MIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / December 22, 2014 / Richard Blanco, "Poet of the People", storyteller, and diaspora Cuban Immigrant, to write a poem marking the historic decision by President Barack Obama to restore US relations with Cuba. The poem is part of a wider project (to be announced soon) Blanco is initiating that will involve collaborations with artists across mediums, exploring the themes of reconciliation and healing.
"There's a whole sense of what it means to be a Cuban in Miami and what it means to be a Cuban in Cuba. And now we can have a dialogue and talk about what experiences we have in common and what things we can share." - Poet, Richard Blanco, New York Times, December 18, 2014.
Hailed by fellow contemporaries Maya Angelou, Tim Gunn and Gloria Estefan, Blanco is a quintessentially American master poet and storyteller. In 2012 he was commissioned by President Barack Obama to be only the 5th Presidential Inaugural Poet, in which he wrote and recited his poem, One Today. A historical figure at the young age of 44, Blanco is the first Latino, immigrant, and gay writer bestowed by such an honor.
Blanco is uniquely qualified to tell the story of the Cuban American experience in the midst of an embargo, one that has separated families for generations.
"The emotional embargo has lifted. The arts, through storytelling, can begin the healing process. Certainly, there is hope of reuniting politically and economically, but also the hope of reuniting emotionally. This is a story about healing, and I want to lend my voice to honor those alongside me, the millions of Cuban exiles, Cuban-Americans, and our families in Cuba. We all need a platform to have a conversation of healing," says Blanco.
Blanco's memoir, published this fall, The Prince of los Cocuyos, gives a vivid account of his coming of age as the child of Cuban immigrants and his effort to contend with his burgeoning artistic and sexual identities. As reviewed in "O", The Oprah Magazine, "He tenderly and exhilaratingly chronicles his Miami childhood amid a colorful family of Cuban exiles, as well as his quest to find his artistic voice and the courage to accept himself."
###
About Richard Blanco
Growing up in Miami, Richard's parents were from Cuba. Like many fellow Cuban immigrants, the feeling of displacement is at the center of his identity, and the themes of his poetry. His journey has allowed him to connect with and provide a voice as the authoritative storyteller of others living in diaspora. Today, Richard's work is in high demand. He actively tours as a keynote speaker, and is frequently interviewed by popular media, giving voice to experiences he shares in common with many people across the nation through his readings at corporations, government agencies, and schools. Blanco's writings possess a story-rich quality that illuminates the human spirit, and explores the tensions between who we were, who we are and who we can and are meant to be.
SOURCE: Richard Blanco