Erasure Poetics: Authors, Works, and Quotes
Erasure poetry begins with an existing text—novels, newspapers, reports, forgotten books—and removes words until a new poem emerges. It’s sometimes called blackout poetry. The blank space is part of the art: what disappears is as meaningful as what remains.
Tom Phillips — A Humument (1966–2016)
What it does: Phillips bought a Victorian novel, A Human Document, and transformed every page with paint and collage, leaving behind new poems. The project grew for 50 years.
“the sound of words / could be the music of thought”
Visual: Altered pages are richly colored, with words floating in painted frames.
Jen Bervin — Nets (2004)
What it does: Bervin erased Shakespeare’s sonnets, leaving visible only a “net” of words that shimmer with new meaning.
“You and I / are nothing / without this.”
Visual: Shakespeare’s text faintly visible, Bervin’s chosen words bolded, forming a lattice.
Mary Ruefle — A Little White Shadow (2006)
What it does: Using correction fluid, Ruefle whited out most of a 19th-century book, leaving behind luminous fragments.
“The story of her life is the story of mine.”
Visual: White paint covers blocks of text; surviving words float in open space.
Travis Macdonald — The O Mission Repo (2008)
What it does: Erasure of the 9/11 Commission Report, transforming bureaucratic language into unsettling lyric.
“we have found no / understanding / only the language of threat.”
Janet Holmes — The ms of my kin (2009)
What it does: Erasures of Emily Dickinson poems, recast through the lens of the Iraq War era.
“war is a kind of silence / we cannot hear.”
Ronald Johnson — Radi Os (1977)
What it does: An erasure of Milton’s Paradise Lost, leaving behind a skeletal lyric of light and song.
“O bright wings / of Heaven / sing.”
How to Try Erasure Poetics Yourself
- Newspaper blackout: Take today’s paper, circle 10–15 words that stand out, and black out the rest with marker.
- Legalese to lyric: Print a warranty or terms of service; keep only human/emotional words, cross out the rest.
- Personal archive: Choose an old email or journal entry; erase most, leaving behind a fragmentary poem.
Why Images Matter
Unlike other poetics, erasure is both text and visual art. Seeing the page—whether it’s black marker, white paint, or digital strikeouts—is part of the experience. If publishing online, include at least one image of an altered page, or link to visual examples like Tom Phillips’ A Humument or Mary Ruefle’s A Little White Shadow.
A Closing Thought
Erasure poetry shows us that meaning is as much about what’s left out as what’s put in. Every bill, email, or notice you receive could be the seed of a new poem. The page is already full—you get to choose what remains.
