3 Questions for Sheree Shatsky

What was your process for creating this work?

“Curious” is a blackout erasure from Chapter One of “Jacob’s Room” by Virginia Woolf. (First published 1922, Hogarth Press: United Kingdom). The title ‘curious’ is found in Chapter Five.

“laws of radiation” is a blackout erasure from the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” ” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. (First published 1892, ‘The New England Magazine’ - p 647-56; Boston: Small, Maynard & Co.).

“Recognize” is a blackout erasure from ‘What Are We Worth?’ an essay from the book “A Voice from the South ” by Anna J. Cooper. (First published 1892, The Aldine Printing House: Xenia, Ohio).

My process for found poems involves the discovery and repurpose of words and phrases connecting with my sense of word play. As a result, the musing of a surreal sighting emerges from the blackout of original text as the found poem “Curious,” the phrase ‘laws of radiation’ emerged from text to title as the found poem “laws of radiation,” and a message relevant to current times emerged as the found poem “Recognize.”

What is the significance of the form/genre you chose for this work?

I choose work archived within the public domain to create found poetry as a way to initiate reader interest in the original work.

What is the significance of this work to you?

What I find fascinating is the emergence of message from public domain works relevant to current times.

Sheree Shatsky calls Florida home. Her work has appeared most recently in Wraparound South, Fictive Dream,  Ghost Parachute, BLACKCACKLE at Entropy with found poetry at Heron Tree. Read more at shereeshatsky.com . Find her on Twitter @talktomememe.