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Blackout Poetry Project

The Boutelle-Day Poetry Center at Smith College

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Erased Land

This image shows a blackout poetry piece created on a page with the header "PRACTICAL CATS". The page is collaged with patterned tape, glitter, and illustrations of the sun and moon. The original text of the page is mostly inked out by dark blue marker, with select words and phrases left uncovered in order to form a new poetic message. The poem is outlined by a triangle-patterned frame.

PRACTICAL CATS

This image shows an illustration of a purple cat. The background paper includes a poem, but its words are obscured by a collage of tissue-paper geometric shapes, forming a patterned background and sun behind the drawing of the purple cat.

PURPLE CAT

This image shows a blackout poetry piece created on a page with the header "THE FAMILY REUNION". The background is covered by a colored pencil landscape drawing. Select words are left visible and outlined, forming a new poetic message against the pastel colors of the background.

SENSE

This image shows a blackout poetry piece created form a T.S. Eliot poem. The background is mostly drawn over in sheer multicolored marker, making it so that the original poem is entirely legible. However, a select few words are left completely uncovered in order to stand out against the drawn-over background, forming a new poetic message.

SEVEN

This image shows a blackout poetry piece. The original page of text has been mostly covered by a collage of multicolored papers. These papers include patterns of plants, stars, and geometric symbols. Some words and phrases from the original page have been left uncovered, forming a new poetic message against the collaged background.

TALK IN YOUR OWN LANGUAGE

This image shows a blackout poetry piece created on a page with the header "THE COCKTAIL PARTY". Some parts of the original text are covered in colored marker, black pen, patterned tape, and collaged images/prints. Select paragraphs from the original text are left visible, forming a poetic message against the illustrated and collaged background.

THE COCKTAIL PARTY

This image shows a blackout poetry piece created on a page with the header "THE FAMILY REUNION". An image of a mother and daughter in front of their house is pasted to the page. The original words of the page are mostly drawn over in black marker, with visible brush strokes and gaps between marks, imitating the pattern of the wood siding of the house. Select words and phrases are left uncovered, forming a new poetic message against the background.

THE FAMILY REUNION

This image shows a blackout poetry piece created on a page a T.S. Eliot poetry anthology. Most of the original text has been covered by spirals of yellow colored pencil and "x" marks made in black marker. Select words have been left visible and outlined in black marker, forming a new poetic message against the illustrated background.

THE FUTURE

This image shows a blackout poem created against a collage. The majority of the original page of text has been drawn over in black marker, or collaged over with large images of fish and a seaside landscape. Select words and phrases have been left uncovered, forming a poetic message against the collaged background.

THE HANGED MAN

This image shows a blackout poetry piece created from a piece entitled "The Rock". The original poem has been painted in a heart-shaped orange frame, and collaged over with floral patterns and images. The orange heart obscures some words, but the original poem is left mostly unchanged. The uncovered, legible words form a poetic message against the art piece.

THE LIGHTS FADE

This image shows a blackout poetry piece created through collaging and mark-making. The original page, taken from a T.S. Eliot poetry collection, has been collaged over with sheer pink and white paper, washi-tape, pearls, and small illustrations. These artistic elements cover most of the original poem's words, but, select words and phrases have been left uncovered in order to form a new poetic message against the collaged background.

THE MOMENT OF MYSTERY

This image shows a collage poetry piece. Parts of various poems have been cut and pasted together to form a new poetic message. Black and white illustrations of flowers are also pasted around the poem.

THE MOTIONS OF THE ANGELS

This image shows a blackout poetry piece made from a T.S. Eliot poem. Some of the poem has been painted over in blue, while select words and phrases have been left uncovered in order to form a new poem.

THE ROCK

This image shows a blackout poetry piece created on a page of a T.S. Eliot poetry anthology. The lines of the original poem are predominantly painted over in a sheer maroon marker. Select words and phrases have been left visible, and outlined in pencil, forming a new poetic message.

THE SEASON OF THE BEAST

This image shows a blackout poetry piece framed by a collage. The original poem has been mostly painted over in black, with select visible words creating a new poetic message. This message is surrounded by a collage of flowers, fabrics, and gravestones.

THERE WILL BE TIME

This image shows a blackout poetry piece created on page 372 of T.S. Eliot's "The Cocktail Party". Some words and phrases have been highlighted in purple boxes, forming a new poetic message against the dialogue of the play.

TOO MUCH LEFT

This image shows a blackout poetry piece made through a charcoal illustration. The original page with the header "The Cocktail Party" is mostly drawn over with dark gray charcoal, in a portrait of facial creases and three large eyes. Select words remain uncovered, forming a new poetic message against the charcoal piece.

UNIDENTIFIED

This image shows a blackout poem made through a painting of a wolf. The original text of the page is predominantly painted over in a pale blue and black portrait of a wolf, with some words and phrases left uncovered. These words form a new poetic message which goes along with the art piece.

WE WOULD FIGHT FOR LIBERTY

This image shows a blackout poetry piece. The original poem has been predominantly painted over in silver, with the leftover words being underlined and circled by red marker. These highlighted words form a new poetic message.

WHAT HAPPENED?

