Poet Tea Tuesday: Part Three Black out Poetry!

Black out poetry is a fun way to get the teens to look at what is important to leave in, as well as what is important to leave out. After all, choosing the right word is sometimes the hardest part of writing! Black out poetry looks at this concept in a interesting and creative way.

All that is needed is some discarded book or newspaper pages, some sharpies, and some creativity. Have the teens select a page, and then black out words to create a poem with the words left.  Black out poetry is cool on some other levels too, since it combines reusing and art into the piece.

The teens who participated in this made some really amazing creations, and later when we had some more poets visit, they were super excited to try this out! It is engaging for all levels to participate in and it helps teens who do not consider themselves poets realize that they too can create poetry. They just need to find the right words to put together! (Or leave out!)

For an example of black out poetry, more information, or general questions, email me at dstates@yorklibraries.org

What is one of your favorite types of poetry? Leave a comment!

Dawn states: Black out poetry is my favorite!