Blackout Poetry

In 2010, Austin Kleon published a book titled Newspaper Blackout, based on a found art project he had been working on for the last few years. The book itself was a collection of Blackout Poetry; a specific form of poetry Kleon had recently discovered. Blackout Poetry involves taking a piece of archived newspaper or other form of printed work, and using the limited number of words on the page, to inspire and create poetry. By going over the body of text with a permanent marker (or some other marking tool), the words of the poets choosing are left untouched, and combine to create something entirely new. The words will still reflect the voice of the original work due to its origins, but can only be seen through the lens of the poets intention for them. Due to the visual nature of Blackout Poetry, everything from the spacing of the words to the tools used to censor the original print can hold meaning in the finished piece. A long, black silence before the poem can add a certain weight over the words selected, and words spaced too far apart can manifest a sense of isolation. The Cabbages & Kings team would like to present this gallery of Blackout Poetry that a few of our artists have been creating over the last semester. Weve tried to expand on the traditional black Sharpie method by incorporating other means of artistic desecration such as coffee stains, ballpoint pens, glue guns, and fire. Weve chosen our canvases out of anything from classic literature to 10 cent bargain bin paperbacks, to archived copies of our own magazine. So, in the words that we have rediscovered through the strange and destructive art of creativity, we give you Blackout Poetry. -Simon Wilson
34

Catrina Foster
35

Irene Mosher

36

I created most of my blackout poetry while sitting in math class. Once I started making blackout poetry, I got a little addicted to taking my frustration out on the page. I really love the challenge of using correct capitalization and punctuation. My favorite medium is outdated text books and purple ballpoint pens. I find myself eying reading material for blackout potential on a pretty regular basis. - Catrina Foster

37

Kitty Niven

38

Kitty Niven
39

To me, Blackout Poetry is taking our most beloved and classic works of literature and transforming them into personal discovery. Were using the words youve already known and cherished for years and bringing an entirely new meaning to them. Some people are against Blackout Poetry, calling it distasteful and disrespectful towards the authors of any books subject to it. On the contrary, I think its a very high compliment. To me it says, I was touched by your words so deeply, I wanted to make them my own. - Kitty Niven

40

Simon Wilson
41

Catrina Foster
42

Catrina Foster
43

My inspiration for blackout poetry actually came from an old issue of our magazine. I saw words on the page that caught my attention and wanted to find an interesting way to put them together in a different way than the author had. Its like a puzzle; taking eye-catching words and trying to make them into something new and meaningful. - Irene Mosher

44

Simon Wilson

45