Who knew that in 2021 spoken word poetry would be embraced by millions for its significance as a nation-building anthem from the lectern at Joseph Biden’s 46th presidential inauguration?
In her poem “The Hill We Climb,” astounding Amanda Gorman‘s cry to “rebuild, reconcile, and recover” with “every breath from my bronze-pounded chest” sounded in striking resonance with the man in whose name she addressed her nation, whose speech has also been the occasion for celebrations of recovery. Biden’s well-publicized efforts to speak with and overcome a stutter have operated as an extended metaphor for the restoration of democracy that has now become his task in the aftermath of the political abuses under Donald Trump.