What is Blackout Poetry?
Blackout poetry or erasure poetry is when you take prewritten text (like magazines, newspapers, book pages, etc.) and redact/erase/blackout words to make your own poem!
What Materials Do I Need?
-Prewritten text (magazine page, book page, newspaper page, or even a poem)
– A pencil
-A notebook
– Blackout materials (sharpies, pens, markers, colored
Step One – Read Your Chosen Material
Read it, then read it again! Although this might seem like a simple step, this is how you begin your work and how you find the mood of your piece. Read it another time, this time use your pencil to lightly underline the words that stand out to you. Don’t worry about making things make sense, this is just a starting point, the organization starts later!
Step Two – Take Notes And Make A Plan
Look at your chosen words. Do any of them make sense together? Remember, the words don’t need to be in typical reading order, you can use your blackout work to guide the reader later. In this step it may be useful to use a notebook to plan out your piece. You may need to search for some filler words to help with the flow of your poem the, and, for, it, etc.
Step Three- Black It Out!
The final step is to black out your poem! There are lots of ways to do this, you can cross things out, scribble them out, or make a picture around your chosen words. Be creative! Have fun! Let your artistry shine! Feel free to title your piece and sign your name at the bottom.
Congrats! You’ve now made your very own blackout poem! Share it, post it, make some more and be proud of the art you have created!