You have never created blackout poetry?!  You don’t know what blackout poetry is? Blackout poetry helps you explore your visually artistic side, as well as your poetic side.

Let’s get started!

Step 1: Warm-up

At your library you can use the Smart Search in Alexandria to find books on different types of poems. After you get an idea of the kind of poem you want to create, i.e. haiku, sonnet, or limerick.

Step 2: Find a new or used book that you can write in. 
 

Step 3: Scan for an Anchor Word.

Scan the page you want to use before completely reading it. See if any meaningful or significant words stand out to you. When you find this word, also called an “anchor word,” you can start to imagine possible themes and topics for your poem.
 

Step 4: Read 

While reading the entire page, circle words that relate to your anchor word or words that go with the theme you are wanting your poem to be about. Try to avoid circling more than three words on the same line.
 

Step 5: Make a list

Write down those words on a separate piece of paper in the order you circled them.
 

Step 6: Create the Poem

Without changing the order of the words you wrote down, piece together your poem. Remember, you can eliminate parts of the words so that they read the way you want them to. If your poem is missing something, go back to the page and find more words, but remember to keep the words in the order they read on the page.
 

Step 7: Back to the page

Go back to page in the book and circle the words you decided on for your final poem. Don’t forget to erase any words that you didn’t use.
 

Final Step: Design!

Now that the words of your poem are all circled, make a fun design over all the other words on the page.
 

That’s it, you did it!