LA poet Amanda Gorman performs at Karen Bass’ inauguration

Los Angeles native Amanda Gorman performed an original poem at the inauguration of Mayor Karen Bass, reflecting her career in January 2021 as the youngest presidential inauguration poet in US history.

Gorman, who turned 24 in March, performed at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, wowing the crowd from a circular side stage.

Her 3½ minute recitation drew a standing ovation.

“Never before is officially over,” Gorman said. “Because the world needs to learn this, and fast. Even if we are the first, we are far from the last. The way forward is not a way we walk. The way forward is a way we make.”

Another Los Angeles poet, Sophie Szew, also performed during the ceremony.

In 2014, when she was 16, Gorman was named Los Angeles’ Young Poet Laureate before becoming the inaugural national Young Poet Laureate in 2017.

Less than four years later, she garnered acclaim for her recitation of the original poem, “The Hill We Climb,” at President Biden’s inauguration.

This poem — which Gorman finished late on Jan. 6, 2021 after watching pro-Trump insurgents storm the US Capitol — captured the fear and hope of a nation “that isn’t broken / It’s just is unfinished”.

The performance made her an instant literary and media sensation – less than a month later she became the first poet to attend America’s most-watched sporting event, performing as part of Super Bowl LV.