The Aesthetics & Values class of the Honors College at Florida International University (FIU) is pleased to host a poetry reading by critically acclaimed Cuban-American poet Richard Blanco. The reading will take place on Thursday, February 18th, 2010, at 3:30 pm in the DM Building, room 100, at the FIU Modesto A. Maidique Campus. This event is free and open to the public.

This reading will feature new, unpublished works by Blanco. Blanco will be signing copies of his books after the reading.

Florida International University’s Modesto A. Maidique campus is located at
11200 SW 8TH ST
MIAMI, FL 33139

About Richard Blanco

Richard Blanco is a Cuban-American poet, but this simple hyphenated phrase does little to capture the mixture of cultures that have informed and inspired his work. He was born in Madrid, Spain, of Cuban parents, who immigrated to the United States forty-five days after his birth. He was raised in Miami and sought an education at Florida International University, where he earned a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering. He also received a Master’s in Fine Arts in Creative Writing at FIU, where he studied with fellow poet and current FIU faculty member, Campbell McGrath.

His first book of poetry, City of a Hundred Fires, explores the negotiation of cultural identity as a Cuban-American and was awarded the 1997 Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize. In 2005, he published his second book of poetry called Direction to the Beach of the Dead, which follows Blanco in his travels and seeks to answer the questions “What is home? What is place?”

About the Aesthetics & Values Class

The Aesthetics & Values Class from the Honors College at FIU is a year-long course taught under the guidance of artist and professor, John Bailly. Now running in its fifth year, the seminar examines the vital role visual art plays in the social and cultural dialogue surrounding controversial issues. It investigates how artists have challenged or enforced authority by creating new aesthetics. Furthermore, it explores how art is used to initiate, accelerate, or combat social change. Each year, the class curates an art exhibition that features local artists of Miami, FL.