Blackout Poetry (Stoke your creative juices with this unique poetry style)

YOU ARE READING: Blackout Poetry (Stoke your creative juices with this unique poetry style) AT PhebinhvanhocEN

what the hell is blackout poetry?

And how can it stoke the creative fire within you?

You are reading: Good books for blackout poetry

what if you’re not really “the poetic type”?

good news! Even if you’ve never faced a poetry assignment that didn’t fill you with dread, you’re about to learn something that will change the way you think about poetry.

Here’s something you can do to de-stress and restore your energy, even while tricking yourself into doing something creative.

and all you need is someone else’s words and something to write with.

You can start with a newspaper that has not yet been recycled. or check out some of the books you’ve been thinking about donating.

or see what you can do with those literary magazines you’ve been saving but probably never will read.

As for your writing instrument, choose something that won’t make the little hairs on the back of your neck stand up. this is supposed to be relaxing.

Ready to learn how to write your first blackout poem?

what is blackout poetry?

black poetry is a type of “appropriation art”, which means you take something someone else created and use it to create something else.

austin kleon, the author of steal like an artist and the newspaper blackout, posts images of his own newspaper blackout poetry on his website and explains it in a youtube video below.

all you need are good books (or newspapers/magazines) to use for black poetry, along with a pen or pencil and a black permanent marker or acrylic paint (with a fine-tipped brush).

If you prefer to use color to block out words you don’t use, feel free to choose paint or markers in colors other than black.

You can even create full-color illustrations around the words you’ve chosen for your blackout poem or build a scene around them.

You can find books, magazines, and newspapers that work with blackout poetry in any or all of the following places:

You can probably think of at least a few books that you were forced to read for school but will probably never read again.

those books (if you still have them) are excellent candidates for blackout poetry.

You can also choose a book that you have enjoyed reading in the past. buy an old copy at a used bookstore, amazon, or wherever you can find one, and use it to create a blackout poetry journal.

Not all of them have to be meaningful words or phrases. sometimes you’ll need an article, preposition, or conjunction to join the other words into something that makes sense, at least to you.

You can even select individual letters to form a word you want in your poem.

So, while you’re taking a break from writing with a relaxing activity that sounds suspiciously like destroying perfectly good books (or writing newspaper articles), you’re also creating something new.

how long should a blackout poem be?

the duration of your blackout poetry will depend on two things;

the length of your page and your word count
the number of words you select for your poem

There is no standard word count or approximate length for black poetry, which is good news. you can make it as long or as short as you like.

For longer poems, choose pages with a higher word density (fewer images, smaller line spacing, etc.). choose and outline your words before adding additional visuals.

How was the blackout poetry created?

Austin Kleon’s book, The Newspaper Blackout, kicked off a new craze in 2010 by showing readers a whole new way to create poetry.

started in 2005, and even now, all you do is take a copy of the new york times and a sharpie marker and make a new one, choose your words and erase the ones you don’t need. share his latest creations on his blog, as well as on his tumblr.

Since then, writers all over the world have enjoyed this “found poetry” approach to overcoming writer’s block and creating something new.

austin kleon kept his poetry fairly simple, focusing on the words. but many others add illustrations, in black and white or in a chosen color scheme, to turn each poem into a work of art.

You can find many of these on pinterest if you’re looking for ideas or inspiration.

examples of blackout poetry

You can get all kinds of blackout poetry ideas on pinterest, on youtube and all over the internet. it’s exploding as more and more creatives learn about it and dive in to restore their creative energy.

As you can see from the plethora of examples available online, you can simplify and focus on words or turn every page into a work of art.

You choose how much detail to put into it, so whether you’re into mandalas, zentangles, manga, or any other form of art that takes your mind off writing and takes you back, every page of black poetry is the combination of what the original artist brought to the table and what you do with it.

Enjoy the following examples to get some ideas for your first blackout poetry project.

1. use black ink (or paint) to create an image around the words.

You can also use templates to add any shapes you like.

The bird in this one does not surround any selected words, but, along with the branches, it helps to illustrate the poem.

2. separate the chosen words with shading and use lines to connect them.

you can shade using lines, dots or smudges: below, along one side or around each word.

lines can be wavy or angled, depending on the effect you want to create.

3. use different colors to create a landscape with lines.

lines are only used to cross out words that are not needed for the poem, but the use of different colors and wavy lines creates a landscape.

4. creates an elaborate black and white geometric pattern.

this provides a solid black background for the words of the poem.

The geometric rays of the sun don’t completely obscure the rest of the text, but they don’t have to.

5. creates a colorful zentangle around the chosen words.

If you love creating stress relief zentangles, combine it with blackout poetry to create a journal full of witty “personal notes”.

6. keep it simple with straight lines.

here is an example using simple lines to cross out words not used in the poem.

7. keep it simple with wavy lines.

This example uses lines that are wavy instead of straight.

jagged “lightning” lines can also work, depending on the tone of your blackout poem.