This image shows a blackout poem made from a page of William Shakespeare's Henry VIII. Some sentences and words have been drawn over, shortening the text and creating a poem from the remaining sentences and paragraphs. The black ink used to cover parts of the text is also smudged around the page, partially obscuring some parts of the paper. Two flowers lay on opposite corners of the page.

WHO CAN LOOSE

This image shows a blackout poetry piece made on a page of an anthology of T.S. Eliot poems. The poem is mostly painted over in black streaks, with select words and phrases left uncovered, forming a new poetic message.

WHY

This image shows a blackout poetry piece created through mark-making and collaging. The original poem with the header "FOUR QUARTETS" has been covered up with black marker and the torn-up, collaged image of a woman in a swimsuit, with some words left visible in order to repurpose the poem and establish a new message.

WILD STRAWBERRY

This image shows a blackout poetry piece created by means of a painting. The original text of the page is almost completely painted over by greenery, cloudy skies, and back-half of a fox. Select words have been left unpainted, creating a short poem to go with the painting.

WITHOUT DELAY

This image displays a blackout poem created on a page of heavy text. The background is painted in heavy black strokes, mimicking the wood of the image of a stable which has been pasted onto the page. Select words have been left visible to form a poem against the backdrop of a farm house, trees, and a cloudy sky.

FIND ANOTHER

This image shows a blackout poetry piece made from a play's script. The majority of the original text is completely obscured in black marker, with select words and phrases left visible to form a poem. Around the poem, there are images of: an angel, part of a building, a bright lamp, and a dark silhouette.

YOU DEFER TO THE FACT

This image shows a blackout poetry piece created on a page with the header "COLLECTED POEMS 1909-1935". Most of the poem has been inked out in clean, black marks, while the rest of the poem's words have been left visible and highlighted in red boxes. Seashells, scales, and greenery frame the blackout poem.

YOU KNOW, YOU SEE, YOU REMEMBER

The image displays a blackout poetry piece created around a drawing of a clenched gray and magenta fist. The page's text is partially inked out by this drawing, as well as a sheer wash of orange marker. Select words are left visible, creating a short poem within a page of rich dialogue.

YOU TALK

This image shows a blackout poetry piece with a header that says "THE CATHEDRAL" and page 213. Many words and lines are crossed out with a purple marker. The uncovered lines reveal a poetic message. At the bottom of the page, there is a line of thick, black tape with blue and yellow flowers on it.

THE CATHEDRAL

This image shows a blackout poetry page with a header that says "THE COCKTAIL PARTY" and a page number of 345. Most of the words on the page are covered with black marker, letting the remaining words reveal a poetic message. On the top right side of the page, there is a cut out and pasted image of a brownish, grayish pigeon. Beneath the pigeon, there is a cut out and pasted image of a black and white man, dressed in a suit and pageboy hat. On the top left side of the page, there is a sticker of a leafy, green sprig. On the bottom left of the page, there is a cut out and pasted image of three, drawn gears. On the bottom right side of the page, there is a sticker of a whale and a baby whale in an underwater scene. The bottom of the sticker says "THE WHALE."

come straight in

This image shows a blackout poetry piece with the header "THE FAMILY REUNION" and a page number of 293. Some words and lines are crossed out with a black marker. The uncovered words and lines reveal a poetic message.

This way

This image shows a blackout poetry piece with a header that shows it is a T.S. Eliot work. The page is covered in washi tape, placed in all different directions. The designs of the washi tape include a galaxy design, a design with pink diamonds and purple and green stripes, a design with green stripes and a black stripe with squares in middle, a gold and black triangular design, and a gold and black abstract circular shape design. The tape is positioned in a way that covers most of the words, except for a few. These remaining words reveal a poetic message.

sleep forces dawn

This image shows a blackout poetry page in which the bottom half of the page has been ripped off, leaving a jagged edge. The header indicates it is page 368 of a T.S. Eliot work. Some words on the page are drawn over with black marker, leaving the uncovered ones to reveal a poetic message. The top block of the text is encased in lines shaping it to an oval. The bottom block of text is encased in lines shaping it to a square. On the left side of the page, there are two doodles of human figures. On the right side, there is another doodle of a human figure.

you simply do not understand innocence

This image shows a blackout poetry piece with a header that says "FOUR QUARTETS" and a page number of 121. The words are mostly uncovered, expect for the ones that are circled in black marker, which, when read exclusively, reveal a poetic message. The circles are connected to each other by black lines that are drawn from one to another.

of spirit

This image shows a blackout poetry piece where most of the page has been colored in black marker. The parts that are not colored in are words that reveal a poetic message. The page has a border of black washi tape with a design of gold mountains on it.

Fire torch

The image shows a blackout poetry piece which has been covered with white parchment paper and holes cut out to reveal certain words, and altogether, a poetic message. The words are also circled in black marker. The page is bordered with washi tape that has a white grid design. On the top right and bottom left corner of the page there are some newspaper clippings. The former one is just words, but the latter one is words and a drawing of an "AMERICAN BUGGY" as it says beneath the drawing.

Wearily

This is a blackout poetry piece on a page with a header that says "Poems 1920," and a footer that indicates it is page 21 of the work. There is a border of washi tape on the page. The tape is green and black, and features triangular shapes like hills, with small doodles of flowers and leaves between the triangular shapes. There are straight black lines that go over words on the page, with the remaining words revealing a poetic message.

GERONTION

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