As Inaugural Poet, Richard Blanco Is Expected To Be A Voice Of Diversity - The Washington Post

What Do Poets Think Of Blanco As Inauguration Pick?
This undated handout photo provided by the University of Pittsburgh Press shows Richard Blanco. Blanco, 44, the son of Cuban exiles, is the 2013 inaugural poet, joining the ranks of Maya Angelou and Robert Frost, and will be the youngest-ever inaugural poet and the first Hispanic or gay to recite a poem at the ceremonial swearing-in. (AP Photo/Nikki Moustaki, University of Pittsburgh Press)
This undated handout photo provided by the University of Pittsburgh Press shows Richard Blanco. Blanco, 44, the son of Cuban exiles, is the 2013 inaugural poet, joining the ranks of Maya Angelou and Robert Frost, and will be the youngest-ever inaugural poet and the first Hispanic or gay to recite a poem at the ceremonial swearing-in. (AP Photo/Nikki Moustaki, University of Pittsburgh Press)

For President Obama, the inauguration on Jan. 21 will be one of innumerable moments in the spotlight, albeit a significant one. But for the official inaugural poet -- for poetry itself -- it will be a singular event: Tens of millions of people all over the world will listen. In unison. To a poem. For many, it will be the only poem they hear for four years.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot