Explore History, Culture & Writing
Explore our extraordinary range of History, Culture and Writing courses and lectures. We offer both introductory and specialist in-depth courses to suit all levels of interest and experience, from ‘How to read a film’ and World literature, to Creative non-fiction writing courses and American history and Politics courses.
Our tutors are experts in their fields and experienced educators; many have published, teach in universities or share their expertise in the media. Tutors share their knowledge and passion through presentations, readings, interactive discussion and exercises, analysis, and other activities.
Many students return to take more courses, telling us they enjoy being part of our City Lit Learning community.
Our popular courses often sell out quickly, so we invite you to browse and book your place now.
- Writing flash fiction: a tasterCourse start date: Sat 28 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Lucy PopescuFlash fiction is the art of telling small stories that make a big impact. Learn how to harness the power of economy in this practical short course. Suitable for those with some experience of creative writing.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00 - Writing protest poetryCourse start date: Sat 4 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Megan BeechIn these times of great political upheaval, protest poetry has never been so important.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00 - The art of writing the personal essayCourse start date: Sat 11 Feb 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Yvonne SinghFollow in the footsteps of Dorothy Parker, George Orwell and Zadie Smith with this taster course on the personal essay, a continuously thriving genre of autobiographical writing.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00 - Picture book writingCourse start date: Sun 22 Jan 2023 (and 6 other dates)
Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
Tutors: Lou KuenzlerWould you like to write a picture book text for young children? This course is designed for children's writers and for illustrators wishing to write their own stories; a starter course to develop both your ideas and your technique.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £65.00 - 'Furious Giants Looming over Europe': World War 1 In continental poetryCourse start date: Sat 18 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Peter BrennanHow did poets in continental Europe respond to the unprecedented events of World War I? Representing four countries, this innovatory online course examines the powerful, distinctive work of Guillaume Apollinaire, Anna Akhmatova, Giuseppe Ungaretti, and Georg Trakl.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Writing the familyCourse start date: Sat 18 Feb 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Nick BarlayA thought-provoking workshop designed to tackle the challenges of writing about family life and offer guidance on shaping personal stories into coherent, engaging narratives.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00 - Writing and rewriting fairytalesCourse start date: Sat 4 Mar 2023 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Mary VictoriaOnce upon a time there was a City Lit workshop all about writing fairytales. The quest: to inspire writers to pen stories of love, fear, forests, revenge, dragons, witches, kings, queens, frogs and magic.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00 - Submitting your short stories to magazinesCourse start date: Sat 4 Mar 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Jonathan BarnesThis is a fast-track course to help you hone and prepare your short stories for submission to magazines and publishers.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00 - Writing environmental essays and featuresCourse start date: Sat 11 Mar 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Laura SilvermanLearn what makes environmental writing sing and how to write an article or blog post, from research to editing.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00 - Self-publishing: a tasterCourse start date: Sun 19 Mar 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Helen CoxWant to keep full creative control of your writing project? Learn more about self-publishing and how to give your book (poetry, fiction or non-fiction) the best chance of achieving high sales.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00 - Write your screenplay: from idea to first draftCourse start date: Sat 25 Mar 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Clive FordA good screenplay starts with a good story but it also needs structure, good characters and interesting twists. This is a course for writers who have an idea they think is ready to go. We’ll look at the best ways to grab the viewers’ attention from the off, and at the end of the course you’ll get a chance to pitch your ideas.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00 - Ways into playwriting: a tasterCourse start date: Sat 8 Apr 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Nicole AcquahExplore the fundamental techniques of writing for the stage in this introductory online course. Get to grips with dialogue, character, story and structure, and start work on your own play.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00 - The art of the dissertationCourse start date: Sat 28 Jan 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anne WilsonAre you approaching your dissertation year at undergraduate level? In this workshop, you will receive expert guidance on how to structure and write your dissertation project to a high academic standard.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00 - How to get an agentCourse start date: Sat 20 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Neil ArkseyThis workshop, designed for authors who have finished their manuscript, offers practical advice on finding and approaching a literary agent.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00 - 'The Freedom of our Crimes': the poetry of World War 2 across EuropeCourse start date: Sat 20 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Peter BrennanReading and considering responses to the war from poets representing several combatant nations, we shall discover just how impressive and various were their evocations of this terrible and many-faceted conflict.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
Can't see a course you want?
Add this category to your waiting list to set up alerts and we will update you when new courses are released online.
Add me to waiting list