Hyperlink Poetry

The text of poetry is the star. Sometimes it is graced with visual imagery alongside it to enhance the message being conveyed; however the imagery can tend to overtake its supporting role. Have you ever wondered how you could find a balance that maintained the focus of the text but simultaneously incorporated additional imagery and audio? Consider using hyperlinks. These common clickable breadcrumbs of the Internet allow readers to navigate the world wide web in search of finding out more about something that interests us. When added throughout your poem, they can do the same for your readers by allowing them to click and access the depth of your message.

EXAMPLE
This example was created by a 6-year-old. She used hyperlinks in Google Documents to link selected words to copyright free images found online at Wikimedia.

TRY IT FOR YOURSELF

1. Type poem in a new Google Doc (or word processing program like Microsoft Word).
2. For each keyword and/or phrase in your poem that you want linked, do the following steps:
   • Locate an online image for the word and/or phrase (i.e. Wikimedia Commons, Advanced Google Image Search for images identified as copyright free, or upload your own images to Flickr).
   • Copy the URL of the online image.
   • Highlight the word or phrase you want linked in your poem.
   • Select “Insert” -> “Link.”
   • Paste the URL in the box and click “Apply.”
3. Save the Google Doc and share the link via email or posting to social media.

OTHER TOOLS TO TRY
Try TACKK, which is a free webpage creator. With a simple click you can change colors, fonts, and add links to media.
Here is the same example created in TACKK.