napowrimo #10: thrift store
by Christine Swint
My sister loves to comb thrift stores looking for just the right object. She never knows what that object will be until she finds it. Sometimes she takes a photograph, and other times she buys said object and hangs it on the wall of her home, or she paints it and turns it into something else.
The same can be done with text you come across in your reading. The challenge today is to find a passage of text, preferably from an out-of-print book, and turn it into a poem. This process is appropriately called a found poem. The Academy of American Poets has a great article about the history of the found poem, with links to examples by T.S. Eliot and Charles Reznikoff.
The basic strategy is to find a passage of prose, keep it exactly like you find it, but change the line breaks strategically to call emphasis to the aspects of the passage you find poetic.
One place to find these passages is on Google Books. You can search for a topic that interests you. Then you will see the words highlighted in yellow in the different PDF versions Google Books has available. Just make sure you write a note at the end of your poem crediting your source. Sharing where you found the idea for the poem is part of what makes the found poem unique.
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A note from “admin”: This month, since we’re all trying to write every day, we’re leaving the comments open with each prompt so you can post links to your poems as you write them. So, go ahead and write your poem, post your poem (with a link to Read Write Poem and a Read Write Poem tag, if you would) and come back to this very spot and share your link with us.
Of course, if you’re a creature of habit, you can always post your links at next week’s “Get Your Poem On” post. Who are we to mess around with what works for you?
And don’t forget to go read the poems of others in this wonderful writing community. We’re all in this NaPoWriMo “mess” (ha ha!) together; let’s support each other in the insanity that is writing (every day)!
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get the read write poem badge! 
Wear it loud, wear it proud! Display the Read Write Poem badge on your site. Just click here or on the image above to get the code! read write poem news- yes, yes, here’s another virtual book tour stop for ‘a walk through the memory palace’
February 6, 2010 | 11:37 amFind the latest tour stop for Pamela Johnson Parker’s debut collection, A Walk Through the Memory Palace at Jillypoet, Jill Crammond Wickham’s blog, where you can find an interview with Pamela that discusses how she creates manuscripts.
Previous stops include Daniel Romo at his blog, Peyote Soliloquies and James Brush at his blog, Coyote Mercury.
You can find all our plans for the tour here.
- the best of the web is in our ranks
February 6, 2010 | 11:35 amSarah J. Sloat’s poem,”Attending the Tasting” (published in The Literary Bohemian) has been selected for Best of the Web 2010. Congratulations, Sarah!
- another (w00t!) read write poem member on the joe milford poetry show
February 6, 2010 | 11:34 amOn the Joe Milford Poetry Show tomorrow (Feb. 6): W.F. Roby at 9 AM (PST). Find the show here!
Joe describes Will as a “great language poet and bad-ass.”
- ‘literary podcasting made simple with wordpress.com’
February 6, 2010 | 11:33 amDave Bonta has published a how-to article that might be of interest to WordPress users: “Literary Podcasting Made Simple with WordPress.com,” based on his and Beth Adams’ experience at Qarrtsiluni.
Thanks, Dave, for continuing to help make the community aware of technological resources that can expand our art.
- the latest (virtual) book tour stop for ‘a walk through the memory palace’
February 3, 2010 | 3:53 pmThe latest tour stop has been posted for Pamela Johnson Parker’s debut collection, A Walk Through the Memory Palace. Find out how Daniel Romo responded to the work at his blog, Peyote Soliloquies.
James Brush provided our first tour stop at his blog, Coyote Mercury.
You can find all our plans for the tour here.
- planning for napowrimo in april, and you are invited!
February 2, 2010 | 6:12 pmHello, hello dear Read Write Poem community members! We are in the planning stages for NaPoWriMo. (What? Is that a groan I hear, or an excited exclamation?)
We are planning another prompt-every-day for those folks who love to write a daily poem in April (which is, as most of you know, National Poetry Month in the United States — although there is an international following of writing poetry every day in April, too, so it is not just about the States).
Anyway! This is a call for prompts because we want to run your ideas, one every day, in April. So here’s what to do:
- Prompts must be no more than 250 words, and we will take the first 30 that we receive.
- Include “NaPoWriMo Prompt” in the subject line of your email as well as your username (e.g., the name you use when you log in) so we can match you up with your prompt and give you the link love.
- Email your submission (in the body of the email — no attachments please) to prompts (at) readwritepoem (dot) org!
We’ll let you know when we’ve got the 30, but don’t delay because it takes a lot of time to format the posts and we want to be ready come April Fools’ Day. Woohoo!
- new senior contributors at read write poem
February 2, 2010 | 11:51 amWe are thrilled to announce that Ren Powell and Dave Jarecki are moving into the senior contributor role at Read Write Poem. Both have been writing feverishly for the site, as well as providing ideas for content and for the community as a whole. In short, they make this site a more lively, and better, place.
