Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman's upcoming books have rocketed to the top of Amazon's bestsellers list
Erin Schaff/Pool via Reuters
- Books by inaugural poet Amanda Gorman shot to the top of Amazon's bestsellers list.
- A division of Penguin Random House will publish two books by Gorman in September 2021.
- "Maya Angelou is cheering – and so am I," Oprah Winfrey wrote on Twitter.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Two upcoming books by inaugural poet Amanda Gorman shot to the top of Amazon's bestsellers list on Wednesday, after the 22-year-old gave a stirring recital of her poem "The Hill We Climb" to welcome President Joe Biden into office.
A book of poetry, also titled "The Hill We Climb," and a picture book, "Change Sings: A Children's Anthem," illustrated by Loren Long, were both scheduled to be published in September 2021 by Viking Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House.
After Gorman's Wednesday recital, the books claimed the top two spots on Amazon's list.
"I AM ON THE FLOOR MY BOOKS ARE #1 & #2 ON AMAZON AFTER 1 DAY! Thank you so much to everyone for supporting me and my words," Gorman wrote on Twitter Wednesday evening.
Gorman, who was named the first US youth poet laureate in 2017, added: "'For words alone are certain good: Sing, then,'" a quote from William Butler Yeats's "The Song of the Happy Shepherd."
Read more: Meet Joe Biden, America's imperfect leader
Gorman's inauguration recital earned near-universal praise from politicians, writers, and others. Her poem referenced great Americans, while looking to the future.
She finished writing it on January 6, after watching a pro-Trump mob storm the Capitol, according to NPR. Her poem included lines that called attention to the violence, including: "If we're to live up to our own time, then victory won't lie in the blade, but in all the bridges we've made."
Former President Barack Obama said Gorman's poem "more than met the moment."
—Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 20, 2021
On Twitter, celebrities and politicians piled praise on the poet.
"I have never been prouder to see another young woman rise! Brava Brava," wrote Oprah Winfrey.
Jen Psaki, the new White House press secretary, wrote, "As a human and American I have a massive girl crush on Amanda Gorman."
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Biden became the fourth president to invite a poet to read at his inauguration. The relatively new tradition was kicked off by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, when he invited Robert Frost to read, according to a list compiled by Poets.org.
In praising Gorman, Winfrey cited another writer, Maya Angelou, who read "On the Pulse of the Morning" at President Bill Clinton's 1993 inauguration.
"Maya Angelou is cheering - and so am I," wrote Winfrey.
Viking Books for Young Readers planned a 150,000-copy first printing for "The Hill We Climb," according to Publishers Weekly.
Gorman's books landed on Barnes & Noble's bestsellers list, too. They were listed as numbers 5 and 6 early Thursday morning.