Richard Blanco
“An engineer, poet, Cuban American… his poetry bridges cultures and languages – a mosaic of our past, our present, and our future – reflecting a nation that is hectic, colorful, and still becoming.”
– President Joe Biden, conferring the National Humanities Medal on Richard Blanco
Homeland Of My Body: New & Selected Poems
Beacon Press, Release date: October 24, 2023.
A rich, accomplished, intensely intimate collection with two full sections of new poems bookending Blanco’s selections from his five previous volumes.
In this collection of over 100 poems, Richard Blanco has carefully selected poems from his previous books that represent his evolution as a writer grappling with his identity, working to find and define “home,” and bookended them with new poems that address those issues from a fresh, more mature perspective, allowing him to approach surrendering the pain and urgency of his past explorations. Pausing at this pivotal moment in mid-career, Blanco reexamines his life-long quest to find his proverbial home and all that it encompasses: love, family, identity and ultimately art itself. In the closing section of the volume, he has come to understand and internalize the idea that “home” is not one place, not one thing, and lives both inside him and inside his art.
Upcoming Events
September 7, 2024
María Magdalena Campos-Pons: “Procession of Angels for Radical Love and Unity.” New York City, NY.
More Info>>
October 16, 2024
Letras Latinas. Notre Dame, IN.
More Info>>
June 5, 2025
The Writer’s Hotel. Boothbay Harbor, ME
Keep in Touch
Sure, social media is great, but staying in touch directly is more meaningful, intimate, and informative. Sign up for my newsletter and I’ll occasionally share not only news, but also favorite poems from masterful poets, resources for educators, poems for various occasions, and much more to keep you connected to poetry and inspired.
Latest News
Americans Who Tell the Truth
“Like thirst, like hunger, we ache with the need
to save ourselves, and our country from itself.”
Robert Shetterly unveiled a portrait of me at The Gem Theater, in Bethel (ME), as part of his Americans Who Tell the Truth portrait series. I’m humbled to appear in his empowering collection and to read my poem, “Como Tú / Like You / Like Me” (which is excerpted above and on the portrait). I’m sincerely grateful to Robert for his art and all he does to nurture the virtues of our democracy.
CLICK for info and to explore resources for educators.
CLICK to read “Como Tú / Like You / Like Me.”
This event took place on August 8th, 2024, at the GEM Theater with Bethel Area Arts & Music (BAAM).
Richard Blanco on Poetry in America – “Phillis Wheatley: To the University.”
Richard Blanco was thrilled to join host Elisa New, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and fellow inaugural poet Amanda Gorman, as a featured guest on the season premiere of Poetry in America. One of his favorite TV shows, it brings poetry into living rooms across the country. This episode celebrates the life and work of Phillis Wheatley. The first African-American author of a published book of poetry, she is one of the most famous names in early American history.
Click HERE to watch the episode.
Miami’s Favorite Poems Project
As the first-ever Poet Laureate of Miami-Dade County, and led by his passion for connecting the community through poetry, Richard Blanco created Miami’s Favorite Poems Project. This project invites people from all walks of life to share a favorite poem that has had some meaningful impact on their life and thinking.
The project was launched at the Miami Book Fair on Nov. 19, 2022. Featured special guest readers included Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega, former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, poet and novelist Sandra Cisneros, and poet Marci Calabretta Cancio-Bello, among others in our community.
CLICK HERE for the Miami’s Favorite Poems Archive
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