Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Poetry Handout
Poetry Handout
Poetry Handout
“In a more literal sense, music – a stimulating, moving or pleasing pattern of sounds – is at the
very heart of what we mean by the word “poetry.” – Steve Kowit, author of In the Palm of Your
Hand: the poet’s portable workshop
• Cut-up poetry – To allow you to concentrate on the music of the words and phrases you
are using without having to worry about the poem’s subject matter or significance. This
exercise also allows you to take the most mundane and transform it into something
interesting.
1. To begin, take two pages from different sections of a newspaper.
2. With a writing utensil, begin circling phrases or random groups of words from
any one of the newspaper pages.
3. IMPORTANT: Do not focus on the meaning of the phrases you are circling so
much as on their sounds. The meanings should fade to allow the music to become
more apparent.
4. Circle about twenty items.
5. Connect words and phrases that you have circled, adding, where necessary, your
own connective and transitional words and phrases.
Musical Devices – How to Evoke Emotion
“In a more literal sense, music – a stimulating, moving or pleasing pattern of sounds – is at the
very heart of what we mean by the word “poetry.” – Steve Kowit, author of In the Palm of Your
Hand: the poet’s portable workshop