I remember taking a poetry class in high school and it was for one semester. During that time, I was taught not only what poetry was, but also how to write some of the many different styles. Each module focused on a few different aspects and styles of poetry and I was then given the choice of what kind of poem I wanted to write. I enjoyed most of the class and learned a lot but one thing I did not learn about was blackout poetry. Blackout poetry is taking a page of book or an article from a magazine or newspaper and blacking all but a few words to create a poem. It's like taking a creative piece and making your own creative poem from it. Last year, I found this book at the library and was enchanted by its new style poetry.
Newspaper Blackout by Austin Kleon is a collection of poems created from newspaper articles Kleon had collected each morning. These poems span over the years and range in topics and themes. Every poem is unique and reading through the book gives the impression of how it's possible to create a plethora of emotions with just a page of a newspaper and a black-inked marker. The author also gives time in the beginning of the book to explain how he creates his poems and gives detailed instruction for how the reader can create their own blackout poetry. He even includes works of the winners of his poetry contest he had hosted on his blog some years back.
This book is fantastic for those who enjoy poetry and those who do not. It's easier to read than most styles of poetry which makes it great for those new to poetry. I loved reading this book and breezed through it fairly quickly. If you have never read any blackout poetry or maybe you've read some in the past, I highly recommend picking up a copy of the Newspaper Blackout.
~Abigail
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