At 22, Amanda Gorman made history as the youngest poet to read at a presidential inauguration. And when she took the stage at Joe Biden's presidential inauguration (open in new tab) to read her poem "The Hill We Climb" in front of millions of viewers, Gorman wore a gift from Oprah, a fan of her work.

Specifically, Oprah gave Gorman a gold hoop with dangling diamonds from Nikos Koulis' Energy Collection (opens in new tab), and the author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (opens in new tab), the previous sent an Of Rare Origin birdcage ring (opens in new tab) in honor of inaugural poet Maya Angelou. Gorman paired the jewelry with a bright yellow Prada coat in her favorite color, yellow.

For Oprah, the gesture continues her tradition of supporting poets before meaningful speeches: when Angelou was to read her poetry at Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1993, Oprah sent her a blue Chanel coat and gloves.

Translation: it would be no exaggeration to say that for Oprah, Gorman is following in Angelou's footsteps. Currently, Gorman and Oprah are in contact. Gorman told "Vogue" magazine (opens in new tab), "Every time I get an email [from Oprah], I collapse to the floor.

The inaugural reading is the latest in a series of extraordinary feats by this young poet (opens in new tab) whose work often reflects her thoughts on civil rights (opens in new tab), justice, and belonging. When Gorman was 16, she was named Los Angeles Youth Poet Laureate. Three years later, as a sophomore at Harvard University, she was named the first National Young Poet Laureate (opens in new tab).

Gorman's inaugural poem, "The Hill We Climb," was inspired by the riots on Capitol Hill (opens in new tab) during President-elect Joe Biden's confirmation hearings. 'I wanted it to be a message of hope and unity. And I think Wednesday for me highlighted how necessary it was," Gorman said on CBS This Morning (opens in new tab).

"But we must not close our eyes to the cracks that really need to be filled.

The New York Times (opens in new tab) ran a preview of "The Hill We Climb" a few days before the inauguration.

Gorman and his twin sister Gabrielle (opens in new tab) were raised by their single mother Joan, also an English teacher; growing up in L.A., Gorman was by all accounts a "weird kid" (opens in new tab), always reading and writing. But it took hard work to become the powerful orator he is today. Gorman suffered from a speech impediment in high school.

"When I was in high school, it wasn't enough to put my poetry on the page. You have to breathe it in, bring it to life, and perform it as it is. That was the moment I was able to grow past the language barrier," she told CBS This Morning.

Gorman's poems come to life when she reads them. Watch her reading of her poem "The Month of Miracles" (opens in new tab), written during the pandemic, without the chills.

Prior to her speech, Gorman shared her preparation routine. 'I am the daughter of a black writer. We are descended from freedom fighters who broke the chains and changed the world. They are calling me'. That's how you prepare yourself for the mission that you have to do,'" she told CBS This Morning.