My first ever children's book Change Sings is now available for pre-order! Illustrated by (of Barack Obama's "Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters") & published by . Be the first to own it below! penguinrandomhouse.com/books/634480/c
O say can we see, by the Gone’s early flight,
What so loudly we failed at the mornlight’s past gleaming,
Whose flawed stripes and strifed scars, through the perilous plight,
Our wan hearts, we watched, stirred and valiantly screaming. (1/2)
Proud to be in the #TIME100NEXT list! This intro is a gift. When we met yrs ago, I shoved a poem into his hands & said "I'm too nervous to speak but this is what I'd say if I could!" He hugged me & said he'd keep it to say he knew me when. Look at us now.
You asked for it, so I'm delivering! You can now buy a special edition of my inaugural poem! I hope you cherish this print as much as the performance xo
As Afghanistan suffers, America has to take a long look at how we've perpetuated horror & how we can provide healing. We must welcome refugees & at last become the country we say we are. Today is the day to take in the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free.
This may be how things have been, but not how they have to be
Happy World Book Day! And wow today I held my first advanced copy of the special edition of my inaugural poem. Pre-order yours below & let me know if it makes you smile this big too! 💛✨bit.ly/TheHillWeClimb
HOW AM I JUST NOW SEEING THIS I’M SCREAMING (also I’d be so down for poetrypuff girls)
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.@TheAmandaGorman 
The youngest Inaugural Poet, Amanda made history and captivated the country with her poignant words during the Presidential Inauguration 
#amandagorman #Inauguration #inaugurationpoet #cartoonnetwork #powerpuffgirls #blackgirlmagic
The youngest Inaugural Poet, Amanda made history and captivated the country with her poignant words during the Presidential Inauguration
#amandagorman #Inauguration #inaugurationpoet #cartoonnetwork #powerpuffgirls #blackgirlmagic
I was so excited to write a poem for the Super Bowl & even I’m not making plans to watch it with other people. Please stay home 🙏🏿 twitter.com/ProfessorCrunk
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1/2 Humbled to be the first poet to perform at the Super Bowl! I'm so excited to place poetry at the forefront of the most watched U.S. television broadcast, & to honor 3 heroes of the coronavirus pandemic. Can’t wait for the world to hear their stories!
History made: The Hill We Climb now has the biggest week 1 sales of any Poetry title ever published 🤯
📒It is the 1st book of poetry ever to claim the top spot on the list since its start in 1993.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Wow, a fantastic piece by . We live in a contradictory society that can celebrate a black girl poet & also pepper spray a 9 yr old. Yes see me, but also see all other black girls who've been made invisible. I can not, will not, rise alone.
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The best interviews are the ones you never want to end, when you’re talking to brilliant thinkers about other brilliant thinkers. Thank you, @MarcusSharon, @salamishah, @ToiDerricotte, @jenbenka and Tracy K. Smith for your insights on @TheAmandaGorman.
washingtonpost.com/entertainment/
Being American is more than a pride we inherit—
It’s the past we step into, and how we repair it.
There is no such thing as gentle war.
There is no peace
That can’t be flung aside.
Our only enemy is that which would
Make us enemies to each other.
To be a family, a country, doesn’t necessitate that we be the same or agree on everything, only that we continue to try to see the best in each other and move forward into a shared future. Whether we like it or not, we are in this together.
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(2/2) And the rifle’s dread glare, bullets bursting in air,
Gave truth in our sight that our flag was not spared.
O say does that scar-mangled banner yet save
Our land of the free and the home of the brave?
Can someone tell me why my phone keeps autocorrecting "Thanks!" to "Thanos!"
A friend sent me this pic of George Floyd Square today. Currently praying and rolling up my sleeves to get to work.
The GOAT having to sit out--because a man is not held accountable to do the same-is shameful. Biles still cheering on her teammates, even while taking care of herself, is one of the many graces that make her a true champion, forever & always. We love u Simone. twitter.com/meena/status/1
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Whenever I feel unable to write, I remember that Thomas Jefferson singled out young black poetess Phillis Wheatley with shallow disdain: "Among the blacks is misery enough, God knows, but no poetry." Then I crack my knuckles and get to work.
