Happy Monday, writing buddies! For today's
Monday Musing, we're going to discuss a kind of un-poetry to help you through times when the words just won't come (and believe us, you'll have those times) or to give you a little entertainment on a dull afternoon. It's called
blackout poetry. Or, as I like to think of it, poetry in reverse.
Normally, you write poetry from scratch, and that's that. But with blackout poetry, you don't write at all. With blackout poetry, you get to give your brain a break by digging a poem out of something that's already been written, polishing it into something shiny and new.
"That's cheating!" you may cry, outraged. "How could I possibly write a poem using someone else's words and claim it as my own?"
My justification for the legitimacy of blackout poetry is this: you're not claiming you wrote anything. You're artfully editing a piece of work without removing anything from its original source. The words are in exactly the same spot as they appear in the original source. If you want to really go further and make all your freshman year English teachers proud, you can give credit to the original source of your found poem to avoid any accusations of plagiarism.
So, how exactly do you create a blackout poem? If you've been reading this blog regularly, you may have heard us talk about finding the "
sparkly spots." Normally, we apply this to the editing process: after freewriting, we encourage you to scan your work and circle the pieces that pop out at you. When writing blackout poetry, it's the same process.
Start by choosing an article in a magazine, newspaper, etc. with a title that interests you. Do not thoroughly read the article; instead, scan it for words and phrases that jump out at you. Circle those sparkly spots with a pencil, and then give the article another read to see if you can add any supplemental phrases to your sparkly spots. Circle those too. Take a final read of the article, erasing any circled phrases you choose not to use, and then bust out the permanent marker.
(P.S.: I once got the chance to teach blackout poetry to a group of elementary school kids, and they had a blast! If you're ever looking for a way to make poetry more accessible to children, blackout poetry is perfect.)
When your words and phrases are ready to go, the fun begins...
While you're free to simply block out everything that isn't your chosen words and phrases, you can let your artistic side fly and create a lovely little work of art in addition to your brilliantly fragmented poem. If you're really feeling crazy, go ahead and throw a little color in there, too!
Your prompt, then, is a bit of an un-writing prompt: go forth into the world of periodicals and make a blackout poem!
Have you ever tried blackout poetry? Where do you look for articles to use in your blackout poems? Tell us in the comments below, or if you really like a poem that you did, post it on our Facebook page for a few minutes of fame.
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