This activity is designed for all, not only those who identify as trans. The source material explores gender identity but the purpose of the activity is to experiment with using image and text together. A found poem is a poem created using text not intended to be poetry. Therefore, only the second poem created in this activity qualifies as a found poem.
Look at, Read, Listen to:
- Carlos’s artwork
- James’s artwork
- Ellyott’s poem Fear
- Ellyott’s artwork
- Voices in this section
1. Ask participants to pick one of Carlos, James or Ellyott’s photos. Print out and cut up the lines of Ellyott’s poem and pick 2-5 lines to stick directly onto their chosen photo. Think about how these lines respond to the photo. In pairs, ask the group to discuss their choices. Why this photo and why these lines?
2. Ask the group to pick another of Carlos, James or Ellyott’s photos then read the voices in this section and pick one voice. Select a quote that has meaning for them and then write it out, cut it up and stick on the second photograph they selected. These lines were not written as poetry but the young people’s job is to find the poetry in how lines are placed together and consider how these lines respond to the photograph.