Ren and Dave will fill the roles vacated by Carolee Sherwood and Jill Crammond Wickham, who have moved into the manager role.
Everyone please thank Ren and Dave for their hard work and commitment to Read Write Poem.
- rounding out the virtual book tour of sarah j. sloat’s ‘in the voice of a minor saint’
January 31, 2010 | 1:53 pmOur last stop on the Virtual Book Tour of Sarah J. Sloat’s In the Voice of a Minor Saint is with Ren Powell. Find Ren’s review at More Babel.
Joseph Harker provided our first stop in December, and you can find David Moolten’s review at Edible Detritus. David’s was followed by Dave Jarecki’s. Dave’s review is at his blog. Find Jill Crammond Wickham’s at Jillypoet: Mom Trying to Write.
In case you missed the introduction, we are (virtually) hosting Sarah J. Sloat’s In the Voice of a Minor Saint. For complete tour information, such as how you can get your own copy of the collection or how you can get involved in future tours, read this post.
- make your own book: get off the computer and onto the paper
January 30, 2010 | 4:19 pmBeth Adams has posted her latest project at The Cassandra Pages. “A Handmade Book” may not explicate all the details of bookbinding, but Beth shows readers the “Secret Belgian Binding.” It’s a beautiful as well as inspiring post.
If you would like more detailed instructions, Google “secret Belgian bookbinding” and find sites such as this one. Or look for a local book arts class for hands-on instruction.
As Beth says, ” … it did me good to get away from the computer and feel my hands at work!”
 Archive for read write poem news »
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NaPoWriMo # 9
Here is one that has nothing to do with the prompt:
Listen
http://brokeness.blogspot.com/2009/04/napowrimo-9.html
This made a lot of sense to me:
http://firmlyrooted.blogspot.com/2009/04/man-his-fiddle-and-crows-found-in.html
The Thrift of Quine
( obviously ! )
ten days down already!
Mine is a response to yesterday’s prompt.
#10 Paradise
My NaPoMo poem #10: Val
Thanks for the prompt – I found this in The Bible
http://sewina.blogspot.com/2009/04/napowrimo-10-read-writepoem.html
but I paraphrased it…
sorry!
I welcomed the editing task!
Not the Two Halves of a Perfect Whole
Morning, everyone! Here’s another one:
Moon Reveal
Good morning. Here is my found poem. Thanks for the googlebooks suggestion!
http://freckledwriter.blogspot.com/2009/04/science-proceeds-found-poem.html
Many Moons for my daughter Tanya
http://a-mus-ing.blogspot.com/2009/04/many-moons-for-tanya.html
Thanks for the great prompt! Here is mine!
Oops, here is the link: http://deowriter.wordpress.com/2009/04/10/napowrimo-found-poem/
[...] of wells, other worlds and a surreal happenings. To write a found poem is Read Write Poem’s thrift store prompt posted by [...]
30 poems in 30 days, right? This is my found poem, which is taken from a passage in Haruki Murakami’s ‘Norwegian Wood’ which is just crying out to be made into a poem.
#11 found poem
Poems, Like My Panties
Not as salacious as it sounds.
OK. I thought it was tricky, but I found a poem in a 1909 High School text book. It is about love.
i think this has been my favourite prompt so far and i’ve found the above results lovely. here’s one i did earlier….
http://theswisslounge.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html
A haiku to start.
http://paperdreams-jgc.blogspot.com/2009/04/day-10-haiku.html
I’m still working on today’s prompt.
I found Charles Darwin…with interesting results:
http://therer2doors-thespacebetweenwords.blogspot.com/2009/04/foundcharles-darwin.html
Taking the Found idea AND combining it with a Dash Prompt of rhyming 10 lines… I came up with
my NaPoWriMo #10 for Good Friday
Almost a Rhyme of Found Psalms
It’s on my Facebook Notes
and here:
http://dash30dash.ning.com/profiles/blogs/almost-a-rhyme-of-found-psalms
enjoy
write on…..
This was fun! Lady’s Belly
Not to play favorites, but this is my favorite prompt so far!
Love & Cowbells
[...] For Read Write Poem’s prompt [...]
My found poem came from Sunday’s Dilbert comic. I have linked to the comic at the end of the poem.
