Term 1, 2022
Blackout Poetry is a form of “found poetry” where you select words that inspire you from a page in a book. Then you “redact” all the words you don’t want. This is often done with a black marker, hence the name “blackout poetry”. Your chosen words will form a new message, giving the text a whole new meaning.
You start by circling words you like in pencil and writing them on a scrap piece of paper to form a statement or poem. You can truncate other words to help you find the perfect joining words to create your poem.
Blackout Poetry can be take step further by adding patterns, designs, or a drawing to the areas you’re “redacting”. For example, instead of just filling in around your chosen words with solid black, you could create a drawing or design that relates to your poem. Just as with any illustration, your art should support the remaining text and add to its meaning.
