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Blackout Poetry

The document provides instructions for creating a blackout poem to express thoughts and feelings as a teacher. It explains that blackout poetry uses existing text by circling words from a page and rearranging them into a poem. The steps involve scanning for an "anchor" word, circling resonant words, listing them in order, piecing the words together into lines, and adding an illustration. Blackout poems can range from absurd to sublime due to using pre-existing text and the random nature of the process.

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Roshio Tsuyu Tejido
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1K views4 pages

Blackout Poetry

The document provides instructions for creating a blackout poem to express thoughts and feelings as a teacher. It explains that blackout poetry uses existing text by circling words from a page and rearranging them into a poem. The steps involve scanning for an "anchor" word, circling resonant words, listing them in order, piecing the words together into lines, and adding an illustration. Blackout poems can range from absurd to sublime due to using pre-existing text and the random nature of the process.

Uploaded by

Roshio Tsuyu Tejido
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BLACKOUT POETRY

TASK
Create a poem that talks about your feelings/ thoughts as a teacher.
Creatively present this poem using the Blackout Poetry.

... The words for blackout poems are already written on the page, but
it’s up to the blackout poet to bring new meaning and life to these
words.
Blackout poems can be created using the pages of old books or even
articles cut from yesterday’s newspaper. Using the pages of an
existing text, blackout poets isolate then piece together single words
or short phrases from these texts to create lyrical masterpieces.
Blackout poems... run the gamut from absurd to sublime because all
of the words are already there on the page, but the randomness is all
part of the fun! Some pages of text, admittedly, work better than
others. (DePasquale, 2016)

STEPS
Creating a blackout poem involves steps that are all about
deconstruction then reconstruction.
Step 1: Scan the page first before reading it completely. Keep an eye
out for an anchor word as you scan. An anchor word is one word on
the page that stands out to you because it is packed and loaded with
meaning and significance. Starting with an anchor word is important
because it helps you to imagine possible themes and topics for your
poem.
Step 2: Now read the page of text in its entirety. Use a pencil to
lightly circle any words that connect to the anchor word and resonate
with you. Resonant words might be expressive or evocative, but for
whatever reason, these are the words on the page that stick with
you. Avoid circling more than three words in a row.
Step 3: List all of the circled words on a separate piece of paper. List
the words in the order that they appear on the page of text from top
to bottom, left to right. The words you use for the final poem will
remain in this order so it doesn’t confuse the reader.
Step 4: Select words, without changing their order on the list, and
piece them together to create the lines of a poem. You can eliminate
parts of words, especially any endings, if it helps to keep the
meaning of the poem clear. Try different possibilities for your poem
before selecting the lines for your final poem. If you are stuck during
this step, return back to the original page of text. The right word you
are searching for could be there waiting for you.
Step 5: Return to the page of text and circle only the words you
selected for the final poem. Remember to also erase the circles
around any words you will not be using.
Step 6: Add an illustration or design to the page of text that connects
to your poem. Be very careful not to draw over the circled words you
selected for your final poem!
Examples of Blackout Poetry

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