Like the Horizon
What a really terrific prompt. That was a lot of fun.
http://vixensden.com/?p=1205
One of these days I follow the prompt, but not:
http://antarcticamag.wordpress.com/
i love thrift stores!!!… the best treasures… i can identify w/yr sister…. tho this post is from michelle’s poefusion tuesday titles… what an excellent prompt of found poems… memento mori
a found poem (stanza 1) with some of my own doings (stanza 2): phillip farkas states the obvious: nothing hurts
I may have taken this one to far LOL.
http://lori102870.blogspot.com/2009/04/stitch-in-timenapowrimo-10by-me.html
Woman as Decoration – a found poem.
finally caught up with this one
not about the prompt…however
Thrift Store Boots was a poem from last December
so its Thrift store here
http://www.waynepitchko.blogspot.com
not todays prompt…but the thrift store was in this poem from last Dec
so here is Thrift Store Boots
Wonderful prompt, thank you!
http://page247.wordpress.com/2009/04/10/napowrimo-10/
[...] lead to a draft of something. so here is a draft poem that is part “found poem” (per christine’s prompt for napowrimo #10) and part “carolee poem” (which didn’t go where i wanted it to go, but it’s [...]
Here’s a sonnet for a poultry farmer:
http://blog.elizabethenslin.com/2009/04/sonnet-for-a-poultry-farmer/
To paraphrase Alfred E Neuman “Who me, follow the prompts.” It could happen
I don’t know if I did it right…and it turned out pretty long…but here it is D:
http://cannedoriginality.blogspot.com/2009/04/heart-of-wilderness.html
here’s mine
using Thomas Hardy’s
I didn’t exactly focus on THRIFT STORE, but certainly charitable and philanthropic efforts will come into effect for those to whom this poem pertains:
ON STORMS AND SORROWS – GOOD FRIDAY TORNADO
This was a great prompt! And a gift, as I traveled with the kids today and writing time was at a premium! Found this great Amish pamphlet tucked in with my mother’s cookbooks: As to be expected, weddings are very formal
I’m not going to follow the prompt today.
http://cassandralee.tumblr.com/post/95035191
[...] NaPoWriMo #10 [...]
[...] motivation to write today. Hope tomorrow will be better. Go here to check out today’s other poetry warriors, and a great prompt by Christine that I just [...]
day 10, yeah!
http://thisyearsblog.wordpress.com/2009/04/10/napowrimo-2009-day-10/
I took the Thrift Store thing literally and actually wrote about a garage sale, but I enjoyed the prompt all the same:
http://morningsongspoems.blogspot.com/2009/04/garage-sale.html
And here’s Thursday’s poem that didn’t get uploaded:
http://morningsongspoems.blogspot.com/2009/04/paradise.html
I “wrote” a found poem, though not from google books
Manta Ray
How weird is THAT?! I posted a found poem yesterday. Gotta love poetic serendipity.
Here’s a Wordle-inspired little piece for today.
http://missionimprovisational.blogspot.com/2009/04/wordles-wordles-wordles.html
all this writing has made it hard for me to read some of the poetry being posted…any body else out there exhausted????
Great prompt, thanks!
Georgia O’Keeffe, from the 30th Floor, found here:
http://mariascala.blogspot.com/2009/04/napowrimo-10-georgia-okeeffe-from-30th.html
@Birdsword Poetry: I had no idea that anyone was actually reading my poetry…AT ALL…xD
http://alotus-poetry.livejournal.com/70894.html
Anaïs: NaPoWriMo #10
I used a bit of a passage from an encyclopedia to form the core of the poem and then built around it. I’m rather happy with the result.
http://starsandmuses.wordpress.com/?p=316
[...] NaPoWriMo Read Write Poem Prompt #10 [...]
[...] This was for Christine’s prompt at Read Write Poem. [...]
Loved this prompt! (Let me say, for the record, I’m both grateful and impressed with the quality of prompts you’re providing here at RWP–thank you, thank you, thank you.)
The Soul in Us
no left turn ~ http://djkreutzer.com/moments/archives/404
This one is seriously lame, but I’m getting
a/ desperate
b/ behind
c/ see previous answers.
[...] have no idea what this is about. I tried a Read Write Poem prompt called Thirft Store, where you arrange found lines into a poem. The basic strategy is to find a passage of prose, keep [...]
This poem is to the prompt “thrift store” rather than the prompt “found poem,” and it actually goes off on something a bit related, but not very.
exercising my poetic license, I used a photo from the book “I Seem To Be A Verb” for this…
We Who Are Not Afraid
Here’s mine for the prompt, though guess no one will read it I’m so late!
http://foundcraftygreenart.blogspot.com/2009/04/not-in-our-name.html
OK, this time instead of doing “Thrift Shop,” I did a “found poem” of sorts, but still did not follow the directions. This is taken from a recalled “rant” from a local character, Canyon Bob. (I’m slightly concerned about appropriating his “material.” Should I be?)
[...] Read Write Poem prompt was to “find” a poem in another written work. I found mine in a recipe from 500 [...]
Rushdie, always the poet.
http://sintaxandsemantix.blogspot.com/2009/04/diamonds-and-rubies.html
http://nainikanagpal.blogspot.com/2009/04/rain.html