Found Poems

Found Poems

Photocopy a page of a book or magazine and create your poem artistically on the page.

I graciously acknowledge my source material – Brave New World and Night and Day magazine.

I was introduced to this technique on an Open University Creative Writing course and I love it – great for days when you have writer’s block or for if you think you can’t do poetry!

Advertisements

Leave a comment
Comments 6

ClaireOT | April 9, 2011 at 1:43 pm

This is a great tip, and one I shall plunder for the next impromptu creative writing group I run- thank you! Now, I wonder if my Big Girl would like to help mummy find a poem….

Reply
- kirstyes | April 9, 2011 at 2:42 pm
  
  Thanks Claire. I think you could make them really pretty with glitter and everything if you wanted.
  
  Reply
Carol Ross | November 12, 2012 at 6:33 am

I love this idea Kirsty. I saw something similar that had been done with paintings in an exhibition in Edinburgh but never thought of doing poetry! A tutor on a course I did has written found poems based on talks he had with prison inmates when he was a poet in residence. I have started writing found poems based on my elderly parents’ memories of WW2.

Reply
- kirstyes | November 12, 2012 at 9:25 pm
  
  I loved this bit on the OU course and use it to introduce poetry to people that think they can’t write it. The found poetry you are writing sounds very interesting.
  
  Reply
  - Carol Ross | November 15, 2012 at 9:20 pm
    
    I have now written my first found poem based on a page in a published book – Sea Wolf by Jack London. Thanks again for the idea.
  - kirstyes | November 17, 2012 at 12:33 am
    
    Hi Carol,
    
    Great to hear – have you posted it anywhere?