Call Us What We Carry

Amanda Gorman’s debut collection is a brilliant and smart compilation of pieces that speak to our time. Every word, phrasing, and the pacing matches the long drawn out struggle for harmony over the course of American history. Even the formatting and groupings are adept at encompassing the set and setting for a whole generation. I am grateful to know and have read this first collection of the current Poet Laureate. Someone who has memorialized precious moments so early in her prime. This collection is heady in all the right ways and yet still accessible to anyone open enough to take a look. Gorman cleverly places references to broader discussions utilizing footnotes and similar to direct us to further reading that will only have you circling back again for another pass at the same poem. Each pass through unearths new meaning with additional contact provided by the outside reading. If this is what we get in her initial effort I cannot wait to see what comes next. Most importantly, you should know that this is not a typical collection of poems. It’s a carefully put together retrospective, historical analysis, and time capsule. Amanda Gorman draws on various sources and her own beautiful creations to create a tapestry of what America is, has been, and could become. Key moments in America’s history are the brush strokes on the canvass of America’s promise. Too many brushstrokes are represented in blood, and not enough in hope.