History, culture & writing

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.

Courses available both in-person and online

We offer a range of courses allowing you to choose between online and in-person learning. All our courses are live, interactive, and taught by expert tutors. No matter how you prefer to learn, we've got the class for you. See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.

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  1. Developing your novel
    Course start date:  Mon 9 Jan 2023 (and 4 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street (other locations are available)

    Tutors:  Jonathan Barnes
    Have you started work on your novel? This course is suitable for experienced creative writers who want to make progress with a novel draft. Learn more about the art of novel writing and move your project forward in a supportive workshop environment.
    Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £209.00 Concession £105.00
    Rating:
    91% of 100
  2. Advanced fiction writing workshop
    Last Few Places, Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 10 Jan 2023 (and 3 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street (other locations are available)

    Tutors:  Sarah Leipciger
    For experienced writers, this supportive but rigorous workshop offers the perfect opportunity to develop your novel or short story. Receive in-depth feedback and benefit from detailed group discussions on the art of fiction.
    Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £219.00 Concession £110.00
    Rating:
    93% of 100
  3. Advanced poetry workshop
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 10 Jan 2023 (and 3 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Ellen Cranitch
    Develop your poetry, taking it in new directions and maturing your poetic voice. Various approaches and techniques will be explored, and new poetry can be workshopped. For experienced poets only.
    Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £219.00 Concession £110.00
  4. The 60 minute writer
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 10 Jan 2023 (and 7 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online (other locations are available)

    Tutors:  Tasha Kavanagh
    Fit creative writing into your busy day: a relaxed, informal rolling programme for writers of all levels of experience who enjoy being thrown new ideas and experimenting with poetry and prose.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £50.00
    Rating:
    96% of 100
  5. Advanced playwriting
    Evening, ONLINE
    Course start date:  Tue 10 Jan 2023 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Brian Mullin
    Dive deeper into the key elements of writing for the theatre, gain fresh critical insight into your own writing, and produce a new draft of your work. This course is designed for experienced playwrights who have work in-progress.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £219.00 Concession £110.00
  6. Art history taster
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 27 Mar 2023 (and 2 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online (other locations are available)

    Tutors:  Sarah Jaffray
    Curious about art history? Join us for this taster session where we explore different ways into visual art and its histories, from the ancient to the contemporary.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00
    Rating:
    98% of 100
  7. How to Read a Film: A Beginners' Guide to Cinema
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 21 Feb 2023 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Online (other locations are available)

    Tutors:  Paul Sutton
    This course will develop your critical appreciation of the cinema by teaching you how to read and understand film texts. We will look at the elements that underpin film form – narrative, mise en scène, cinematography, editing and sound – alongside its historical development. We will consider film style by exploring classical, post-classical and art cinema and we will examine influential critical modes of analysis, such as genre, authorship and spectatorship.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £90.00
    Rating:
    87% of 100
  8. How to get published
    Evening, ONLINE
    Course start date:  Tue 14 Feb 2023 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Neil Arksey
    So you've finished your novel. What's next? This short course provides guidance in submitting to agents and publishers, and helps you to tailor your work to maximise its potential in the marketplace.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £50.00
    Rating:
    90% of 100
  9. A history of London: 1880-1914
    Course start date:  Tue 25 Apr 2023

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Mike Berlin
    London - capital of empire - was a city of contrasts. Great wealth and poverty led to fine buildings and slums while a rising standard of living for many impacted little on those in need.
    Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £110.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  10. Writing Modern Britain: 1990-2020
    Course start date:  Tue 25 Apr 2023

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Julian Birkett
    British society is changing in profound, exciting, and sometimes unsettling ways - and a new generation of writers have been exploring, dramatizing and reflecting on it, focusing on shifts in power, money, race, sex and the coming of globalisation. We’ll be reading novels and stories by some of the best of these writers, including Hanif Kureishi, Kamila Shamsie, Zadie Smith and others.
    Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £142.00

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