Exquisite Corpse Poetry

Now and then, it's good to remind your students that once upon a time people wrote poetry as a party game.   I know.   It doesn't sound like a particularly thrilling evening to me either, but you may want to try this "game" in class.  

The whole idea of the "exquisite corpse" hinges on the mystery of accident.   Writers and artists made communal works by sharing in their creation.   The process is linked to Surrealism, and if you want to explain all of that in depth, you should.   It's too much for me to delve into right now, but it's fascinating for sure.

I think I saw the altered version that I use in Immersed in Verse: An Informative, Slightly Irreverent & Totally Tremendous Guide to Living the Poet's Life (http://amzn.com/1600595103)

The play-by-play directions that you have to give...repeatedly...will pay off with some quiet grading time later!

Here's how I run exquisite corpse poetry in my classroom.   Students use college ruled paper since this game can use up lines quickly.   They must keep their work private and not talk at all.  

They write two lines of poetry (no rhyming) in which they try to carry an idea/ image across both lines.   They fold the first line backwards, so only the second line is in view.   They pass the paper to the next writer.   The next writer reads only the second line and adds two lines in an effort to continue the original poet's ideas forward.   The writer then folds back two lines so only the fourth is showing.   Sounds complicated, but you'll get the groove going after a while.  

In short, unless you are writing the first two lines, you are always reading one line, adding two and folding two backwards.

The first run goes for no more than 10 minutes.   After that, kids unfold the papers and read the poems.   This will seem chaotic, but they're having a good time running around the room sharing the poetry.   Let it happen.   Ask for any examples that students feel particularly proud of and read those to the class.   Discuss what works in the samples.  

Next, do a 15 minute round and reverse the flow of papers.   Let's say you decide for one row to be a group and pass their papers backwards, the last child running his paper up to the front of the row.   During the second round, reverse the direction so writers don't always respond to the same poets' lines.

Most kids will enjoy this.   If you have students who have a delay in processing before they write, this may be a source of frustration, not your intended party game.   Be creative and flexible.   You can find ways of making this activity work for them.   This is one assignment that I let kids opt out of easily and give them an alternate assignment, although I encourage kids to stick with it if I know that they'll love it.

To see a similar idea in the hands of professional writers, don't miss http://read.gov/exquisite-corpse/   Read.gov retired the option to read the book on line, but you can buy it at Amazon.   The chapter-by-chapter podcasts are free though.   http://www.loc.gov/podcasts/exquisitecorpse/index.html   This group effort will be featured at this year's National Book Festival in D.C.   To see the complete lineup of authors, visit http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/authors/?PHPSESSID=a6eed85761bd15cc3f253acc6106e0eb

Art teachers, I think you know about this process already!   Let me know how it works in your classrooms.

End of Year Found Poetry Kit

This is a simple student-made poetry kit.   You will need glue sticks, 3 x 5 note cards, envelopes and scissors.   Ask students to look through their collection of papers and choose an assignment or worksheet that they would not mind destroying.   (I think it's best that the assignment NOT be a math worksheet, but I'm sure some math geniuses see the poetry in numbers.)

Students will cut out 25-30 words.   They will put the words and the note card in the envelope.   Then, they will trade envelopes with someone who is also ready his/her kit.   The writer will create a poem using some/all of the words in their classmate's kit.   Children glue the words to the note card.   Voila.   Done.

This activity can be done using magazines and newspapers as source material, but this version is cheaper.   I also like helping students find ways to entertain themselves with what they already have.

Found Poetry

In "found poetry" the writer takes words from a source that was not quite poetry to begin with...in regards to form.   Recipes, news stories, discarded love letters...almost anything at all.   (I'm going to try a variation soon by having students fish out an old writing assignment from their archival book bags.   We'll cut it apart to make not-so-magnetic poetry.)

For example, Hart Seely has created an entire book called Pieces of Intelligence: The Existential Poetry of Donald H. Rumsfeld.   Mr. R. falls under the category of "I'm a poet, but I didn't know it."   Seely took Mr. R's words and arranged them to look like poems.   If you don't believe me, look it up on Amazon.

Here's an exercise that William and Mary's amazing Emily Pease introduced to the 2009 Eastern Virginia Writing Project fellows:  found poetry using the Yellow Pages.   This is another inexpensive teaching tool.

Clip out ads from the Yellow Pages.   Have them laminated, if you plan to use them with children/teens.   If you have a document camera, project one on the screen for some whole-class practice before turning the writers loose on their own.

What do they do?   I'm wide open when it comes to this exercise.   They may write a poem inspired by the topic.   They may rearrange the words of the ad to make a poem with or without adding other words.   Poets may try to write a limerick, a haiku, a rhyming couplet, an acrostic, an ode, etc. based on the ad's subject.

This is also another assignment that necessitates a little whine time from the class.   Of course, it ends up being one of their favorite activities.   The phone book is an endless supply of writing ideas...and it's free!