Erasure poetry allows you to create a poem without having to write a word! This is because erasure poetry is a type of found art, or art that is made with ordinary objects – in this case, a page of text from a book, magazine, or newspaper. Watch the video or read below for a step-by-step guide on how to create your own erasure poem.
Step One: Gather Materials
You’ll need to gather the following materials before you start creating your erasure poem:
- A page of pre-existing text (This could be from a book, a newspaper, or a magazine.)
- A pen or pencil
- A dark marker or pen (Preferably black, dark purple, or navy)
Step Two: Scan and Circle
Look over the page of text that you’ve chosen. Let your emotions guide you as you read through it, and notice any words that jump out at you.
Circle the words that you notice. When you’re finished, read over the circled words to make sure you’re happy with your poem.
Step Three: Black It Out
Put a piece of paper underneath your poem so that the marker doesn’t bleed through. Then carefully use your marker to blackout all of the words that aren’t circled. Make you that you leave all of your circled words completely uncovered!
Step Four: Cover It Up
Go back over the black lines with your marker, making them thicker. You can choose to black out the space between the lines as well or you can leave it blank.
Go over the circles you made earlier around your chosen words and cover them with marker as well, being careful not to cover any letters that you need.
Step Five: Get Creative!
There are lots of different ways you can make your erasure poem unique. For example, you can add a pattern or pictures over the black lines using pencil crayons, coloured pens, or paint.
You could also choose to cut out the words you’ve circled and glue them together instead of blacking out the words around them.
Remember, erasure poetry isn’t supposed to be perfect — it’s all about expressing how you’re feeling!
Your erasure poem is now complete. Feel free to read your poem aloud, put it on display, or keep it somewhere special. Don’t forget to take a picture and share it on social media with #DAREtogether and tag DAREarts so we can see what you’ve created!
Looking for more creative activities? Visit our Learn From Home Centre.