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Amanda Gorman Will Grace Us With a Poem at Super Bowl LV

Her book isn’t even out until September 21. Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Amanda Gorman, the inaugural poet whose words and cheek highlight put a tear in the nation’s eye, will do it again at next week’s Super Bowl. The 22-year-old poet laureate has been tapped by the NFL to write and recite an original poem honoring three pandemic heroes right before kickoff on February 7, per CBS This Morning. Since Gorman’s Inauguration Day performance of her poem “The Hill We Climb,†she’s signed with IMG Models and presales of her poetry book have skyrocketed. The honorees are Trimaine Davis, a teacher; Suzie Dorner, a nurse; and James Martin, a Marine Corps vet. Each has been selected to be an honorary coin-toss captain for their roles helping others during pandemic. The NFL surprised them with a Zoom call from league legends Doug Baldwin, Derrick Brooks, and Jerome Bettis, as well as a trip to the championship game in Tampa Bay, Florida, which is allowing 22,000 fans to spectate (about a third of the stadium’s full capacity). At halftime, the Weeknd takes the stage to give us a sample of his new greatest-hits album, The Highlights, out February 5. The rest of Super Bowl LV will be filled with the Kansas City Chiefs playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Snaps for them!

Amanda Gorman Will Grace Us With a Poem at Super Bowl LV