August 10th 2008

*Laurence55’s Workshop: Found Poetry

When it comes to eastern style poetry, *Laurence55 is becoming an integral cog in helping others understand the forms and direction. Aside from the role of a superior haijin, he enjoys investigating new forms of poetry and this workshop is no different.

In this workshop, I will be focusing on the poetic style known as “Cut” or “Found” poetry. Found poetry is the rearrangement of words, phrases, and even whole passages that are taken from other sources and reframed as poetry. This transformation into a poetic structure is accomplished by applying changes to spacing, lines or by alterations to the text (by adding or deleting words). The sources used for creating a found poem can include magazine articles, newspapers, graffiti, other poems, or anything with a single word.

The concept of Found Poetry is said to have originated in the work of French Uruguayan poet "Isidore Lucien Ducasse." After his death, the techniques of found poetry would continue to be explored and eventually recognized as a true poetic style.

While most of you know me for my work in the Japanese poetic styles, found poetry has greatly influenced my ideas on the manner in which language can be restructured to take on entirely new meanings.

In this workshop, I would like you explore found poetry by using the sources around you. Use words, lines, or phrases from any source and attempt to construct them into a cohesive poem. Found poetry has no rules except for the complete use of outside sources, so don’t be afraid to be unorthodox in your word usage. Most importantly, have fun! This exercise is meant to push the boundaries of artistic perception!

In addition to reviewing the submitted poems, I have included all of my journals on Found Poetry. These can be seen here.

Poetry Discussion 1: Found Poetry, Definition

Poetry Discussion 2: Found Poetry, Approaches

Poetry Discussion 3: Found Poetry, Treatments

Final Discussion: Found Poetry, Copywrights

I have written several found poems on DA. These can be seen here:

Skin Deep
The War of Evolution
Midnight
Daybreak
Dusk

Remember

Please note that this is a Poetry workshop, meaning that we will accept only poetry entries. Proofread your work before you send it in so that grammatical and spelling errors are minimal. And most of all, have fun with it!

How to Submit

After submitting your entry as a new deviation or scrap, send us a note with a link to your poem. Include the subject line "FOUND" in your note. The deadline is midnight August 20th, 2008. All times are set for GMT. *Laurence55 will respond to the entries on August 24th, 2008.

On Accepting Critique

Always thank the critic. This gratitude must be as sincere as possible, even if you did not like the critique given, because the critic has taken time to offer his/her opinion of the piece.
If you do not like the critique, it is not necessary to mention so. Simply thank the critic and move on. You can always ignore their suggestions, while not making a scene of it.
If you are unsure of what the critique means, feel free to ask the critic what s/he meant. Building rapport with your critic is one of the best ways to survive in a workshop and to learn. If you want examples, ask. Similarly, if you like the suggestions given, mention it. Critic's have feelings too.
In the unlikely case that a critic offers rude/sexist/racist/etc comments, feel free to contact *Writers-Workshop in a note and we will try to help you. A decision regarding the rudeness of the critique will be taken, and if we're not sure ourselves, we will consult with one of the GDs or anyone else high up on deviantART.


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