Slideshow: 12 surprising facts about the Inauguration
Richard Blanco is the first gay, Latino Inaugural poet?
Credit: University of Pittsburgh Press/Nikki Moustaki/AP Photo
The man selected to read an original poem at President Obama's second inauguration is breaking all kinds of barriers. Univision's Jordan Fabian reported he is the first Latino, gay man to be selected and at 44 years old, he's the youngest Inaugural Poet as well. Blanco, the son of Cuban exiles, describes himself as "a civil engineer by day, poet by night." His CV says he graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor's in Civil Engineering and has 10 years experience in the field. Fun fact: Blanco has a "Michael Jackson-inspired" dance that he does to celebrate a good day of writing at his house. In 2009, Obama selected Elizabeth Alexander, a playwright, poet and teacher raised in Washington, D.C. Robert Frost – blinded by the sun at Kennedy's Inauguration in 1961 – was the first to compose and read a poem for the Presidential Inauguration.
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