8. completely fill the space between the words of your poem.

This is the classic and most complete darkening technique, using a permanent marker or black acrylic paint.

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how to make blackout poetry

blackout poetry instructions are simple. what you do with them can be as simple or complex as you like.

Start with a book, magazine, or newspaper and open it to the page you’ll be using (one with lots of words to choose from).
Scan the page for words you want for your love poem. blackout and write them on a piece of paper next to their source or underline them directly on the page. you can also draw a rectangle around them to isolate them from the words around them.
cross out, hide, or color the words around the words you’ve set aside for your poem. you can do this using a permanent marker (better for lines) or acrylic paint, which won’t bleed through the page as much as ink.

You can also connect each word of your poem to the next using lines or an image that surrounds all the chosen words and provides a uniform background.

The background of your words does not have to be black or one color.

While a smooth, even background makes it easy to read, as long as you set your words so they stand out, you can make the background as elaborate, colorful, and detailed as you like.

Or, if you prefer to stick with black and white, vary your designs and use geometric shapes and patterns to add visual interest.

steal from the best (or a random newspaper) to make your blackout poetry creations something you’ll be proud to keep and share with others.

poetry of the digital blackout

you can also write black poetry using google docs. all you need is a text that you have copied from the internet or from another document.

if you wish, you can also change the orientation of your black poetry page by going to the “file” menu, selecting “page settings” and changing the orientation from portrait to landscape.

The easiest way to remove the original formatting from your copied text is to go to the “edit” menu of your google document and select “paste without formatting” or press ctrl-shift-v to do the same.

There are three easy steps to digital poetry blackout with google docs:

Step 1: Temporarily change the background color.

do this so you can more easily see the words you will save for your poem. go to file and “page setup”. there, you can change the color to anything other than black or white (gray works fine).

Step 2: Highlight the words you want to keep blank.

this makes the selected words stand out and will keep them visible once you do step 3.

To speed up word selection, select the first word you’ve already highlighted in white, go up to the paint roller icon on the far left of the menu bar, and double-click it to activate “paint formatting”. “. mode.

then all you need to do is click on any other words you want to keep and google will automatically highlight them in white.

When you’re done doing this, double-click the paint roller icon again to turn it off. if you have selected all your words, you are at step 3.

step 3: change the background color to black.

this hides all text that didn’t highlight white. all that’s left is your blackout poem.

any text highlighted in white (or another contrasting color) will still stand out, and the font color of your highlighted text will match the background.

blackout poetry books

Whether you’re looking for a guide or journal/workbook, consider the following options to get started and get the most out of your blackout poetry adventure. Two of the following options come in both eBook and print formats, while two are available in paperback only.

periodic blackout by austin kleon

let poet and cartoonist austin kleon invent a form of creative expression that restores (rather than depletes) creative energy. this book has inspired countless writers to tap into his untapped ability to find poetry in the mundane. You’ll find samples of Kleon’s own (and others’) blackout poetry, as well as a story and tutorial.

kathryn maloney blackout poetry journal

With 44 randomly collected book pages, along with inspiring images, this journal will become a treasured part of your library, especially once you fill it with your own black poetry. use this for your own creative self care time or share it to inspire young creatives. When you’ve filled this out, try one of the other Kathryn Maloney journals here.

make blackout poetry: turn these pages into john carroll poems

Create your own blackout poetry using selections from shakespeare, oscar wilde, jane austen, victor hugo and more. you’ll also find newspapers, slang dictionaries, vintage etiquette manuals, and other texts ripe for the picking.

John Carroll, the founder of Make Blackout Poesy (an Instagram community), provides inspirational examples as well as helpful tips for getting the most out of this creative workbook.

Written Poetry Journal: Create black poetry by destroying the classics of the offbeat poet, sherry hale and mellowgraphics.

This 120+ page journal comes in print and e-book format. Find selections from 50 classic literary works, including the Kama Sutra, Plato’s Republic, and Voltaire’s Candid.

The print edition provides space to record your thoughts, as well as the ease of creating black poetry just by opening it up and picking up a pencil and black marker.

Ready to start writing blackout poetry?

Whether your first locked poem looks like a CIA document or something that belongs in an art gallery, I hope you enjoy doing it and it brings to mind more ideas you’d like to try.

The point is to take a break from generating your own words and use “found words” to create something. like any first draft, it doesn’t have to fit anyone’s idea of great writing.

just letting your gut choose the words and stringing them together can be cathartic or at least relaxing.

then, use a book you may never read again, or use an extra copy of a book that holds a special place in your heart. or use an old newspaper that hasn’t yet been taken out for recycling.

Pick a headline or page that catches your eye and grab a permanent marker or your favorite black pen, and get to work turning someone else’s words into a poem (albeit a random one) of your own creation.

do it for fun or just to kill time. but give it a try and see if you don’t accidentally create some new connections in your mind. call it a bonus – or a side effect. maybe don’t do this before you go to sleep at night.

And don’t be surprised if you get hooked.

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