There are times in the writing process when the words we need seem like an overwhelming mass—like a giant tangle of yarn that refuses to be unraveled. The feelings are there, vivid and present, but they seem too vast, too tangled, and too elusive to capture in the neat structure of a poem. It’s in these moments of creative blockage that I turn to a practice that has proven to be a surprising source of inspiration: found poetry.
The concept of “found poetry” used to strike me as odd. After all, how could poetry be truly found? Isn’t poetry something that’s meant to be created from scratch, a product of deliberate and thoughtful craftsmanship? But then I began experimenting with it, pulling words from unexpected places, and I quickly realized that found poetry is not only a unique form of expression but a liberating exercise in creativity.
Found poetry involves collecting words or phrases from existing texts and reassembling them into something entirely new. The words might come from a newspaper headline, a discarded book, or even an old rejection letter. Whether through blackout poetry (where words are obscured with ink or marker, leaving only fragments to form a new piece) or using techniques like cut-ups or cento, found poetry allows us to create meaning from what was already there. It’s a kind of literary collage, where we take the raw material of language and reassemble it into something fresh and meaningful.
It’s easy to dismiss the practice as something too unconventional, perhaps even “weird,” but once you start playing with the form, it becomes incredibly engaging. It challenges you to look closely at the language around you, to notice the hidden beauty in everyday phrases, and to discover meaning in the most unexpected places. It’s a form that encourages creativity and experimentation, allowing you to express yourself in new ways when the traditional path to writing feels blocked.
How to Create Found Poetry
The process of creating found poetry is simple yet deeply satisfying. The first step is gathering your source material—anything from a forgotten book to a random newspaper article. Perhaps you stumble upon a piece of dialogue in a movie, a snippet from an old journal entry, or even the headlines of the day’s newspaper. As you read through the text, pay attention to the phrases that stand out to you: odd combinations of words, poignant images, or surprising juxtapositions.
Once you’ve identified some interesting phrases, the real fun begins. You can cut and rearrange the words, moving them around to form new connections and meanings. Sometimes it’s about finding the perfect rhythm or the way the words feel when strung together in an unexpected way. You can add or remove punctuation to guide the flow and structure of the poem, or even omit certain words entirely, creating emphasis through what’s left unsaid.
There are various forms of found poetry to experiment with, depending on how you want to approach the material. In blackout poetry, you might take a page from a book or a newspaper article, blacking out everything except the words you want to keep. In the cento form, you create poems by borrowing lines or phrases from other poets or works of literature, while cut-up techniques involve physically rearranging text into new forms. For a more modern twist, digital found poetry can be crafted using search engine results or social media feeds—anything that brings together words in new and surprising ways.
Found Poetry in Literary Journals
Once you’ve crafted your found poem, you might find yourself wanting to share it with others. Many literary journals are open to publishing found poetry, and submitting your work can be a great way to introduce your creations to a wider audience. For instance, The Found Poetry Review is dedicated entirely to publishing works of found poetry, providing a space for the genre to flourish. Journals like Diode Poetry Journal and River Teeth: Beautiful Things also embrace the form, along with journals like The Indianapolis Review and Fence, which feature experimental and hybrid poetry.
These journals value the innovation and creativity found in these experimental works, offering a platform for poets who want to push the boundaries of traditional poetry and explore new ways of engaging with language. Even if you’re not looking to publish, just the act of creating and reshaping words can rekindle your love for language and help you break through creative blocks.
The Joy of Found Poetry
For me, found poetry is more than just a technique—it’s a practice of mindfulness and presence. It forces me to slow down and pay attention to the words that surround me, whether in the headlines of a newspaper or in the mundane conversations of everyday life. Each phrase carries its own history and context, and by playing with those fragments, I find new layers of meaning that I might not have noticed otherwise. It’s as if I’m uncovering hidden messages embedded in the world around me, reshaping them into something that feels uniquely mine.
If you’re feeling stuck in your writing practice or simply looking for a new challenge, I encourage you to try found poetry. Whether you start with a collection of old magazines or the daily news, there’s a treasure trove of words waiting to be discovered. You may be surprised at how much joy there is in simply rearranging the world around you, finding beauty in the smallest phrases, and creating something that’s entirely new yet built from what already exists.
In the end, found poetry is a reminder that even in our moments of creative struggle, there’s always a way forward—sometimes it’s just a matter of looking at the world with new eyes and finding the poetry that’s already there. And when the yarnball of words feels too overwhelming to untangle, a found poem might just be the key to finding your way back to the page.
