Richard Blanco facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Blanco
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| Born | Ricardo Blanco February 15, 1968 Madrid, Spain |
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| Citizenship | American |
| Alma mater | Florida International University |
| Notable works | "One Today" The Prince of Los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood How to Love a Country For All of Us, One Today: An Inaugural Poet's Journey Until We Could Film Looking for the Gulf Motel Directions to the Beach of the Dead City of a Hundred Fires Nowhere but Here Boston Strong: The Poem |
Richard Blanco (born February 15, 1968) is an American poet, public speaker, and author. He is well-known for being the fifth poet to read at a United States presidential inauguration. He read his poem "One Today" for Barack Obama's second inauguration.
Blanco made history as the first immigrant, the first Latino, and the first openly gay person to be the U.S. inaugural poet. He was also the youngest person at the time to hold this role. In 2023, President Biden honored Blanco with the National Humanities Medal.
His books include Homeland of My Body: New and Selected Poems and How to Love a Country. His book City of a Hundred Fires won the Agnes Starrett Poetry Prize. Directions to The Beach of the Dead received the Beyond Margins Award. Looking for The Gulf Motel won the Paterson Poetry Prize. He has also written memoirs like For All of Us, One Today: An Inaugural Poet's Journey and The Prince of Los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood, which won the Lambda Literary Prize.
Blanco has also worked on special projects. He teamed up with cartoonist Dav Pilkey for an illustrated children's book called One Today. He also worked with photographer Jacob Hessler on a poetry book called Boundaries.
He has taught at many universities, including Florida International University. He loves to make poetry easier to understand for everyone. He teaches poetry to people of all ages, from school kids to those in nursing homes. He also works with different writing groups and non-profit organizations. He is the first Education Ambassador for the Academy of American Poets.
Contents
Richard Blanco's Early Life and Education
Richard Blanco's family came from Cuba. His mother was seven months pregnant when they arrived in Madrid, Spain, where he was born on February 15, 1968. About 45 days later, his family moved again to New York City. Blanco grew up and went to school in Miami.
His parents wanted him to study engineering. They believed it would give him a stable future. He listened to their advice and earned a degree in civil engineering from Florida International University in 1991. He started his engineering career in Miami. At the same time, he began writing poetry. His first poetry book, City of 100 Fires, explores what it was like growing up as a Cuban American immigrant.
Between 1999 and 2001, Blanco traveled a lot. He visited Spain, Italy, France, Guatemala, Brazil, Cuba, and New England. These travels helped him explore the idea of "home." This exploration led to his second book of poems, Directions to The Beach of the Dead.
In his third poetry book, Looking for the Gulf Motel (2012), he wrote about his Cuban background. He also explored his role as a gay man in Cuban-American culture. He explained that he was trying to understand how he fit into different parts of the world.
Becoming an Inaugural Poet
On January 8, 2013, Richard Blanco was chosen as the inaugural poet for Barack Obama's second inauguration. He was the fifth person to have this important role. He was the first immigrant, the first Latino, and the first gay person to be an inaugural poet. He was also the youngest.
Famous poet Maya Angelou praised Blanco. She said he showed great courage, which is the most important virtue. Blanco was asked to write three poems for the inauguration. Officials then chose one for him to read. After reading "One Today," he told his mother, "Well, Mom, I think we're finally American."
His poem, "One Today", was seen as a humble and modest gift to the nation. It reminded everyone that poetry has a place in our thoughts every day. People called it a "quiet assertion that poetry deserves its place." Blanco later published all three poems he wrote for the event in his book For All of Us, One Today. This book tells the story of his journey creating the poems. It includes "One Today" and the other two poems, "Mother Country" and "What We Know of Country," in both English and Spanish.
Other Notable Works and Collaborations
In May 2013, Richard Blanco wrote and performed a poem for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. He performed "Boston Strong" at a benefit concert. A small book of the poem was also published. All the money from sales went to the One Fund, which helps victims of the bombing.
On November 22, 2013, Blanco took part in a ceremony honoring President John F. Kennedy 50 years after his death. In 2016, he gave a speech at the National Archives. His speech was about LGBTQ human and civil rights.
