Introduction to Visual Poetry with Michael Orr

What the Heck is Visual Poetry?

Basically, it includes any poetic form where visual elements dominate. Visual poetry is a style of poetry that incorporates graphic and visual design elements to convey its meaning. This style combines visual art and written expression to create new ways of presenting and interpreting poetry. Visual poetry focuses on playing with form, which means it often takes on various art styles. These styles can range from altering the structure of the words on the page to adding other kinds of media to change the poem itself. Some forms of visual poetry may retain their narrative structure, but this is not a requirement of visual poetry. Some visual poets create more abstract works that steer away from linguistic meaning and instead focus heavily on the composition of words and letters to create a visually pleasing piece. You can incorporate drawings, symbols, collage, or abstract designs…