Amanda Gorman and the Magic of Youth Spoken Word Art
© Paula Weiss 2021, Director, Children at the Well
On January 20, 2021 our nation welcomed Amanda Gorman to the Inaugural stage and let her poetry seep into our art-parched and rattled consciousness. Since then many of us cannot stop thinking about the sight of her and the healing power of her words.
In interviews, Amanda assures us that she works in words, not images; that to her “words matter,” and she feels their power had been lately violated and misappropriated. Remarkably, she wrote her inaugural poem with the intent to re-sanctify the Capitol with poetry and reinvest the highest office in the land with the power of words. At 22 years of age. And she just might have accomplished her aim.
A graduate of Harvard, she describes her extensive textual research process. In composing she chose her words meticulously, drawing from myth, religion, her personal story and history itself to paint a vision of the travails we have undergone as a nation, and to offer us a way to redemption. The power of her words leaps off the page with a performance that is visual, audial and visceral as well as intellectual, creating indelible images that suffuse the heart and mind.
In that sea of elders her youthful poise shone like a beacon and warmed us to her. She was an absolute blast of beauty, sunshine and sparkle. The brilliant gold and red of her coat, earrings and headband hit clarion clear warm notes of the spectrum.
Images of light and heat were further amplified visually. Even the way she occasionally and delicately wiped perspiration from her face as she recited added to it, as if the heat was overflowing. Other graceful hand gestures, like musical word painting, punctuated and illustrated her words. Well-placed emphases, pauses, voice tones and facial expressions further heightened the poem’s delivery and emotional content.
Amanda inserted a glimpse of herself into the poem early on, drawing the audience closer with a bit of ironic humor we could share in:
…a skinny Black girl
descended from slaves and raised by a single mother
can dream of becoming president
only to find herself reciting for one
Even those not aware of further details of Amanda’s backstory could sense in her bearing this is a person who has faced steep challenges. She wields her craft in service to others, to help uplift and encourage.
As co-founder of the youth storytelling program Children at the Well (and of the Northeast Storytelling program FLY!) I have seen young people blossom through finding (or crafting) and learning to present stories and poems, and I have again and again seen audiences profoundly touched. Amanda Gorman’s performance was a superlative example of the art form, and so very well chosen for the time and place, but it was not an anomaly. Youth spoken word art at all levels can be exceedingly powerful for the young artists and their audiences.
Both the Children at the Well and the FLY! programs, by design, bring together participants from a variety of cultures. Hearing each other’s stories and getting to know one another, their appreciation for the wonderful diversity of the human story grows, as well.
Every time a young person chooses or writes a story or poem that speaks to them, they reach into a storehouse of wisdom. The sources of this wealth include books, family stories, religious stories, movies and other art, and examples of lives well lived. As they work to shape the story for performance, they identify the messages that resonate; in learning to convey the piece to others they learn about themselves, develop their voice, and grow.
And every single time a young person mounts a stage and presents that story or poem they have carefully chosen or written, and worked on diligently to present, magic happens, hearts are touched and audiences are inspired. A vision of the possibilities for empathy and unity appears.
From “The Hill We Climb,” by Amanda Gorman
…When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it
Paula B. Weiss is co-founder and director of Children at the Well, the youth storytelling program of WithOurVoice, Inc. which seeks to increase capacity for intercultural understanding, build diverse community connections and grow compassionate leaders, through the ancient art of storytelling. She lives in Boght Corners, NY, and is a member of Northeast Storytelling (NEST)
