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Erasure poetry

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A poetic form created by selectively erasing words from an existing text, revealing a new poem through the strategic use of absence.

Detailed Definition
A technique where words are systematically removed from source texts, leaving remaining words to create new poems, often revealing hidden messages or alternative meanings in the original
Example
Example in poetry:
M. NourbeSe Philip’s “Zong!” erases slave-ship log to voice drowned Africans; Jen Bervin’s “Nets” erases Shakespeare’s sonnets; Erasure poetry critiques source texts by silencing dominant voices; Contemporary erasure addresses trauma, censorship, and recovery.
Additional Notes
Broader term for erasure techniques in poetry. Same as erasure poem generally. May include various erasure methods. Related: found poetry, redaction poetry, textual manipulation.
Also Known As
blackout poetry deletion verse deletion poetry Redaction verse
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