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Richard Blanco named education ambassador for poets academy

Richard Blanco, poet for President Obama's second inauguration, was the first Hispanic, and the first gay, to be an inaugural poet. (Photo by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders/from Richard Blanco via AP)

New York (AP) — Richard Blanco has been named the first education ambassador for the Academy of American Poets.

The academy announced Friday that Blanco's duties for the honorary position will include promoting the organization's "programs and resources to the educational community."

The poets academy was founded in 1934 and has a mission to foster "an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting American poets."

The 47-year-old Blanco is known for such collections as "Looking for the Gulf Motel" and "Directions to the Beach of the Dead."

He also delivered and composed the inaugural poem for President Barack Obama's second term in office. Blanco was the first Latino, first immigrant and first openly gay inaugural poet.

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The Gayly – August 21, 2015 @ 12pm.

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