The Conscious/Subconscious with Richard Blanco A poem is a conscious expression born out of the subconscious mind. Through interactive lectures and exercises, participants will explore the subconscious territory of memory, inspiration, process, and imagination that bear one’s poems. Through readings and class discussions, and by practicing “fever writing” or “automatic writing,” participants will tap into that subconscious to mine memories to be shared in class as jumping-off points for generating new poems for workshop.

Selected by President Obama as the fifth inaugural poet in U.S. history, Richard Blanco is the youngest and the first Latino, immigrant, and gay person to serve in such a role. Born in Madrid to Cuban exile parents and raised in Miami, the negotiation of cultural identity characterizes his four collections of poetry: How To Love a Country, City of a Hundred Fires, which received the Agnes Starrett Poetry Prize from the University of Pittsburgh Press; Directions to The Beach of the Dead, recipient of the Beyond Margins Award from the PEN American Center; and Looking for The Gulf Motel, recipient of the Paterson Poetry Prize and the Thom Gunn Award.

information at miamibookfair.com