Poet Amanda Gorman pens tribute to crews battling the Los Angeles wildfires

Transcript

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Amna Nawaz: And before we go, we want to take some time for reflections about how people are coping with the devastating California wildfires.

The renowned poet laureate and Los Angeles native Amanda Gorman has penned a heartfelt tribute expressing her fears and her hopes for her community, and I spoke with her yesterday.

Amanda Gorman, welcome back to the “News Hour.” Thanks for joining us.

Amanda Gorman, Author and Poet: Thanks for having me.

Amna Nawaz: So you are a Los Angeles native. You live in the Pacific Palisades. Tell us how you’re doing. Tell us if your home is OK and also what it’s been like just to watch all of this devastation and loss unfold in a place you call home.

Amanda Gorman: Thank you for asking.

I mean, I’m so blessed. I’m safe. My family’s safe. My house is doing OK, but it’s been just devastating, I think, on a communal level to see this amount of damage and loss in a city that we love. L.A. is incredibly strong and resilient.

And it’s also just been amazing to see the way people are coming together. But we have a really long trek ahead of us.

Amna Nawaz: So tell us what led you to write this poem, “Smoldering Dawn.”

Amanda Gorman: Well, when the fires broke out in Los Angeles, I was actually in New York City just by accident. I happened to be doing some press there.

And when I saw the amount of ruin and wreckage, I felt so hopeless and so helpless that I couldn’t be there with my city in that moment. But I wanted to process that grief that I was feeling as an Angeleno.

And so I wrote the poem for myself just to work through what I was feeling and then decided to share it in the hope that it might bring some warmth and soul and spirit to a time that feels really hard for Californians right now.

Amna Nawaz: For anyone who hasn’t had a chance to read it yet, would you mind sharing a few lines, maybe?

Amanda Gorman: Absolutely.

So I will share the last few lines.

“Today, we mourn. Tomorrow, reborn. We end the burning, befriend the hurting, mend those who face the flame. We reclaim our city’s name, a revelation that only this place tells. To find our angels, all we need do is look within ourselves.”

Amna Nawaz: This clearly resonated so much with so many people. You shared it online. You shared it as a fund-raiser, essentially, for the fire response.

You have raised over $100,000 in aid so far. Where is that going to go?

Amanda Gorman: Well, I was so happy to be able to use this poem just to do my small part. And it’s going to go to the California Fire Foundation, which supports firefighters and their families and people impacted by fires in California. And so the amount of response that I got to this poem raising over those course of just a few days was amazing.

But there’s also so many other ways that Angelenos and the country are showing up by volunteering, donating, giving their time and their resources. So, across the board, it’s been really heartwarming.

Amna Nawaz: In all of this moment of loss, I know that you’re also talking about this new book you have out, “Girls on the rise.” You’re calling it a tribute to women’s impact and power and resilience. Why this message right now?

Amanda Gorman: I really wanted to come out with a children’s book now, more than ever, that emphasized the importance of uplifting young girls and their allies, because I felt we’re living in a time where that’s incredibly necessary to make sure that young girls’ voices are protected and also celebrated, because we’re just seeing so many spikes in bullying and gender-based violence and all those things.

And so I was curious what would happen if there was a children’s book out that across gendered lines said, hey, we’re all in the same boat. We’re all in this together. And we’re much stronger as a unit than we are separated, as it were, by gender or sex.

Amna Nawaz: Author and poet Amanda Gorman, thank you so much for making sure we’re all turning towards the light in these dark times. Really appreciate it. Pleasure to speak with you.

Amanda Gorman: Nice speaking with you too. Thank you.