*Image above by Austin Kleon, author of Newspaper Blackout.*

A Mix & Match Zine #3: Blackout Poetry

It's been a couple of years since I last hosted a Mix & Match Zine Swap but I've recently been playing around with blackout poetry and it occurred to me that it would work perfectly in this format. So here we are...

What is blackout poetry? How do I do it?

• Take a page of existing, pre-printed text – eg from a novel, a newspaper, an instruction manual, whatever looks interesting to you.
• Select some words or phrases across the page which string together to create new phrases or sentences.
• Black out all the words you have not chosen.
• Your blackout poem is complete.

You can black out words using whichever method you prefer, as artistically or as functionally as you like. A simple google search will reveal many different images, examples & techniques. Work with whichever style you find comfortable.

A Blackout Poetry tutorial

Click here for a simple slide show tutorial.
The tutorial references making poetry from novels but you can use any base text you like for the purposes of this swap.

Mix & Match Blackout Poetry

For Mix & Match swaps, you do not create a whole zine! You will send each partner 4 single-sided pages of blackout poetry. By the end of the swap, each participant will have received 4 pages from each of their 4 partners which they can then bind (however they like) into their own zine or journal.

I will create a thread in the group forum after partners have been assigned, so that anybody who would like to swap their blackout poetry with participants they have not been assigned to can arrange to do so.

Mix & Match Page Format

You will send each of your partners 4 single-sided pages of blackout poetry. You do not need to send the original book page: photocopy or scan the original to reproduce at the correct size.

The dimensions of each page should be one quarter of a standard piece of printer paper (so all 4 of your pages will fit on one full sheet, before cutting to size):

• In the UK/Europe/Australia (from A4 paper) this works out at 10.5 x 14.8cm/4.1" x 5.8" (A6).
• In the US/Canada (from letter-size paper) this works out at 10.8 x 13.97cm/ 4.25” x 5.5” (quarter-size).

As an international group, you are likely to receive a mix of different paper sizes. When laying out your blackout poetry pages please leave an empty border of at least 1cm on all sides. This will give your partners more flexibility in binding the pages they receive, and allow for standardisation of page sizes.

Swap requirements

• 4 partners = 4 single-sided pages of blackout poetry sent to each
• Each page will be a quarter the size of a standard sheet of printer paper (see above) and feature a single blackout poem, created by you.
• Leave an empty margin of approx. 1cm around the edge of your pages, so there is enough room for your partner to bind the finished zine together.
• Add your name and/or user name somewhere on each of your pages, so that you will always be credited for your work (for example, if the pages are reproduced in a zine by any of your partners).

As always

Late swaps & low ratings will all be checked before assigning partners, so please contact me if you think there might be a problem.