Summary

Lisa, an English-speaking poet living in Finland, has embarked on a creative journey to write blackout poetry in Swedish, her 'other' language, using the book "Min Skugga" by Christine Falkenland as a canvas, and is sharing her experience and some of her translated poems on the process.

Abstract

The website content details Lisa's venture into Swedish blackout poetry, a form of art where she selectively blacks out text from a book to create a new poem. Encouraged by Trisha Traughber, Lisa, who is also fluent in German, decided to use her proficiency in Swedish to engage with poetry in a new linguistic and artistic way. She purchased a hardcover book titled "Min Skugga" (My Shadow) for this purpose, finding the title symbolic of her endeavor to cast a new poetic shadow over Falkenland's original text. Lisa shares her translated poems and reflects on the challenges of working with a language she has learned informally. Despite the difficulty, she finds the process rewarding and plans to continue until the entire book is transformed into her own poetry and art. The project is not only a test of her language skills but also an exploration of patterns and visual elements that complement the written word.

Opinions

Lisa views blackout poetry as a valuable exercise for her poetry students, suggesting it can be particularly beneficial for those who are nervous or apprehensive about poetry.
She appreciates the tactile and visual aspects of blackout poetry, emphasizing the importance of line, form, shading, and color in making the text stand out.
Lisa acknowledges the challenge of creating poetry in Swedish, especially since she has not formally studied the language, indicating a level of modesty and self-awareness about her grammatical accuracy.
Despite the inherent difficulties, she considers the attempt at Swedish blackout poetry as a significant and enjoyable extension of her creative and linguistic abilities.
She is open to further enhancing her poems with color and is contemplative about the progression of her work, indicating a reflective and experimental approach to her art.

My Shadow

My first attempt at blackout poetry in my other language

A few weeks ago (or was it months?!), Trisha Traughber encouraged me to start some poetry in my ‘other’ language. I call Swedish my ‘other’ language because I also speak German.

My first Swedish blackout poem (photo: author)

Now, as a native English speaker living in a non-English speaking country and having been here a few years with a reasonable grasp of the language, I decided it was time to try some poetry in Swedish.

After Trisha suggested blackout poetry as a springboard (why didn’t I think of it? It’s what I’d recommend for my nervous or apprehensive poetry students!), I went to the second-hand store and bought a nice hardcover book with really lovely paper.

I thought it would be perfect to start my Swedish blackout journey.

The book is called Min Skugga (My Shadow) by Christine Falkenland. It’s an apt title as I am attempting to create poetry, almost shadow-like, from Falkenland’s original text.

Translation of my first poem:

My body Has dreamed again, Head, my face, my eyes, Everything explained A distinct outline Detailed and sensitive Body.

I’ve done quite a bit of blackout poetry in English. I enjoy line and form, making shapes, and using colour. As you can see in the example below, which was originally posted on Instagram, the use of shapes, shading and colour really make the text stand out.

A blackout poem I did in English (photo: author)

After doing a few pages I have decided I am going to try and do the whole book. I might as well use a few minutes (or many minutes) per day creating my own poetry and art!

Not only will I be focusing on the words and language but also on the type of patterns I use to make the text stand out. It’s a double challenge!

Another page in my Swedish blackout poetry book (photo: author)

Translation:

Clouds wander over the sky I became conscious I saw eyes, Strong, warm I found me Better Different.

And it’s not an easy process.

Sometimes blackout poetry in my native language is hard — using other’s words to create meaning on a page.

I am not sure I have all the grammatical features correct in the Swedish either, I have never formally learned the language, just picked it up really.

I think the most important thing is I’m trying something new, extending my scope of knowledge of my other language, and being creative.

Two pages in my Swedish blackout poetry book (photo: author)

I have attempted making shapes that match the words/poetry. For example wind, waves and cliffs on the right side of the above image match the words on the page. Perhaps I’ll add some colour later? We shall see!

It’s definitely a work in progress, but one that I am enjoying. Let’s see if I can finish the whole book!

~thanks for reading~ tack~

Lisa writes poetry and other things from her home in Finland. She has degrees in English Literature and Political History, and Education, and is a published poet. If you’d like to keep in touch she writes Northern Notes.

My Shadow

My first attempt at blackout poetry in my other language

Translation of my first poem:

Translation:

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