Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Slice of Life 2018 Day 28: Black Out Poetry

I am fascinated by Black Out Poetry, a form of found poetry. Last week writer and artist Austin Kleon posted this on his Instagram feed.

Austin Kleon's Newspaper Blackout Poem
He often posts Newspaper Blackout Poems (and he even has a book!) I adore them. He even includes a great tutorial and gallery on his website, and he writes about his process here. I am so intrigued and impressed with his daily practice of writing.

Although I don't subscribe to a printed newspaper anymore, I receive magazines, so I used the same concept with an older article from Educational Leadership. To create a black out poem, you simply need an old text (like a magazine article or newspaper or advertisement) and a black marker.

My Black Out Poem 
I am always amazed at the challenge of creating a found poem. Ultimately, it is about noticing words and creating something new from those words. (Writing all begins with noticing, right?) I think that the process is engaging, but it takes some time, playing with words, and brain power.

Below is the third Black Out Poem I created yesterday. After my first two attempts, I finally came up with something I liked:

Acknowledge
teaching.
Devote
resources
to spur teacher growth.

7 comments:

  1. Wonderful blackout poem. I’m a fan of Austin Kleon. Love “Steal Like an Artist.” Have you tried blackout poetry w/ students? I’ve used it to teach Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein. Those opening letters can be tough for kids to read.

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    1. I have used it with students before, but no this year yet! I think Austin Kleon has so many smart things to teach writers!

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  2. I'm also a big fan of blackout poetry. Last semester in my Methods class, we made writing gifts for each other at the end of the semester, and mine was to take a blog post from each of my students, print it, and create a blackout poem with their words. It took soooo much longer than I thought it was going to! It's actually quite challenging! But so much fun.

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    1. Such a great idea Elisabeth! Can I be in your methods class, please?

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  3. Such a fan. What a challenge for such beauty.

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  4. I've never tried black out poetry.I'd like to try it sometime soon. You've inspired me to put it on my list for a future Poetry Friday post.

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