In this interactive poetry lab, participants will transform everyday language into living art.
Drawing from the textures of newspaper headlines and the tenderness of novel pages, we’ll explore how people, places, and things move us — how they make us verbs. Through a blend of blackout poetry and Mad Libs wordplay, we’ll remix found text into poems that pulse with motion, memory, and meaning. Each participant will leave with an original piece that blurs the line between writing and visual art — a reflection on transformation, agency, and joy in unexpected places. Each week, participants will explore how people, places, and objects shape our stories by remixing pages from newspapers and novels into living poems. The workshop blends guided writing prompts, collaborative exercises, and moments for quiet reflection and creative experimentation. By the end of the course, participants will have created a small collection of original blackout and found poems that reimagine how we see language, action, and ourselves.
Live video conference: This workshop will be held via our online video conferencing platform, Zoom. You can view brief tutorials on using the platform here. On the start date or the day before, participants will receive an email with login info (please check your spam if you don’t see it).
In this workshop you’ll learn:
- Blackout Poetry Techniques — how to transform found text into visual and poetic art.
- Found & Erasure Writing — methods for uncovering hidden stories within everyday language.
- Creative Wordplay & Mad Lib Poetics — playful strategies to expand imagination and experiment with syntax.
- Theme Development — exploring how people, places, and objects can become sources of movement and transformation in your writing.
- Collaborative Creation & Reflection — building community through shared poetry and collective expression.
Time requirements
- For this multi-session workshop, participants should expect to spend about 1–2 hours per week outside of class gathering found text (such as newspaper clippings, book pages, or articles), reflecting on prompts, and refining their blackout or Mad Lib poems.
- All in-class activities will be designed to support hands-on creation and group collaboration, so no extensive homework or prior experience is required.
Materials
- Black sharpies and newspapers , books
Who should take this workshop?
- This workshop is designed for poets, prose writers, and interdisciplinary creatives interested in expanding their craft through experimentation and play. It’s ideal for beginning to intermediate writers who want to break free from traditional structures and explore how found text, rhythm, and visual language can deepen their poetic voice. Participants seeking new ways to generate material, reimagine familiar forms, or reignite inspiration through community and collaboration will find this workshop especially rewarding.
If you need an accommodation for this workshop, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.