Inaugural poet Richard Blanco will read a poem for President Barack Obama in Washington D.C. for the inauguration, but many of our readers have not read his work yet.

Below, we’ve linked to 14 of Blanco’s poems online, including the free poetry chapbook, Place of MindHere’s more from his official biography:
Blanco was made in Cuba, assembled in Spain, and imported to the United States—meaning his mother, seven months pregnant, and the rest of the family arrived as exiles from Cuba to Madrid where he was born. Only forty-five days later, the family emigrated once more and settled in New York City, then eventually in Miami where he was raised and educated. His acclaimed first book of poetry, City of a Hundred Fires, explores the yearnings and negotiation of cultural identity as a Cuban American, and received the Agnes Starrett Poetry Prize from the University of Pittsburgh Press. 

14 Richard Blanco Poems You Can Read Online

Place of Mind Chapbook
“Looking for The Gulf Motel”
Burning in the Rain
América
Photo of a Man on Sunset Drive: 1914, 2008
El Florida Room