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, speaker, and author. He is also a civil engineer. He made history as the fifth poet to read at a United States presidential inauguration. He read his poem "One Today" for Barack Obama's second inauguration in 2013. Richard Blanco was the first immigrant, the first Latino, the first openly gay person, and the youngest person at the time to be the U.S. inaugural poet. In 2023, President Biden honored Blanco with the National Humanities Medal.
Blanco has written several books of poetry. These 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 and the Thom Gunn Award. 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.
Richard Blanco has worked with other artists too. He teamed up with cartoonist Dav Pilkey for an illustrated children's book called One Today. He also collaborated with photographer Jacob Hessler on a poetry book called Boundaries. With artist John Bailey, he created a series of paintings called A Place of Mind. He also worked with Ramiro A. Fernandez on the photography book Cuba Then. Blanco has taught at several universities, including Florida International University. He loves to make poetry easier to understand for everyone, from young students to older adults. He is the first Education Ambassador for the Academy of American Poets.
Contents
Richard Blanco's Life Story
Richard Blanco's family came from Cuba. His mother, who was seven months pregnant, arrived in Madrid, Spain, where Richard was born on February 15, 1968. About 45 days later, his family moved again to New York City. Richard grew up and went to school in Miami. His parents wanted him to study engineering because they thought it would give him a stable future. He listened to them and earned a degree in civil engineering from Florida International University in 1991. He started his engineering job in Miami while also 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 what "home" meant to him. This led to his second book of poems, Directions to The Beach of the Dead.
In his third poetry book, Looking for the Gulf Motel (published in 2012), he explored his Cuban background. He also wrote about his experiences as a gay man in Cuban-American culture. He explained that he was trying to understand how he fit in, balancing different parts of his identity. He once said, "I am a writer who happens to be Cuban, but I reserve the right to write about anything I want, not just my cultural identity."
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 ever to have this role. He was also the first immigrant, first Latino, and first openly gay person to be the inaugural poet. He was also the youngest. Famous poet Maya Angelou praised Blanco, saying he showed "great courage."
Blanco was asked to write three poems for the event. Officials then chose one for him to read. He read "One Today" at the inauguration. After reading it, 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 special place in our thoughts. Blanco later published all three poems he wrote for the inauguration in his memoir, For All of Us, One Today. This book shares his journey of creating the poems. It includes "One Today" along with the other two poems, "Mother Country" and "What We Know of Country," in both English and Spanish.
Poems for Special Occasions
In May 2013, Richard Blanco wrote and performed a poem for the victims and survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing. He performed "Boston Strong" at a benefit concert. A small book of the poem was also published, and the money from sales went to help the victims. On November 22, 2013, Blanco took part in the 50th anniversary tribute ceremony for President John F. Kennedy. In 2016, Blanco gave a speech at the National Archives about LGBTQ human and civil rights.
Blanco has been asked to write and perform many poems for different events and groups. These include the re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Cuba ("Matters of the Sea / Cosas del mar") and the Freedom to Marry organization ("Until We Could"). He also wrote poems for the Tech Awards in Silicon Valley ("Genius of Stars and Love") and the opening of the Aspen Ideas Festival ("Cloud Anthem"). After the Orlando Pulse Nightclub tragedy, he wrote "One Pulse - One Poem." He also wrote poems for the University of Miami commencement ("Teach Us, Then") and for National Hispanic Heritage Month for USA Today ("the U.S. of us").
Since 2017, Blanco has been a contributor and 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 on their "Don't Tell Us We're Not Cuban" campaign. He worked with Samuel Adams Brewery on "Love Conquers All, Pride" and with the Philadelphia Boys Choir on lyrics for a new version of Gershwin's Cuban Overture. His poem "One Today" was even shown on the big screen during the U2 Joshua Tree tour. More 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 called "Say This Isn't the End." After the 2021 capital events, he published the poem "And So We All Fall Down" in the New York Times Magazine. In May 2021, Blanco was the commencement speaker for Colby College, where he shared his poem "Your Self in You, Again."
Richard Blanco is currently a professor at Florida International University, where he earned his degrees. He is a founding member of the President Obama Foundation Advisory Council. He also hosts a visiting writers program and retreat at Gould Academy. Blanco is a member of the Macondo Writers Workshop, which was started by Sandra Cisneros. He was recently chosen as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at Colby College. He lives in Bethel, Maine, with his partner.
Since 2013, Blanco has visited many schools and universities. He talks about his poetry, the challenges he has faced, and offers advice to young poets and writers. After the COVID-19 pandemic, he started doing most of his events online.
Richard Blanco's Poetry Books
Richard Blanco's poems have been featured in many well-known magazines and newspapers. These include The Nation, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, USA Today, and New York Times Magazine. He has also written articles and essays for The New York Times and Huffington Post.
City of a Hundred Fires
Blanco's first poetry book, City of a Hundred Fires, came out in 1998. It won the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize. This collection explored his feelings about his Cuban-American identity while growing up in Miami. It also shared details about his first important trip to Cuba, which he saw as his family's homeland.
Directions to the Beach of the Dead
Directions to the Beach of the Dead was published in 2005. This book explored the journey of finding home and connections. It won the PEN/Beyond Margins Award.
Looking for The Gulf Motel
In 2012, Blanco's third poetry book, Looking for The Gulf Motel, was released. This book explored his journey through his cultural, personal, and artistic identities. It received the Paterson Poetry Prize, the 2012 Maine Literary Award for Poetry, and the Thom Gunn Award.
How to Love a Country
Beacon Press published Blanco's fourth poetry book, How to Love a Country, in March 2019.
Homeland of My Body
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
Richard Blanco has received many awards and honors throughout his career:
- 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: Honorary Doctor of Letters from University of Rhode Island
- 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.
- 2015: Maine Literary Award for memoir The Prince of Los Cucuyos: A Miami Childhood.
- 2016: Founding Member of President Obama Legacy Committee
- 2016: Honorary Doctorate Degree Lesley University
- 2016: National Archives - National Conversation on LGBTQ Human and Civil Rights
- 2018: Inter American Award – Leadership for the Americas
- 2019: Advocate Magazine 104 Champions of Pride
- 2019: Commencement Speaker and Honorary Doctor of Letters from University of Miami ("Teach U, Then" Poem)
- 2019: Carnegie Corporation Great Immigrants Award Honoree
- 2019: Gerda Haas Award for Excellence in Human Rights Education and Leadership
- 2019: Aspen Institute Ideas Festival Opening ("Cloud Anthem").
- 2020: Ernest Hemingway Distinguished Lecture and Visiting Artist (Ketchum, Idaho)
- 2021: Colby College Commencement Speaker ("Your Self in You Again")
- 2022: PBS Poetry in America Episode ("Looking for the Gulf Motel")
- 2022: Colby College Elected as Vice Chair Board of Trustees
- 2023: National Humanities Medal (2021) from the National Endowment for the Humanities
- 2024: Honorary Doctorate Degree Bates College
- 2024: Honorary Doctorate Degree Carlow University
See also
In Spanish: Richard Blanco (poeta) para niños
- Cuban American literature
- List of Cuban-American writers
