The Birth of Book Spine Poetry. Well, Book Spine Poetry is an internet meme that goes back to the work of artist Nina Katchadourian. In the early 1990’s, she took photographs of stacked book titles that, when read together, created short sentences and stories.
To support the poetry unit in the classroom, second grade students will create their own Book Spine Poetry!Poetry does not have to fit in a box. It does not have to rhyme or contain complex meter. A poem’s meaning does not have to hide. Poetry does not have to be romantic or “girly.” Most of all, anyone can be a poet!
The set up for this is straightforward. All you need is a stack of books from ….. the WOS Library!
How to Create a Book Spine Poem:
- Choose a partner.
- Together, you may select 2-6 books.
- Write your name and your partner’s name on 2-6 strips of paper.
- Using the strips of paper as your shelfmarkers, remove the books from the shelf.
- Stack the books on a table using the titles of the books to create your poem.
- Align the spines so you can easily read the poem.
- Grab an iPad. Take one fabulous photo of your “Book Spine Poetry!” Make sure you can read the poem!
- Email the photo to door57walked@photos.flickr.com You can use the subject line to give your photo a title and the body to add a description.
- Find your shelmarkers and return the books to their proper place on the shelf.
- Enjoy your “Book Spine Poetry” in the slide show below!
