Top Results for Inaugural
On the Pulse of Morning is a recorded recitation of the poem written and performed by American author Maya Angelou. She delivered the poem at the first inauguration of President Bill Clinton on January 20, 1993. Angelou became the second poet in history, following Robert Frost in 1961, to read at a...
Why this score
Historically significant and powerfully delivered, though critical opinion of the poem itself is more mixed than its ceremonial impact.
Scoring methodology
The Hill We Climb is a poem written and recited by American poet Amanda Gorman for the inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20, 2021. Gorman, then 22, became the youngest inaugural poet in United States history. The poem addresses national division, democratic endurance, collective respons...
Why this score
Commanding live delivery and enormous cultural visibility earned widespread praise, while the poem's long-term canonical standing remains unsettled.
Scoring methodology
