STEP 12.03 Little Book of Poems
February 24th, 2012
I love composing poems on my computer as much as the next person! But today I would like to encourage (after reading this post of course!) turning the screen off. For this poem project you will want one piece of 8 ½ x 11 paper, a pair a scissors or exacto knife, ruler and some type of cutting surface.
Step 1: Fold your paper, lengthwise, in half. Crease and reopen.
Step 2: Fold in half widthwise. Crease and reopen. Now your creases have divided your paper into fourths.
Step 3: Flip your paper over so the widthwise fold becomes a peak. So, if you were laying the paper on a table it would look like a small mountain.
Step 4: Fold in the ends of the paper to the widthwise middle fold. Crease and reopen.
TA-DA! You have just made an accordion fold! You are 1/3 way to making your own, self-published one-of-a-kind little book of poems!
Step 5: On your cutting surface, cut a slit down the lengthwise crease ONLY along the middle two sections. You want to cut only the middle sections so you don’t split your paper in half. This cut will allow you to have multiple pages to write in.
Step 6: Fold in half, again, lengthwise along the original crease.
Step 7: Push the ends together so the middle section, where you made the cut, will make an X or look like a cube. This creates your pages!
Step 8: Fold over the middle section and wrap around to look like a traditional book.
Now you have options for the poem you will write!
Write a lyric story that fits into the size of your book. Put in photos or drawings. Write a poem that is circular so the beginning is the end and the end is the beginning. Use the middle hidden section to tell a secret story, or reveal a mystery from the poem on the pages.
This is a good exercise to think about form influencing content. How does the look of your book inform the meaning of your poem? Check out Creating Handmade Books by Alisa Golden for more detailed instructions and other book forms!
<3 Sheila M

