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Printed from https://shop.writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/5624-OuLiPo-A-Brief-History-and-Overview.html
Poetry: April 17, 2013 Issue [#5624]

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Poetry


 This week: OuLiPo: A Brief History and Overview
  Edited by: Red Writing Hood <3 Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter



“With me poetry has not been a purpose, but a passion.”

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)





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Letter from the editor



OuLiPo: A Brief History, Overview, and Examples



I love words, as well as learning and playing with new poetry forms. I discovered a group of writing and math geeks (I consider myself both a math and writing geek), founded by Francois le Lionnais and Raymond Queneau, who liked to experiment like this, also. Oh yeah, now I’m ready to play. *Rubs hands together gleefully*

Oh, and don’t worry if the word ‘math’ scares you. They aren’t all about math, as the examples I share below will attest.


BRIEF HISTORY

Back in the 60’s a group of guys in France got together to experiment with writing structures. They named their group Ouvrior de Littérature Potentielle, or OuLiPo for short. Using their skills in mathematics and writing, they came up with many exercises and writing patterns that are often referred to as constraints. The group also borrowed existing structures and gave them a little twist: palindromes, anagrams, and tautograms, for example.

These constraints will usually work for both poetry and other writing. Some specific to poetry would be: Snowball, palindrome, the métro poem, and univocalism. I find the métro poem particularly interesting.


Métro poem

NOTE: Considering not everyone has access to a subway or metro, use a train, trolley, or bus.


MUST HAVES

--You can only create the poem in your head while the train, trolley or bus is moving—do NOT write anything down while in motion.

--You can only write down what you have created in your head when the train, trolley or bus is stopped—no creating any part of the poem when stopped. Each time there is a stop and you write things down, this is a verse. If you have five stops, not counting the stop where you started, you will have five verses.


COULD HAVES or WHAT IS THE POET’S CHOICE IN ALL THIS?

-- Any topic and any theme.
--Any rhyme scheme, including no rhyme scheme.
--Any meter.


Anagrammatical Text


MUST HAVES

--A beginning sentence. This sentence can be from your own work or a source work. Please remember to cite your source if you use someone else’s work as your starter sentence.

--Create anagrams using the starter sentence.


COULD HAVES or WHAT IS THE POET’S CHOICE IN ALL THIS?

--Make as many, or as few, anagrams from the starter sentence that you wish.
--Can create a poem or other piece of writing.
--You can choose to work the hard way and create the anagrams on your own, or use an anagram generator. Can you guess which way I’m choosing to go? Um yeah, I counted six different ones on the first search page alone.
-- Any topic and any theme.
--Any rhyme scheme, including no rhyme scheme.
--Any meter.


OF NOTE

See the source notes below for more OuLiPo constraints.


SOURCE NOTES:

The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Edited by Ales Preminger and T. V. F. Brogan. 1993.
http://nestersteachingblog.com/2010/11/23/a-collection-of-oulipo-exercises/



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Editor's Picks



Theme: Lipograms and palindromes

 Missing Open in new Window. [E]
a lipogram - without the letter u - for Slam
by Joy Author Icon

 Invalid Item Open in new Window. []

by A Guest Visitor

 Your Joke Open in new Window. [ASR]
A lipogram poem - missing the letter "A" for the Slam (round 7)
by evlclown Author Icon

 Words ~ Poetry - Palindrome Open in new Window. [E]
Words Poetry Words - Palindrome Contest Entry
by Kate - Writing & Reading Author Icon

 Dancing Clouds Open in new Window. [E]
Palindrome Poetry
by Cookie ~ contemplatingareturn Author Icon

 Invalid Item Open in new Window. []

by A Guest Visitor

Dad Open in new Window. [E]
Palindrome poem #87
by Roscoe Author Icon

 Invalid Item Open in new Window. []

by A Guest Visitor

This is Where it Ends Open in new Window. [E]
Juat a little something. A Palindrome - prompt "Where it Ends"
by Annie Author Icon


 
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Ask & Answer



Have a question, answer, problem, solution, tip, trick, cheer, jeer, or extra million lying around?

If so, send it through the feedback section at the bottom of this newsletter OR click the little envelope next to my name Red Writing Hood (123) and send it through email.


Comments on last month's newsletter:


By: BIG BAD WOLF is Howling Author IconMail Icon
"'Til Mossflower is FreeOpen in new Window. [13+]
Comment: Always have fun with your writing.


Amen!

Keep that feedback coming :)

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