Acclaimed Poet Richard Blanco to Give Virtual Reading
On March 3, Blanco will participate in Manhattan College’s Major Author Reading Series.
Manhattan College’s Major Author Reading Series (MARS) will host Inaugural poet Richard Blanco for a virtual poetry reading on Wednesday, March 3, at 6:30 p.m.
Blanco is the youngest and the first Latino, immigrant and gay person to be selected as the U.S. Inaugural poet, when he read the poem “One Today” at former president Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2013.
Born in Madrid, Spain, to Cuban exile parents and raised in Miami, Florida, Blanco negotiates cultural identity in his poetry collections including How to Love a Country and Looking for The Gulf Motel. His memoirs are For All of Us; One Today: An Inaugural Poet’s Journey; and The Prince of Los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood, winner of a Lambda Literary Award.
Blanco’s inaugural poem, “One Today,” was published as a children’s book in collaboration with illustrator Dav Pilkey. His latest book of poems, How to Love a Country, examines the American narrative and celebrates its unkept promise.
A Woodrow Wilson Fellow and recipient of numerous honorary doctorates, Blanco has taught at Georgetown, American and Wesleyan Universities. He is the first education ambassador for the Academy of American Poets.