Blackout poetry is a creative blend of writing and visual art—and all you need to begin is imagination and a willingness to let go of logic. This art form welcomes everyone, including my engineer-minded husband and children.
A friend once asked me if there are any guidelines. The best part is there aren’t any.
There Are No Rules (Really)
The words you choose don’t have to make logical sense in the way a sentence does. Instead, you’re free to create a mood, evoke an emotion, or stumble upon combinations that surprise you—or make you pause.
You don’t need to draw or paint a fancy background, either. Simply mark over the unused words and let what remains speak for itself.
Blackout poetry fascinates me because people respond so differently to the same page of text. Given identical pages, no two people will choose the same words. What we select often reflects our emotional state in that moment—what we’re wrestling with, longing for, or quietly noticing.
In an abstract way, blackout poems reveal aspects of our personalities and lives. It’s not because we analyze them, but more so because we don’t. The words we’re drawn to tend to say something before we’re aware of what we’re feeling.
What to Use: Choosing Your Text
Any printed text can become the starting point for a blackout poem, but I’m especially drawn to using old books. I’ve used pages from Nancy Drew novels, how-to manuals, and even books that I’ve heavily marked up as a writer and can’t pass along or donate.
There’s something freeing about working with text that’s already lived a life. Books that are worn, outdated, or personal feel like an invitation rather than something precious you might ruin. Tearing a page from an old book can feel transgressive at first, but it’s also oddly liberating.
You see, if a book can’t be saved or shared, it can still be transformed. Blackout poetry isn’t about destruction—it’s about attention.
How to Make a Blackout Poem
If you’re unsure where to start, this simple process can help:
- Use a pencil to lightly circle words in the text that catch your attention. Play with combinations. Look for lively verbs, interesting nouns, and conjunctions. Or no conjunctions. Your poem could be a list if you want.
- Once you’re satisfied, clearly mark your chosen words using marker, ink, or colored pencil.
- Color or cross out the unused words.
That’s it!
Some blackout poems become richly colorful pieces of art. Others remain stark and minimal. Both are valid. This is about expression, not performance. You can connect words or phrases with your markers so that it essentially maps a way read the poem (see first example below).
For me, blackout poetry is a relaxing break from my usual writing—an invitation to stop thinking so hard and simply notice what wants to emerge. Yet, there are times I’ll sit and stare at the page and nothing speaks to me. In that case, I simply move on—I literally turn the page.
If you’re curious about the form’s origins or how it differs from found or erasure poetry, you can explore the history of blackout poetry. And if you’d like to see what others are creating, do a hashtag search for images on Pinterest or Instagram. The variety of styles will amaze you.
Most of all, have fun with it.
Linda K. Sienkiewicz writes fiction, poetry and essays.
Her second novel, Love and Other Incurable Ailments, is coming October 27, 2026, from Regal House Publishing: When an anxious overthinker finds discarded love letters, her fixation on a stranger pulls her straight into chaos, heartbreak, and the inconvenient unraveling of her carefully constructed life. Preorder the book now!
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