Arts & Culture

Richard Blanco

Richard Blanco's inaugural poem, One Today, may have addressed the whole nation, but the details were full of South Florida. Blanco is the son of Cuban exiles. He was born in Spain and came to Miami as a small child. He trained to be a civil engineer but a class at Florida International University later launched his poetry career. His poetry draws on images of a childhood spent in a tight-knit South Florida Cuban community.

VIDEO: Richard Blanco, Inaugural Poet, Speaks To WLRN

WLRN 91.3 FM | By Sammy Mack

Published January 18, 2013 at 12:34 PM EST

When Richard Blanco takes the stage Monday at President Barack Obama's second inauguration, the poetry community of South Florida will be paying especially close attention.

Blanco was born to Cuban parents in Spain. The family immigrated to the United States and settled in Miami when Blanco was a toddler. He trained to be a civil engineer but a class at Florida International University later launched his poetry career.

Blanco's poetry is full of images from a childhood in South Florida and a Cuban-American household.

In this interview with WLRN, Blanco talks about some of those influences:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3niAqtTIegg&list=UURsIGRkKx6kUF03jo9eHO_A&index=1