Blanco has written many poems for special events. These include the re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Cuba ("Matters of the Sea / Cosas del mar") and for Freedom to Marry ("Until We Could"). He also wrote poems for the Orlando Pulse Nightclub tragedy ("One Pulse - One Poem"). He was asked by USA Today to write a poem for National Hispanic Heritage Month ("the U.S. of us").
Since 2017, Blanco has been a host for the "Village Voice" radio program on WGBH in Boston. He has also worked with different companies and groups. He collaborated with Bacardi Havana Club for their "Don't Tell Us We're Not Cuban" campaign. He also worked with Samuel Adams Brewery on "Love Conquers All, Pride." He wrote lyrics for the Philadelphia Boys Choir's new version of Gershwin's Cuban Overture.
Blanco has also worked with musicians. He collaborated with Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist Paul Sullivan. He also worked with composer Pablo Ortiz on a choral piece. His poem "One Today" was shown on the big screen during the U2 Joshua Tree tour. Recently, his poem "Looking for the Gulf Motel" was featured on PBS's Poetry in America.
In 2020, The Atlantic magazine asked him to write a poem about the coronavirus pandemic. It was called "Say This Isn't the End." After the 2021 capital event, he published "And So We All Fall Down" in the New York Times Magazine. In 2021, Blanco was the commencement speaker for Colby College.
Blanco is currently a professor at Florida International University. He is a founding member of the President Obama Foundation Advisory Council. He and his partner live in Bethel, Maine. Since 2013, Blanco has visited many schools and universities. He shares his poetry and talks about challenges he has faced. He also gives advice to young poets and writers. After the COVID-19 pandemic, he started doing more virtual events.
Richard Blanco's Published Poetry
Blanco's poetry has appeared in many well-known magazines. These include The Nation, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and USA Today. He has also written articles and essays for The New York Times and Huffington Post.
His first poetry book, City of a Hundred Fires, was published in 1998. It won the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize. This collection explored his feelings about his Cuban-American identity. It also shared details of his first trip to Cuba, which he considered his homeland.
Directions to the Beach of the Dead, published in 2005, explored the journey of finding home and connections. This book won the PEN/Beyond Margins Award.
In 2012, Blanco's third poetry book, Looking for The Gulf Motel, was published. It explored his cultural and artistic identities. This book received the Paterson Poetry Prize and the Thom Gunn Award.
Beacon Press published Blanco's fourth poetry book, How to Love a Country, in March 2019.
Blanco's 2023 collection, Homeland of My Body: New and Selected Poems, was nominated for the 2024 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry.
Awards and Honors for Richard Blanco
Richard Blanco has received many awards and honors for his work:
- 1997: Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize
- 2000: John Ciardi Fellowship from the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference
- 2006: PEN/Beyond Margins Award for Directions to the Beach of the Dead
- 2013: Thom Gunn Award for Gay Poetry, Looking for the Gulf Motel
- 2013: United States Fifth Presidential Inaugural Poet for President Barack Obama ("One Today")
- 2013: President John F. Kennedy 50th Tribute - A Nation Remembers
- 2013: Honorary Doctor of Letters from Macalester College
- 2013: Paterson Poetry Prize
- 2014: Honorary Doctor of Letters from Colby College
- 2014: International Latino Awards Winner: Best Biography – Spanish or Bilingual, For All of Us, One Today: An Inaugural Poet's Journey
- 2015: Opening Ceremony of US Embassy in Cuba ("Matters of the Sea, Cosas del mar")
- 2015: Lambda Literary Award for memoir The Prince of Los Cucuyos: A Miami Childhood.
- 2015: First Education Ambassador Academy of American Poets.
- 2016: Founding Member of President Obama Legacy Committee
- 2016: National Archives - National Conversation on LGBTQ Human and Civil Rights
- 2019: Carnegie Corporation Great Immigrants Award Honoree
- 2023: National Humanities Medal (2021) from the National Endowment for the Humanities
- 2024: Honorary Doctorate Degree Bates College
- 2024: Honorary Doctorate Degree Carlow University
Images for kids
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Blanco reading his poem "One Today" at the second inauguration of President Barack Obama, 2013
See also
In Spanish: Richard Blanco (poeta) para niños
- Cuban American literature
- List of Cuban-American writers
