Visual poetry has been around since man first figured out how to paint pictures. One could even argue that the paintings on the cave walls done by early man, are indeed forms of visual poetry. You could even say that shape poems are a form of visual poetry. An early example of the shape poem can be found in George Herbert's "The Altar." [link]

Alan Prohm makes the argument that the Mallarmé could be said to have started the visual poetry that is alive today. "In the case of Mallarmé, for example, whose Un coup de dés jamais n'abolira le hasard (A Throw of the Dice Will Never Abolish Chance) (1897) represents the true beginning of visual poetry as a sustained and self-aware practice" ([link]) Here is a link to this poem: [link]

The newest copy of Rattle ([link]) on newstands now, called for submissions of visual poetry. The issue is very nice and shows a large difference in the types of visual poetry available. I have searched DA for examples of these poems, and they are featured below.

Before I get to these features, I'd like to answer th question of what, exactly, visual poetry is. ^StJoan said, that for deviant art, visual poetry is pretty much something written with graphics that add to the meaning of the poem. If it is simply an image behind the poem, it is not considered visual poetry, but should be placed in the category Prints for Literature.

For literature it's the most unique category as it's the only one that accepts image files. But what is visual poetry? The short answer is a piece of poetry matched with a visual image, but this can't be any image or a simple back drop.

True visual poetry requires a marriage of typographical and graphic design, as well as a piece of literature that is codependent on its image. In true visual poetry, neither the image nor the poem should be able to stand alone without losing a quality that defines the piece.

Simple backdrops with poetry written on them do not belong in this category. But there is a place for these pieces, you may submit them to Literature prints under Contest & Projects --> Events --> Projects & Clubs --> Literature as Prints. This cat is ONLY for regular poetry accompanied by a plain or nonessential backdrop and must have the print enabled. True Visual Poetry can have prints enabled without being under literature prints.

This category is confusing for a lot of deviants, as you can tell if you browse the category. In this category you can find poetry without any type of graphic (unprintable by DA), drawings, music, and photographs mixed with actual visual poetry. Very few of the items in the category are as ^StJoan described. According to this description, then I have miscategorized at least one of my own deviations. Also, it should be noted that if you want to browse this category, it can be found as follows: Community Projects > Events > Projects & Clubs > Literature As Prints.

A lot of visual poets feel that there is an underlying bias against visual poetry. One said to me, "Dawn - I can feel a non-verbal bias against Visual Poetry or ones with an image, I don't know if it is because they don't understand it...or they think it distracts from the meaning of the text." I think it should be said that visual poets spend just as much time on their work as other artists and writers do. Some create their own images, some use images found in the stock gallery that go with their work. Some use images to show the poem, in some cases, the image is the poem. Do not degrade another person's style or works because it is not something you would do. There are a lot of things I've favorited that I do not or would not do, but I favorited them because I could see the time, the love, and the skill that went into the making of it.

Types of Visual Poetry
found on deviantART

Found Poems: A found poem is a poem that is literally found in the writing of something else. It can be found anywhere: Street signs, newspapers, book pages, or magazines. I believe that credit should always be given to the source of the found poem, as well as to the "finder." Here are a few examples:


This one is in scraps, but it is, indeed, a found visual poem.


found from the page of a book


found via "Magnetic Poetry" pieces.


found in magazines


found in a recycle bin in the computer lab

It is funny, how many of these found poems were projects given at schools. There are poets whose only work is via found poetry and watercolor.

Poetry with drawing: These are poems written and then painted and/or drawn around.



Shape Poems: Poems whose words form a shape.




Poetry with Graphics: does this really need a description?




These are just a few of the visual poems that can be found on deviantART, and I suggest you take a stroll though the visual poetry category. There were many I wanted to put here, but I didn't want to overdo it. Also, I failed to include visual poems that were in another language. There are several very cool looking visual poems in other languages. Since I can not read them, however, I didn't include them. I apologize to those artists for their exclusion. I also tried not to include works of my friends, and instead chose works of people I've never watched. However, I do believe one or two snuck their way onto this article.

Remember,there are many types of visual poetry, and not all of them can be liked by everyone. Take the time to appreciate the work that goes into each piece, and leave your discriminatory remarks at the door. Comment on the poem, or comment on the image. If you find misspellings, errors, or have critique for the artist, find out if they want it first. Note them with your suggestions and try to remember that visual artists are artists too.