Poet Richard Blanco is just the fifth poet to take part in a President’s inaugural ceremony. The first was Robert Frost, who spoke at President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 swearing in. Bill Clinton revived the tradition, and Maya Angelou joined him on the inaugural dais in 1993. In both of his inauguration ceremonies, President Barack Obama has chosen to put poetry front and center, The Takeaway has decided to follow suit, with renowned poet Kwame Dawes, who discusses the very American tradition of inaugural poetry. And we want you, Takeaway listeners, to help us celebrate the tradition by writing our own inaugural poem. Here’s how it works.
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