Poetry can inspire and empower social change, says a nationally acclaimed poet and activist. 

“I believe in poetry not as a state of being but as a state of action,” said Amanda Gorman, the first-ever recipient of the National Youth Poet Laureate. 

Gorman captivated the country when she recited “The Hill We Climb” at President Biden’s inaugural address in 2021, and flexed her renowned rhythmic flow and clever word play.

The 26-year-old came to Santa Barbara on April 30 — the last day of National Poetry Month — to present for UCSB Arts & Lectures’ justice series. She stressed the power of words as she spoke on the sold-out Arlington Theatre stage. 

“Sometimes people think language is a really futile place to begin for social change,” Gorman said in conversation with novelist Pico Iyer. 

“But I want to push back and point out that every single successful social movement is orchestrated around powerful ideas communicated through words that speak across divides.” 

Gorman emphasized the value of language even when speaking to children or disagreeable coworkers.

“Be aware and intentional of words you’re using,” she said, because change “starts with local action.”

In recent years, Gorman has published several bestselling poetry and children’s picture books that articulate social issues like race, gender, and environmental degradation. 

But words have never come easy for her. 

Growing up — and even today — she’s struggled with an auditory processing disorder and speech impediment. 

“It’s kind of like growing up and learning a language, but you’re learning underwater,” Gorman said, describing the distorted and muffled sound of words with the hearing problem. 

So, she made it her strength. When Gorman hears the wrong words, she writes them down to use as play-on-words in her poetry later on. 

Gorman has also had difficulty pronouncing “R.” Even as a college student, she couldn’t quite say the name of her university: Harvard. 

Surprisingly, the letter is a frequent flier in Gorman’s writing. She declared herself a Gryffindor “to the core,” saying she chooses to “face fear rather than run away from it,” and was met with cheers from the crowd. 

“Alliteration in my poetry tends to include words I struggle with,” she said, recounting the years she spent practicing the “Hamilton” song “Aaron Burr, Sir,” which is brimming with the consonant. 

Gorman accredited her rhythmic delivery of poems to the Black community and culture she was brought up in. 

The African American tradition of recitation is “almost like a song without music,” she said, referencing Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches for their notable flow. 

Her goal in her writing and activism is to continue the legacy of her predecessors, beyond the blood relatives. 

“It’s not genetic or biological,” she said, naming figures like Maya Angelou who she sees as ancestors in their own right.  

But there’s still a need for greater diversity in the literary world, Gorman said. 

“There has to be something of literature that isn’t stale and pale and old and dusty,” she said, pointing to a hunger for more Black presence and feminine expression in writing. 

Gorman urged the audience to vote for institutional change, but she also pushed for people to “give ourselves space” and “focus on healing.”

“Burnout is a disease,” she said, noting those who are so exhausted — “like the walking dead” — that they can’t be active global citizens. 

The message extended to protecting the environment and fighting the climate crisis. 

“The planet cannot be saved by dying people,” she said, the crowd grunting “mhm’s” and snapping their fingers — poetry style — in agreement. “Take care of yourselves to take care of the planet.”

Gorman closed the talk with a poem from one of her books, “Call Us What We Carry,” putting the future of humanity and the world into the hands of words: 

“Language is a life craft,” she recited. “Yes, language is a life raft.”