Found Poetry Project:
A Community Art Initiative on display in 2020 by Katharine Zaun
A note on the design from Katharine Zaun: “The pixelated effect of the painted cardboard background is representative of the digitally saturated quality of our lives during this pandemic. We chose cardboard to paint on—rather than painting directly on the mural's wood panels—because we wanted to stay with the idea of the found poems by using found objects, too. The found poems stand out against the cardboard background to portray how we've attempted to piece together this new normal and find connection in new ways—find new narratives that give shape to this strange and isolating time.”
Found Poetry Instructions (Submissions closed August 14, 2020):
Step 1: Find a piece of newspaper, or a page out of a book or magazine you don’t mind tearing out.
Step 2: Reflect on the prompt below.
Step 3: Channel your inner word search expertise and use the words on your page to create a poem. Circle the words with a pencil for now. Don’t worry too much about the structure or neatness of the lines as your poem is taking shape.
Step 4: Color! Using crayons, markers, paint, pastels, or even masking tape, cover up the words that don’t belong in your poem. And voila! Your poem is finished.
But wait, there’s one more step—Step 5: *Mail your poem to the Muck by August 14th (or drop it off in the mailbox at the front entrance, practicing adequate social distancing measures of course). Once we’ve collected everyone’s poems, Katharine will be working with our summer volunteer, Shari, to create a mural of your work! Poems will be decoupaged on large canvases and exhibited outside. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?!
*If you are unable to mail in your piece, snap a photo and send it to info@themuck.org
Prompt: Take a walk, if you can, or stare out the window and look around. What surprises you? What do you hear or see? Whatever thoughts or feelings this exercise stirs up in you, sit with them for a moment. What do they lead you to? Now find your poem.