The Cinco Ranch branch of the Fort Bend County Library System will host three unique events in April – a “blackout poetry workshop for teens, a “plant swap” and a program on modern architecture.

In celebration of National Poetry Month in April, Fort Bend County Libraries’ Cinco Ranch Branch Library will have a Blackout-Poetry Workshop for Teens on Monday, April 8, from 4 to 5 p.m, in the Conference Classroom of the library, located at 2620 Commercial Center Blvd in Katy.

Blackout poems can be created using the pages of old books, magazines, or even articles cut from yesterday’s newspaper. Using the pages of an existing text and a Sharpie® marker, blackout poets isolate single words or short phrases by completely blacking out unneeded words, leaving the selected words to create lyrical masterpieces.

Since the words for blackout poems are already written on the page, it’s up to the blackout poet to bring new meaning and life to these words. Blackout poems can run the gamut from absurd to sublime because the poet can only work with the words that are already there on the page, but the randomness is all part of the fun. A poem may live within the words and lines of any page, just waiting for a poet to discover it.

This Young Adult program is for teens in grades 9 through 12.

The workshop is free and open to the public. For more information, see the Fort Bend County Libraries website (www.fortbend.lib.tx.us), or call the Cinco Ranch Branch Library (281-395-1311) or the library system’s Communications Office (281-633-4734).

In recognition of National Gardening Month, Fort Bend County Libraries’ Cinco Ranch Branch Library will have a “Plant One on Me” Plant Swap on Saturday, April 13, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon, in the Multipurpose Room of the library, located at 2620 Commercial Center Blvd in Katy.

Gardeners are encouraged to bring any whole plants, seeds, or bare-root cuttings/clippings that they would like to swap with others. Be prepared to chat, trade, and learn about new and different plants. No plants for sale – just trade.

This is an excellent way for plant owners to gather and swap plants and to learn about different varieties from other gardeners.

Plants brought to the event must be pest-free.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, see Fort Bend County Libraries’ website (www.fortbend.lib.tx.us) or call the Cinco Ranch Branch Library (281-395-1311).

Fort Bend County Libraries’ Cinco Ranch Branch Library will present a program on “Modern Architecture” on Saturday, April 13, from 2 to 4 p.m., in the Meeting Room of the library, located at 2620 Commercial Center Blvd in Katy.

Architecture professor Sheba Akhtar will talk about the evolution of modern architecture. Hear about the people and events that influenced changes in architectural styles and functions in present times. Discover how the Industrial Revolution launched the period of “Modernity” into 20th-century architecture.

The program is free and open to the public. For more information, see the Fort Bend County Libraries website (www.fortbend.lib.tx.us) or call the Cinco Ranch Branch Library (281-395-1311) or the library system’s Communications Office (281-633-4734).