Newspaper Blackout

I've read several of Austin Kleon's books, so it was fun to actually see Austin's 'art' after reading about it his other books.

Another way to think about ‘negative space’, but with words to create and find new meaning by playing and doodling. How far you take any ideas from this book are up to you. With little in the form of supplies and expense, one can use the book and instructions as a model for so much more in a classroom setting or other learning environment (possibly in a self-help context). If you are accustom to screen time and want to get away and do a simple, fun, hands on activity alone or with some people; one might see that rather than pressing a button and switch the background of a screen from light to dark or vice versa - you can instead stumble on new combinations of ideas in a more abstract or fluid sense (like a flow state) that yields new things. Particularly as technology of many types continues to evolve; in lieu of the old white out ink, this is the opposite of redacted information. Reading it and practicing the technique may bring you to a place of knowing yourself and those around you better.

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.

I bought this for my class. We watch a 3 minute video on YouTube by the author and create our own black out poetry. The kids flipped when I bought the actual book!

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.

I learned about Austin Kleon long after the book this book title was published. His more recent blackout poetry is philosophical and/or thought-provoking and that is what I was expecting. The book didn't meet my expectations, but the brief history/background about how this form of unwriting/rewriting started is really interesting. Its a good how-to book, if you're just starting out and want some context and guidance.

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.

Some inspirational, some motivational, some uppers, some downers and some out-right hilarious - Kleon's Newspaper Blackout poems runs the gamut of human emotion in an aesthetically pleasing, softcover compilation of page-turning, proverb-like poems. A must buy for anyone who can read the English language! NOTE: Make sure to purchase a few because you will be giving and gifting them away to friends, enemies and stragners alike.

Awesome concept, funny, deep, thoughtful. Loved it. Certainly Recommend/

What a waste…just hundreds of pages retracted. 😩

I like having it on my bookshelf to take a peek inside once in a while. It's inspiring, it's creative, it's funny, sometimes deep.

What a wonderful idea to make poetry like this! I loved reading the poems and was in awe of how the author had managed to construct them in this way. Simply brilliant!

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