Joe Biden’s inauguration was supposed to be a relatively subdued affair, transpiring as it did during a raging pandemic and the aftermath of a violent insurrection at the Capitol. The much-vaunted peaceful transfer of power was less a victory lap than a survivors’ huddle. There were no balls, no galas.
Against this backdrop of grey and worry, the poet Amanda Gorman’s memorable recitation of her poem “The Hill We Climb” popped like a firecracker. Her words, right for the time, were strong and brave. They were patriotic and challenging, hopeful and truth-telling. The reaction was electric: sales for Gorman’s books skyrocketed and Gorman entered the celebrity stratosphere. It was an inspiring story of our moment, demonstrating that poetry and politics could come together to give us something like a literary rock star.
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