Amanda Gorman Tops U.S. Bestseller Lists
On March 30, Penguin Random House published a hardcover edition of Amanda Gorman’s now-famous poem “The Hill We Climb” in the U.S. and U.K. The young poet had recited it on January 20 at the inauguration of Joe Biden as U.S. President, captivating the whole world. “The Hill We Climb” debuted at #1 on the “New York Times,” “USA Today,” and Indie bookstore bestseller lists.
On March 30, Viking Books in the U.S. and Chatto & Windus in the U.K. published Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country,” the now-famous poem that the young Los Angeles poet recited at the inauguration of Joe Biden as U.S. President in Washington, D.C., on January 20, and with which she captivated the world. The now-published hardcover edition of the poem, with a foreword by famous host Oprah Winfrey, debuted at #1 on the “New York Times,” “USA Today” and Indie bookstore bestseller lists. “The Hill We Climb” has the highest week-one sales of any poetry book ever published in the U.S. Viking had increased the initial print run to one million copies due to popular demand. An audiobook edition read by Amanda Gorman with a foreword read by Oprah Winfrey was simultaneously published by Penguin Audio. Translation rights to Gorman’s book have already been sold in 20 countries.
“The Hill We Climb” is also the title of Amanda Gorman’s first poetry collection, which Viking Books for Young Readers will also be publishing with an initial print run of one million copies on September 21. On the same day, Viking Books for Young Readers will publish Amanda Gorman’s third book, once again with an initial print run of one million copies. It is a children’s picture book called “Change Sings,” with illustrations by Loren Long, who has illustrated several “New York Times” bestsellers. “Change Sings” is about a young girl who leads various characters on a musical journey on which they realize that everyone has the power to bring about change, in the world, in their environment, and especially in themselves.
Amanda Gorman began attracting attention for her poetry as a teenager. In 2017, she became the first person to be named “National Youth Poet Laureate” after prevailing over other up-and-coming poets in a nationwide competition. The award is presented by the New York-based literary promotion initiative Urban Word to honor young poets who are also committed to social justice and active in civic discourse and advocacy. Besides writing poetry, Amanda Gorman, who graduated from Harvard with a degree in sociology, also campaigns regionally and nationally for education and equal opportunities for girls.
