Cover of Newspaper blackout

Newspaper Blackout

Newspaper + Marker = Poetry.

Instead of starting with a blank page, poet Austin Kleon grabs a newspaper and a permanent marker and eliminates the words he doesn’t need.—NPR’s Morning Edition

NEWSPAPER BLACKOUT POEM ARCHIVES

Below is a list of the 200+ newspaper blackout poems that have been posted to this site since 2005.

See the Greatest Hits, 2006-2008


Search the Newspaper Blackout Poem archives:


  • denton-1Newspaper Blackout show in Denton, Texas
    April 16th, 2013

    Last week I hung my very first solo gallery show up at UNT on the Square in Denton, Texas.

  • kleon-makersMakers
    November 25th, 2012

    A while back, the folks at Wired asked me to make some blackouts from their recent design issue.

  • leoHow To Win An Election (October Horoscopes)
    October 3rd, 2012

    “say all the right things / do not risk offending anyone / be likable / fake friendliness / smiles and handshakes / avoid the question of scientific evidence / B just an ordinary who made it / say stuff written for anybody to hear / try to collect someone or something to blame / project optimisim about the future and happy endings / shout follow me! there’s absolutely nothing to be afraid of / if it’s hard to win drop out”

  • nine-to-fiveNine to Five
    September 12th, 2012

    go to work / and sneak things in when you can

  • aquariusSeptember Horoscopes
    September 5th, 2012

    avoid the guaranteed injury / cruise over the line / defy perfection / hide and seek in a kind of carefree spirit / drink a beer / be quieter / break balls / answer 13 questions no one asked / be the end of the baddest guy out there / throw something / perhaps there is a happy way to embrace without turning fake / when you pin your kind you get your team

  • the skirts of dallas are on the rise and texas is a more pleasant placeThe Skirts of Dallas
    August 13th, 2012

    the skirts of dallas are on the rise / and texas is a more pleasant place

  • you make everyone else everyone elseEveryone else
    August 9th, 2012

    A new blackout: “You make everyone else / everyone else”

  • piscesAugust Horoscopes
    August 1st, 2012

    do something crazy / honor the rookie / throw out social media for a start / just zoom in on any one thing and stay with it / avoid long-term mularkey / love something more / go to the ice cream shop and shake everyone’s hand / no panicking / just remember what a great mystery is / remain a student / don’t think long enough to know / more walks

    more walks /

  • 01-hankieDevils
    July 30th, 2012

    Poems about devils.

  • multiple-choiceMultiple Choice
    July 4th, 2012

    “do you think your sons going to be a – somebody with talent b – a handful c- good for us”

  • aquariusJuly Horoscopes
    July 2nd, 2012

    punch this summer / go missing from work / pack up and run off / a gig’s a gig / never read email / spell out life in a divine text message / cross the country in a time-traveling car / stop brooding over the alter ego / put an end to this operation on loan from the faint of heart / look into the whereabouts of missing years / have a near-death experience for the rest of us / you can’t help wondering

  • i-dont-mindI Don’t Mind
    June 26th, 2012

    “we are our own deal / I don’t mind that you torture me”

  • i want you / that you I was cautioned againstI Want You
    June 25th, 2012

    “I want you / that you that I was cautioned against”

  • taurusJune Horoscopes
    June 1st, 2012

    “develop a personal hero and explore his voice / be so lucky / endure torture at low doses / be loose / get a little belief system / shred shrug shed / keep a sharp gaze / punish the cobbler of conformity / underestimate originality / use time surprisingly”

  • art-waysPoem for my mother
    May 13th, 2012

    my mother knew i was bound art ways / and she didnt throw me down the stairs

  • keys-to-the-kingdomLittle Keys To The Kingdom
    April 19th, 2012

    everyone has little keys to the kingdom / and much to steal

  • every-book-is-self-helpEvery book is self-help
    April 16th, 2012

    A newspaper blackout.

  • geminiMarch Horoscopes (SXSW Edition)
    March 7th, 2012

    “do not address the advertiser / beat back the new / develop contacts speak of community make sure word got out die / cancel the mission of blandness and snake oil / survive by films / nightclubs and other inhospitably lighted places cause complications / when u decide to check out some band urge them on / slaves to the music dance their own dances / you have to get yourself a taco / bank on not knowing what’s going to happen or when / poke the folks remaining in their homes / wake up in a foul mood start packing”

  • microblackouts100 Microblackouts
    March 1st, 2012

    A made 100 “micro-blackouts” for people who retweeted a link to Steal Like An Artist a few days ago.

  • 20x200 print Creativity Is SubtractionNew 20×200 print: “Creativity Is Subtraction”
    February 28th, 2012

    Very happy to announce my new print, “Creativity is Subtraction,” on sale now from 20×200.com.

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