The Hill We Climb and Other Poems | 
This is probably old news to many but as I was catching up on insta,I read the above post from Amanda Gorman.Pen America is suing a FL district:
https://pen.org/press-release/pen-america-files-lawsuit-against-florida-school-d....
I just saw the most heartfelt message about book bans from Amanda Gorman on her instagram account after her poem was banned in a Florida school district. I was feeling all the emotions I typically feel when I hear a story like this, and then I read the details of the single, parent complaint she shared that led to the ban, and now I‘m livid! How can we live somewhere where this was upheld?????
pickNGL, me and #poetry are just not a good mix. For the parts I did understand, I enjoyed. And aside from this just being a speech, it's also a major community accomplishment, it was done beautifully
pickWhat more can be said about this than what‘s already been said? It‘s written by a twenty-two year old and presented at a presidential inauguration. This needs to be taught in schools.
“Who are we, if not
What we make of the dark.”
—from “The Unordinary World” in Call Us What We Carry
“The densest despair takes
Us to no ordinary joy.
Sometimes diving
Into the deep inside us
Is the only way
We rise above it.”
—from “Essex II” in Call Us What We Carry
pickSuch a fantastic collection of poetry. She has a wide range here: erasure poems, lots that feel like spoken word poems, and many that play with form on the page. From pandemic poems to protest poems—this is very much an encapsulation of the past couple years (and it‘s amazing the connections she draws out between present day, and WW1 and the 1918 flu pandemic). Gorman is a talented poet and her voice is such an important one right now.
Um... go home, Goodreads; you're drunk. The list of other similar books is just as odd, including detective fiction, romance, a kids' dinosaur book, classic sci-fi, a book by Jenna Bush Hager, and “The Manga Guide to Statistics.“ 😂
“To be haunted is to be hunted
By a history that is still hurting,
Needing healing as much as we do.
& just like that, through poetry,
We have recalled what was not ours,
Made the past the same as our pang.
This may be the only way we learn.”
pickGreat poetry collection. This almost read like a time capsule from the last two years.
pickI‘ve loved this poem ever since I first heard it at last year‘s Inauguration. With that being exactly one year ago this week, of course I had to revisit it again when I spotted it on a community bookshelf at a local tea lounge. (That is also black-owned and my new favorite spot in Charlotte!) 💜#poetry
Every day we are learning
How to live with essence, not ease.
How to move with haste, never hate.
How to leave this pain that is beyond us
Behind us.
Just like a skill or any art,
We cannot possess hope without practicing it.
It is the most fundamental craft we demand of ourselves.
pickBeautiful and thought provoking. I loved so many of these poems. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Shall this leave us bitter?
Or better?
Grieve.
Then choose.”
——
Not sure why Litsy doesn‘t have the right book/title available… this is from her new book, Call Us What We Carry. 💙
pickThe name of this book changed and Litsy doesn‘t have the updated title yet. This was a stellar read. A perfect book to reflect on the world as we move into a new year. I love Gorman‘s voice and look forward to watching her as a poet.
pickInspiring | Luminous | Collage 📖 1-2-22
Not sure why I can‘t find the appropriate tag in Litsy….
Poetry that shines a light on a moment of reckoning and harnesses the collective grief of the global pandemic through an imaginative collage of words.
“Where wisdom flows in cadences that sync with the thrum of our blood, the beat of our hearts” - Oprah Winfrey couldn‘t have described the power of this poem any better
pick(Litsy doesn't have this listing yet - WTF?) Amanda Gorman punched me in the face and torso throughout this collection, and I relished it. So much poignant phrasing that resonated with me so deeply. #poetry
Happy Christmas Eve everyone. Thank you SO much for my wonderful #jolabokaflodswap box @Yuki_Onna It‘s fabulous. Two amazing reads and marzipan! My day is set. Thank you. Happy Holidays everyone xxx
pickShe‘s just so good. Beyond the inaugural poem, I‘m biased to adore her because of her background studying sociology, which I see everywhere in her writing. I LOVED her pandemic-related poems in this collection and how she names and analyzes some elements of that in new and brilliant ways. I also love that my assumptions of what “Call Us What We Carry” might be referencing were totally wrong.
This collection is starting off amazing!
This book is a message in a bottle.
This book is a letter.
This book does not let up.
This book is awake.
This book is a wake.
For what is a record but a reckoning?
#poetry
Back in March, a 7 year-old boy dressed up as poet Amanda Gorman for his school's Spirit Day. 🤩 (from Today.com)
#idol #poetrymatters @TheSpineView
pickPowerful, just powerful.
“For there is always light,
If only we‘re brave enough to see it,
If only we‘re brave enough to be it.”
I loved this poem som much, and especially the quoted lines, that I might buy her poetry collection when it‘s published.
pickI read this while listening to the audiobook and it made me smile. Good poetry can do that.
#poetry #poetrymatters
pickToday seemed like an appropriate day to revisit this inspiring poem. While I am not a poetry reader usually, Gorman‘s rhythm and cadence of speech in this is so uplifting and breathtaking.
Try reading this without getting misty-eyed…
Bookish street art in downtown Charlottesville, VA.
pickPerfectly captures a specific moment in time, like lightning in a bottle.
pickI picked this up from the library. It‘s nice to see Amanda Gorman‘s powerful poem in print and I could hear myself reading it in verse like she spoke it at the inauguration. I‘ll probably pick up my own copy since it‘s a nice piece of history and I‘d like to support her.
pickA gorgeous poem from an amazing young woman who has become a symbol of hope for many. I love the way the cover art matches her jacket from the inauguration. I cannot wait to see the amazing things Amanda Gorman does with her life! 🇺🇸
pickI thought this was her poetry collection, but I'm still not disappointed in the single poem she recited at the inauguration! Now I get to buy her collection.
#bookhaul
For the first time in 14 months I have been to a book shop. Felt wonderful. Brought a few books, top two on the left are my daughters ❤️❤️
pick“Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true,
that even as we grieved, we grew,
that even as we hurt, we hoped,
that even as we tired, we tried,
that we'll forever be tied together, victorious.
Not because we will never again know defeat,
but because we will never again sow division.”
Amanda Gorman is so deserving of the praise that she's received. Each time I hear this poem, my heart stops a bit — it‘s breathtakingly beautiful.
#poetry
pickSimply amazing! Need I say more? Can hardly wait to hear more from this astounding woman! #AxeTheStacks
pickLoved this! Getting comfy under a new quilt.
pickA song of optimism and hope that should be played on repeat.
Special thanks to libro.fm for a copy of the audiobook and Penguin Random House for a physical copy of the book.
My Mom sent me a much appreciated care package—including goodies from a local indie
I could have posted about every single page. 🤷🏻♀️😭 #thehillweclimb #amandagorman #inauguralpoet #blackgirlmagic #america #inauguration2021 #poetry #nationalpoetrymonth
pickGlad to have a commemorative copy of such a powerful moment for our country. This young lady is a true inspiration. #poetry #representationmatters #blitsy
pickSo excited to have my own copy of this. 📚
So excited this finally came! Now, to wait for the rest of her poems when they are released later this year.
pickI borrowed this from Overdrive because I wanted to read the poem. It's still as good as the first time. I'm going to wait for her book that has more poems before I buy.
