FOUND POETRY - what is it ?

I enjoy 'found poetry' very much - there are a few techniques around this, each providing a found poem. (© Gina altered book found poem)

In essence found poetry is finding the poetic in the non-poetic and reimagining existing language to create something new and meaningful.

Here are a few possibilities and techniques.

1.  ERASURE/BLACKOUT POETRY -

• find an existing text and working your way down the text, lightly circle with a pencil the words that appeal to you
• i often read and re read the words i have pencilled to see how they run together - with meaning and or logical sequence
• you are looking to reinterpret the text to create a new meaning or focus
• using a tool such as texta, whiteout or digital editing begin to blot out all the other words until only the 'poem' is left/revealed.

2. CUT UP POETRY -

• Cut up words, phrases or sentences from one or more source texts
• rearrange them to create a new poem, often with a different meaning or focus than the original text

3.  CENTO POETRY -

• a cento is a poem composed entirely of lines taken from other poets' work, often. without attribution
• the lines are arranged to create new meaning, a new poem

4.  FOUND TITLE POEM -

• this method involves creating a poem using only the titles of books, articles, songs, even what is in your pantry, CD collection titles, etc
• rearrange titles to create a new poem with unique meaning or narrative.

5.  FREE FORM EXCERPTING -

• Select words, phrases, lines or sentences from one or more source texts and arrange them into a new poem
• the poet focuses on finding interesting or meaningful language and recontextualising it without necessaryily altering the original words

6. GOLDEN SHOVEL -

• this is a found poem where the last word of each line is taken from a pre-existing poem
• the chosen lines are then arranged into a new poem, with the original poem's last words forming the golden shovel

7. PAIN CHIP POETRY -

• using the names of paint colours on a paint chip to create a poem.

8. SPINE POEMS -

• rearrange book spines to create a poem, often using the titles

This page of found poetry in an altered book i created during travels to Japan.  Taken from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. it reads ..... (found poem below)

I cant stand it                             Joy

its awful                                   as a general thing

I got to, I got to ask                      was silent

I got to ask to do everything.              for sometime

I'd got to out a while every day

And besides

being rich all the time

suits me

Find yourself some text and have fun!

and let me know what you come up with