Richard Blanco

Richard Blanco is a Cuban-American poet, author, and educator. He was born in Miami, Florida, and grew up in a Cuban-American family. Blanco received his MFA from the University of Iowa and has published several collections of poetry, including "The Accidental Life" and "For the Two of Us". He was appointed as the first Latino U.S. Poet Laureate in 2014 and served until 2017. Blanco is also a professor of English at the University of Miami. He is known for his powerful and evocative poetry, which often explores themes of identity, culture, and social justice.