“The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country”

Happy April and National Poetry Month! Growing up, poetry was my least favorite genre of literature. Looking back now, one of the reasons it was my least favorite was because more often than not, the poems I was forced to read in school were often by British men who wrote about nature or love. It was not until I started doing more research later on in life that I discovered phenomenal poets like Rupi Kaur, Ocean Vuong, and Amanda Gorman.

Learning from my past experiences with poetry, as an English teacher now, my goal is to find poetry my students can access by poets who my students can relate to like Amanda Gorman and her poem, “The Hill We Climb.” It is no wonder that Gorman’s poem was turned into a bounded book entitled, The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country by Amanda Gorman (2021).

Amanda Gorman has been a rising star for the last few years. In 2017, she became the first National Youth Poet Laureate in U.S history, and then on January 20th, 2021 she made history again becoming the youngest inaugural poet. One of the most interesting aspects of Amanda Gorman’s story is that she was born with a speech impediment. To combat her speech impediment she began reciting quotes, poetry, and songs as a form of speech therapy, and it was not long after she began writing her own poetry. 

For those unfamiliar with Amanda Gorman’s poetry, her poems are focused on social change and serve as a call to action against oppression, marginalization, and injustices. Gorman’s poem, “The Hill We Climb,” is a call to action for everyone in our country. At only 23-years old, Amanda Gorman may still have a lot of life to live, but choosing to be and see the light that exists in what can sometimes be a very dark world is one of the best pieces of advice for anyone. 

This special edition of Gorman’s poem, The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country, is sure to be cherished and read for years to come; so be sure that you purchase a Bookedbag protector to keep this poem/book safe for years to come.