Does it seem like it was longer than nine months ago that Amanda Gorman became a household name? Not because it feels longer, in a bad way, but because now that we know who Amanda is, now that we have her words, it’s almost like…she’s always been there, we just weren’t ready to see her yet. Which is what they say about hope, and that’s what her power is: she summons hope through poetry.
Amanda was honoured last night at Variety’s annual Power of Women event, joining Rita Moreno, Channing Dungey, Katy Perry, and Lorde as the five women recognised this year.
Of course, she delivered her remarks in the performance of a poem – that she apparently only decided to do on the way to the party.
I mean, you couldn’t tell it was a last-minute decision. But that’s also because she wrote them, she knows them, and we know now that words are her gift, that choosing words and putting them together, sorting out their order, giving them rhythm and rhyme, arranging them so that they flow like musical notes – this is her power.
Amanda Gorman’s mother taught her the power of her voice: “Can you imagine that as a girl with a speech impediment how that felt like an oxymoron? And as I’ve grown up I understand that, as always, my mother was 100% right. My superpower is my voice.†https://t.co/XSuX6HTg1A pic.twitter.com/GGgLBJrJrp
— Variety (@Variety) September 29, 2021
If I were putting together an event itinerary, though, where Amanda Gorman was being acknowledged, it would stress me out. Here’s a woman who can transform words into both bullets and balm so imagine the task of having to introduce her? Variety went with Angelina Jolie who attended last night with daughter Zahara. And as famous as Angelina is, she knew it was her honour to be there to honour a young woman whose already impressive accomplishments today are only just the beginning. After all, it’s no secret that Amanda Gorman will run for President of the United States one day. So when Angelina concluded her speech (video can be seen here) by saying of Amanda that we “need voices like Amanda’s, those lights in the dark. May you burn fiercely and light the way for others” she’s including herself and her children in that sentiment.
Here’s Angelina with Dr. Joan Wicks, Amanda’s mother:
Angelina doesn’t often socialise at major industry events like this. So when she does show up, it’s interesting to see who she engages with. At one point she and Zahara hung out with Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom. My guess is that Katy’s showing Angie some baby photos here:
There will probably be more socialising for Angelina in the weeks ahead. Marvel’s Eternals comes out in exactly five weeks today and is expected to be one of the biggest movies of the year.
