The Found Poem Playlist

Track 1
Choose a single page from a cherish prose work.

Track 2
Catalog every word into a bank, organized by parts of speech (nouns, adjectives, verbs, etc.).

Track 3
Looking at your bank of words, identify some themes and feelings the bank gives you as a
whole.

Track 4
Using only the words in your word bank, write a poem. Consider the themes you identified. You
may re-use words if you like. Try for at least 10-15 lines (it can of course be longer). Say
something meaningful to you.

Track 5
Arrange the poem the way you want it to appear. Revise where necessary.

At home…

Track 6
Write your poem in a word processor. Format it the way you’d like to see.

Track 7
Pick three words you used that are uncommon to your personal language use.

Track 8
Use the OED to discover those three words’ definitions and etymologies. Take note.

Track 9
Visit poets.org/glossary and find the entry for “found poem.” Follow the link to read more about
found poetry.

Track 10
Take notes and be ready to discuss your experiences the next time we meet.