If you cling April because it is National Poetry Month, here’s an activity to make the last week a special one.  You can use it to create a spontaneous slam.

This week, The New York Times allows you to uncover poetry in prose.  This blackout poetry activity, popularized by writer/artist Austin Kleon, encourages readers to create poems by redacting words from ordinary texts. 

The Times offers snippets of articles for this creation.  Select an article, click on up to 15 words, and compose your own blackout poem.

Resulting poems may be shared on social media and are given a permalink.  Selected Reader Poems offer a little inspiration.  Here’s an example.

Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo for this lead.