What is Blackout Poetry?

Discover the art of blackout poetry with a glimpse into its history, inspiring examples, and a comprehensive how to guide.

Hey there! Today we're diving into the fascinating world of blackout poetry, an artistic and inventive form that has found its way into our social media feeds and literary discussions. If you haven't encountered it yet, get ready to be inspired and unleash your creativity as we explore what blackout poetry is, share some captivating examples, and provide you with a step by step guide to try it yourself.

What is Blackout Poetry?

Blackout poetry, also known as erasure poetry or redacted poetry, is a unique expression of found poetry. Its roots trace back to Benjamin Franklin's time, with a neighbor named Caleb Whiteford redacting versions of papers to create new meaning through puns. The form resurfaced during the Dada movement, and artists like Austin Kleon at The New York Times played a pivotal role in bringing blackout poetry to the forefront. It's a creative play with physical text, where words are selectively erased to craft entirely new meanings, giving old texts a fresh perspective.

Examples of Blackout Poetry

To showcase the versatility of blackout poetry, we turn to the work of Austin Kleon, who popularized the form with his collection Newspaper Blackout. These blackout poems can be short or long, abstract or concrete, but the common thread is the fun and surprising meanings they create through the interplay of words.

How to Blackout Poetry: A Simple Guide

Funny or poignant, carefree or politically charged, any text can be turned into a blackout poem. Armed with your writing utensil of choice, you can make blackout poetry pages in three straightforward steps:

1. Select and Box In

Identify the text you want to blackout. Draw boxes around meaningful words, images, phrases, and ideas. Blackout poetry is a process of narrowing down the words you don’t want, then selecting and arranging the words that are left.

2. Create a Visual Flow

Once you’ve blacked out the words you want your poem to use, take a moment to consider how the poem is read. Can the poem be read linearly, from left to right? Or do you want certain words to connect in different directions? Draw an image outline or arrows for reading the text, if necessary.

3. Add Your Artistic Touch

Once you’ve chosen the words you need, cross out the rest. There’s no wrong way to color, so channel your inner five-year-old and get scribbling!

With these simple steps, you'll unlock the creativity within words and transform ordinary text into unique works of art.

Something Special

For those inspired by the world of visual poetry, we offer a fantastic online course by Lina Botero called Visual Poetry Diary: Tell Stories with Photos and Verses. Lina (@linabotero), with her background in Audiovisual Communication, guides you in linking words and images for a powerful means of expression. This course is perfect for any creative mind eager to explore the synergy between visuals and words.

Remember, dear reader, that art has countless forms waiting to be explored. Whether you're a seasoned poet or simply savoring the joys of reading, blackout poetry is a delightful way to bring new life to existing texts. And if this has sparked your interest, consider diving deeper with Lina Botero's course.

Start your artistic journey with these links:

– What is Poetry: Definition, Characteristics and Types
– What is Meter in Poetry?