Gorman joined WriteGirl when she was 14. She participated in the group’s monthly creative writing workshops during her high school years and was chosen by volunteers for individual guidance.
“WriteGirl has been instrumental in my life. It was thanks to their support that I was able to pursue my dreams as a writer,” Gorman said in a statement announcing his appearance in Biden’s possession.
Taylor describes Gorman as someone who made a big impression during his four years with WriteGirl.
“She was always a very positive young woman. Always with a flower in her hair, a sense of style, a sense of wanting her creative energy and exclusivity to flow to her physical self,” Taylor told CNN.
In his early days on the show, Gorman did not seek the spotlight. It took some encouragement from her mentors to convince her to go to the microphone and share her work, Taylor said. And then it started to blossom.
“I think she really started to like the idea of seeing people’s reaction to her words,” recalled Taylor.
Finding your voice
WriteGirl is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Each year, the program serves about 500 teenagers. They partner with mentors who include journalists, composers, poets and fiction writers. WriteGirl boasts a 100% success rate helping its students graduate from high school and enroll in college. The organization publishes its students’ writing books annually, and the publications have won over 90 national and international book awards.
Hours after reciting his poem “The Hill We Climb” at the opening, Gorman spoke to Anderson Cooper on CNN. She credited her family, friends, supporters and mentors for her role in helping her achieve so much at a young age. She also cited her experience with WriteGirl, “where I got a lot of free creative writing resources when it was that skinny girl with a speech problem who needed a mentor.”
“We don’t want you to feel like you have something that needs to be fixed, because none of us do,” Taylor said of his philosophy, adding that his focus is on encouraging young writers. “You could see her confidence bloom every time she took the microphone.”
When Gorman went to college at Harvard, Taylor said that Gorman went after his speech problem “with all his might. … [She] practiced and practiced until she changed the way that speech impediment was heard by others. “
Entering the world stage
Taylor was beaming, crying, and fiddled with half a box of tissues, she said, when Gorman took the stage at the opening.
“She certainly was nervous; you know she was. But she didn’t show it. … One thing we always talk about at WriteGirl is to turn that nervous energy into positive energy and let it propel you forward.”
For Taylor, Gorman represented not only WriteGirl, but also young people, women of color and young poets.
“They can see that the voices of young people need to be heard, that they have a lot to say about where we are and where we should go. And I was very proud of her for that more than anything.”