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Historian of abolition here. This conservative rag @spectator has published a literary criticism of @TheAmandaGorman ode to democracy. Reminds me of Jefferson’s criticism of Phillis Wheatley’s poetry as beneath criticism. It’s pretentious crap spectator.co.uk/article/amanda
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Unclear if this will change the Royal family, but Meghan's strength will certainly redefine family everywhere. Think of the women who will be inspired to stand up for their lives, the partners who will be kinder & more courageous than the kin they were born into.
May we not just grieve, but give:
May we not just ache, but act;
May our signed right to bear arms
Never blind our sight from shared harm;
May we choose our children over chaos.
May another innocent never be lost.
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Read a new poem from @TheAmandaGorman, “Hymn for the Hurting” — written after the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, this week. nyti.ms/3lPu1CS
Thanks for changing it with me
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Poetry and football. 
Thanks for changing the world, @TheAmandaGorman. #SuperBowl
Thanks for changing the world, @TheAmandaGorman. #SuperBowl
Wasn’t ready for this today—today we lost a titan, an icon. She was a writer who made us feel seen all the way down to our bones. When I say rest in power, it’s with the knowledge of all the power she’s given to the rest of us. Keep empowering, empress. 💔🙏🏿
For those claiming my book wasn’t banned, just “aged-up”—The Hill We Climb is an inaugural poem for the world. Relocating it to older age group library shelves by its nature bars younger and equally deserving generations from accessing said moment in history.
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.@raeganmiller said the issue of a book’s age-appropriateness is often used as a loophole to restrict books because of the vague nature of the classification. The same, she said, is happening with books challenged on the grounds of sexual content. latimes.com/entertainment-
So proud that this books is out today. I’ve said it once, but I’ll say it again: I truly believe we can raise this wounded world into a wondrous one. I, for one, am here for the climb. Love, Amanda 💛 bit.ly/TheHillWeClimb
Thank you so much! I believe it as well 🙏🏿
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Happy birthday, @TheAmandaGorman.
You encountered darkness this week, but your astounding light still shines.
Amanda, I do believe “We shall overcome.” 
Rest in power, Cicely Tyson. Thank you for your life, your love, your light 🙏🏿
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You did it, @TheAmandaGorman 
For there is always light.
If only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.
For there is always light.
If only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.
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This isn't Meghan's princess ‘happy’ ending. But sometimes change, the decisions that bring us the most hurt, aren't about about happiness, but healing.
This is what happens when a poet sees her book for the first time. Can’t believe this is out on Tuesday!
Lol look at someone the the way I look at Simone and get so fan-girl tongue-tied you mess up the tweet
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Find someone who looks at you the way so look at @Simone_Biles Congrats 
!
!
#SidneyPoitier was a pioneer for artists of color everywhere. At 9 I read he imitated broadcasters since he was ridiculed for his accent. For the next 10 yrs I did the same to overcome my own speech impediment. I owe my voice to him. Never EVER doubt that representation matters.
😍😍😍This. Is. What. It’s. All. About
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Replying to @RobinRoberts
Here’s a pic of my sweet great-niece Salleigh reading @TheAmandaGorman children’s book #ChangeSings
This legend’s second to last week was about me. I can’t stop crying. Thank you, thank you, thank you Cicely. You’ve given us black girls everything.
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“@TheAmandaGorman, your words remind us that we will rise, rebuild, reconcile and recover. Thank you for your words and light.” CT
Above all, I dare you to do good
So that the world might be great.
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"I only ask that you care before it’s too late,
That you live aware and awake,
That you lead with love in hours of hate."
At #UNGA, poet, activist & @unicef supporter @theamandagorman shared a powerful poem calling for urgent action to achieve the #GlobalGoals.
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I also wanted to be the first to say that while it might seem like this opportunity must’ve came from my inauguration fame, I’ve actually been talking with the Super Bowl for weeks now, far prior to my invite to the inauguration. Had to keep my blessing secret till now🙏🏿
