Online Poetry Writing Courses
Explore the power of language and rhythm with City Lit’s online poetry writing courses. Whether you’re new to poetry or looking to develop your craft, our expert tutors will help you find your voice and shape your ideas into powerful, expressive writing — all from the comfort of your own home.
Our courses cover a wide range of poetic forms and techniques, from free verse and traditional structures to contemporary styles and spoken word. Through live sessions, group discussion and personalised feedback, you’ll build confidence, refine your work, and connect with a community of fellow poets.
Suitable for all levels, these online courses offer a flexible, supportive space to read, write and explore poetry in its many forms. Whether you're writing for the first time or preparing a collection, you’ll be guided every step of the way.
Explore our online poetry writing courses today and discover where your words can take you.
- Ways into poetry: intensive
Course start date: Tue 5 Aug 2025 (and 5 other dates)Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Alice FrecknallAre you just starting to write poetry? This shorter version of our introductory Ways into poetry course offers an opportunity to experiment with language and a variety of poetic devices. Discover the key elements of a poem in a friendly and interactive class.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £75.00 - Create your first poetry collection Course start date: Sat 7 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
You've written and workshopped your poetry, and now you're ready to create your first collection. But where do you begin with that process? This workshop offers instruction and advice on putting together your first poetry collection.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Writing poetry: getting started Course start date: Thu 12 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Billie ManningThis short, fun workshop is the perfect starting point for students who are writing for the first time or new to the poetry path. Join us for thought-provoking writing exercises and poetry theory for beginners.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Ways into poetry: a gentle paceCourse start date: Thu 12 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Andrew WealeAre you brand new to writing poetry? Do you want to build your confidence in a supportive environment alongside other beginners in the craft? This gentle short course guides students taking their first steps on the path to becoming a poet.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £75.00 - Writing eco-poetry Course start date: Sat 28 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah WestcottHow might poets write about the natural world today, and what is an eco-poem?Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - The poem as quest: writing narrative poetry Course start date: Sat 5 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Online
From ballads to myths, learn the techniques and styles needed to write narrative poetry.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Poetry and the moving image Course start date: Sun 3 Aug 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julie IrigarayBoth film and poetry explore imagery and have the capacity to capture and expand a single moment in time. On this fun short course you will learn how write poems inspired by the world of film and cinema.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Poetry: a taster Course start date: Sat 13 Sep 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julie IrigarayThis short, fun workshop is the perfect starting point for students who are writing for the first time or new to poetry. Join us for thought-provoking writing exercises and poetry theory for beginners.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - Ways into poetryCourse start date: Wed 30 Apr 2025 (and 7 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Cecilia KnappRelatively new to writing poetry? This inspiring course offers an opportunity to experiment with language and a variety of poetic devices alongside fellow emerging poets. Discover the key elements of a poem in a friendly and interactive class.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £120.00 - Developing your poetry Course start date: Tue 29 Apr 2025 (and 5 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Christina DunhillFor those familiar with the basics of poetic form, this intermediate course explores craft and content through reading exercises, writing exercises and constructive feedback. Ideal if you have already attended 'Ways into poetry'.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £249.00 Concession £125.00 - Poetry workshop: intensive Course start date: Tue 23 Sep 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julie IrigarayWant to have your poems critiqued in a supportive environment? This intensive poetry workshop focuses on offering feedback to poets who have already written a selection of poems and are looking to push their writing further.Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £80.00 - Autobiography into poetry Course start date: Sun 5 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah WardleLearn how to translate real-life experiences into powerful poems in this stimulating course for those interested in the meeting place between autobiography and poetry.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Submitting your poetry to magazines Course start date: Wed 22 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Katherine LocktonThis short course is designed to guide students on submitting their poetry to magazines, journals and websites for publication.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - Writing the body in poetry Course start date: Sun 2 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julie IrigarayExplore the relationship between poetry and the body, and learn to be bold and innovative in writing about your own bodily experiences, in this thought-provoking workshop.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Writing women's experiences in poetry Course start date: Sat 15 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julie IrigarayThis course will look at how contemporary women poets write about their experiences of womanhood. We'll discuss their strategies and you'll be encouraged to write poems, in a supportive environment, about what being a woman means to you.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00
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