Amanda Gorman talks fame and future presidency
LOS ANGELES: When Amanda Gorman was invited to read a newly developed poem at the UN General Assembly, the young sensation took a deep look at how several societal issues — such as hunger and poverty — have impacted Earth’s preservation. Just like her stirring inauguration poem last year, Gorman felt compelled to express the impact of unity through her poetic words on the opening day of the 77th session on Monday in New York. The 24-year-old poet created “An Ode We Owe” in hopes of bringing all nations together to tackle various issues of disparity along with preserving the planet.
Gorman once again graced the big centrestage in front of the world’s leaders. Her fame exploded ater she recited her poem “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden’s inauguration, which made her the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. Her poem quickly topped bestsellers lists and made her one of the most in-demand poets, puting her on other big stages like the Super Bowl and in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press on Sunday, Gorman talked about her hopes for the United Nations poem, her future presidency plans, resentment she’s goten toward her commercial success and wanting to someday write a novel.
What do you want listeners to take away from your poem?
What I hope people can garner from the poem is that while issues of hunger and poverty and illiteracy can feel Goliath and are so huge, it’s not necessarily that these issues are too large to be conquered. But they’re too large to be stepped away from.
How important is having a young voice like yourself to speak at the general assembly?
When I was writing this poem, I kept geting flashbacks of several years ago when I came to New York for the first time. I was 16 and I was coming as the United Nations delegate for the Commission on the Status of Women. That was the first time I’d really ever engaged the U.N. as a space in any way. I just remember not seeing people who looked as young as me. I also looked like I was 11 at the time. I started marinating on this idea of “I want to come back someday in the future. I don’t just want to be a delegate. I want to be a presenter.” I’m not here to speak on behalf of young people, but to speak alongside and with them.
Why did you touch on sustainable development goals in your poem?
I actually think that there’s swaths of the population which has yet to be engaged or kind of told or activated around the Sustainable Development Goals. So much of what I like to do in the poem is making sure that we raise awareness around these issues and show that these goals do exist.
How have you managed the transition to being a high-level celebrity?
I’m still learning and growing so much. I think one of the things that changed so much for me was just privacy. All of a sudden I became someone - which I never really necessarily expected - who gets recognized on the street. If I go to a restaurant, even if I’m wearing a mask, people are very good at spoting my face and or my voice. I’m very grateful for that type of visibility, even though sometimes I do miss individual privacy because it means that I have a plaform that I can use for good.
Has the fame changed your writing?
I think it hasn’t changed my writing in the sense that my voice and style is still the same because the roots of where I come from are still there. But I do think it makes me think more creatively and imaginatively about ways in which I can get those poems in the world.