In the age of [redacted], taking charge of the words we read is more important than ever. Popularised by artist and writer Austin Kleon through his 2010 book Newspaper Blackout, creative textual editing means starting with the words thrown at you by the media, and subverting them into something more satisfying to you. If people want to censor you, it’s time to censor them back.

In its simplest form, a newspaper blackout poem is made by choosing an article or other block of text, selecting the words or sentences that you like, and blackout everything you don’t like.

There is also the option to make a “ransom note” poem by cutting words out from different sources and sticking them together, or a combination of both techniques. Here’s some more information and a video from Austin Kleon’s website: https://austinkleon.com/newspaperblackout/

Come along and get inspired! All materials provided, and of course you can take your creation home with you.