For Nat’l Poetry Month: A Magnetic Poem & Make Your Own Portable Recycled Magnetic Poetry!

I love Magnetic Poetry, and when I saw these directions on how to make magnetic poetry myself, I was thrilled with the possibilities for myself, my students, and my child.

When I had a studio at Art City years ago, Magnetic Poetry kits had just started getting popular but they were expensive. However, one showed up in a goody bag at a poetry reading I went to at the Chateau Marmont for a  kick-off reading for the perfume “Poeme.”

Next thing we knew, Magnetic Poetry was showing up not just on the Art City refrigerator but on any metal surface all over the yard. One of my favorites was a on a blue metal bowl which I found in the refrigerator one morning while I was looking for half and half for my coffee.

I even did a few Magnetic Poetry installations. At Burning Man, I’d bring my collections of magnetic poetry for “Poetry-A-Go-Go” where we’d do magnetic poems all over my VW westfalia camper van as we hung out in the heat of the day, and invite passer-bys to contribute lines as we plied them with cold drinks. We found a few drawbacks: You had to get too close to the van to read them and we’re still finding small words in odd places.

For a few art shows, I took the door off a defunct and funky refrigerator, spray painted it purple then did red over parts, and provided some starter poems including the one that follows and other appropriate decor including cookie sheets where I’d have my college students race against each other to compose poems in teams.

“here” was published in ArtLife Limited editions with red toner for the background and indigo toner for the text on a cream paper with flecks of other paper embedded.

here
it is
here
here
in curvature
of inside
of upper
arm
here
fascinates me
magnetizes me
absorbs me
not muscle
not power
but arc
gentle grace
soft hidden
flesh
here
in line i trace
as hadn cradles head
whispered words lost
lips
lips
here
is it
here
in yielding portal
tides in and out
flowing myself
in here
through here
until here
in only one
us
here

Now for the directions on how to recycle magazines into magnetic poetry, a perfect union of National Earth Month and Poetry Month with thanks to Tiffany Threadgould at RePlayGround!

Ingredients:
Magazines
Mint tin
Flexible magnet (like the kind you get advertising the local pizza shop) or get the adhesive kind from a craft supply store

Tools:
Glue stick (if using a non-adhesive magnet) scissors

Instructions:

1. Lay your magnetic piece on a flat surface. Cut words from magazine pages. Make sure you have enough to cover the whole surface of the magnet.

2. If you’re using a non-adhesive magnet, lay your words upside-down on a piece of scrap paper and use your glue stick to make it sticky. Stick onto the magnet. Repeat until your whole magnet is covered. If you’re using an adhesive magnet, peal off the waxy layer and stick the words to the magnet.

3. Use your scissors to carefully cut apart the pieces. Then stick the pieces to your mint tin or refrigerator and rearrange the words creating sentences and fun phrases.

For more funky recycled and repurposed goods, check out RePlayGround! in Brooklyn, NY.

For more poetry, ride the train or visit ReadWritePoem!!