Newspaper Blackout

I'm a fan of this author's books, so - though Newpaper Blackout isn't typical for him - I decided to order a copy to see what it's like.I definitely like it, and I'm considering ways to use the concept a little differently, for art journaling and mixed media art.Once you've seen a few pages, you'll get the concept. Past that, you may want to see the whimsical messages and poetry he created with this technique.This is a fun book to read, and I suggest asking your public library to order a copy. I'm not sure this book is a keeper, but I think people should have an opportunity to see the concept up close.

Good

Awesome for a middle or high school classroom! Surprised I didn't find this gem until my 20th year teaching (I buy and read lots of instructional materials), but it wasn't until I beefed up my own (personal) writing that I stumbled on to this creative way to use text. LOVE this writing form and so did my HS students last spring! Check out A. Kleon's website and google 'blackout poetry' for SO many creative ideas... Highly recommend! *P.S. ~ We don't get to use this resource until the spring, after all of the standardized testing is completed; it, along with book groups, is a fun way to wrap up a school year.

This charming book of poems "found" among the words of newspaper articles, is amazingly addictive! I love to pick it up and read a couple of the poems at random.The author has taken a marker and blacked-out all the words he doesn't want-so the poem meanders all over the page. Sometimes punctuation marks are separated from the rest of the sentence. It's pretty easy to follow the thread,however, as he works from top to bottom. This peculiar format has its own appeal and contributes to the feeling of the poem. You'll want to try writing one this way, yourself!

This book arrived quickly and in great condition. The book as a lot of great ideas on how to teach this type of "creative writing" with upper middle school and high school students. I used this book in conjunction with some online lessons that I found that use this type of poetry creation. While this book gives great ideas, it should be known that it does not explicitly give you lesson plans, but rather a plethora of ideas on how to build your own plans.

I enjoyed Newspaper Blackout for a few simple reasons. At first, I thought, there is no way this man is a poet. However, once I delved into his work, I realized that Kleon dipped into his creative genius by reinventing someone else's words and making them his own. Secondly, the images Kleon creates with words are simple, deep, and profound. Less is more, as "they" say. And finally, I am a Texas girl...and loved the pieces about my home state.

Just when you thought poetry was dead, kaput, Austin Kleon comes along and breathes new life into the moribund form with the help of newsprint, a Sharpie, and a "Beautiful Mind"-esque eye for word patterns. Though his newspaper of choice is the New York Times, and a number of the poems here concern Texas, Kleon himself is from Ohio, which isn't really a surprise when you consider how many of America's preeminent artistic figures come from the midwest: Orson Welles was from Wisconsin, Marlon Brando was from Nebraska, Bob Dylan is from Minnesota, Hemingway from Illinois, etc. Kleon isn't in their league yet, but a glimmer of that young, erstwhile midwesterner, genius vibe is there, and it's thrilling.

This is poetry, yes, and some of it quite personal and interesting like the best of the genre. The blackout style makes for terse expression but, in spite of that, Austin comes across as voluble and enthusiastic. He responded to being told that his art was reductive by providing an interesting history of influences which didn't actually actively influence him. He responded to the temptation of others to take Sharpies to a page of text by encouraging others to try, printing some of the results and a guide for readers. The result is a set of nice poems, a celebration of all the words around us and an invitation to make art yourself.

Loads of inspiration and interesting ideas. I had no idea there was so much history behind this supposedly modern idea.

I bought this book for my husband and he loves it!

Bought this as a present, had a quick flick through it myself and now wish I'd bought two copies. Will definitely be getting my hands on one soon!

I absolutely love this little gem and I recommend it to everyone who loves poetry, loves words and the beauty that you can find in them..I've bought one for myself, one for a hostess-gift and two for birthday-presents!

What a waste…just hundreds of pages retracted. 😩