…because it occurs to me that, in spite of its formal definition, ‘Found’ Poetry is too derogatory for some of the poetry I write. It implies a kind of laziness, of putting in no effort, of simply stealing. In the early, raw days that may have been pretty much what it was: lift and put some lipstick on the fragment you’d found.
I wondered about ‘Curated’ Poetry, as there is an element of museum-like display about the work; words – fragments – are rearranged, presented in new displays enhanced with additional elements to explain them, make them more accessible…
But then a) ‘Curated’ has already been used (no surprise) in some contexts, and b) it still sounds a little too passive.
Actually, to an extent I feel a little like an Archeologist sometimes when I’m working in this way, raking over something older, dusting off the fragments, trying to recompile history / meaning / understanding from the elements I select…
There should be a word between Curated and Archeology that better describes my version of ‘Found’ poetry. Maybe I’ll have to find one…!
Ian Gouge - Writer 