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 long and short 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. Writing a memoir
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 29 Sep 2023 (and 4 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Julie Garton
    Some moments in our lives are so powerful they beg to be shared with the world. This course will help you plan and craft a memoir that will resonate and inspire.
    Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £70.00
  2. Short story writing
    Last Few Places, Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 27 Sep 2023 (and 8 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Alex Pickett
    A hands-on introduction to the art of writing short stories. You will receive technical advice, creative exercises to generate ideas, and feedback to develop your writing skills.



    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
    Rating:
    97% of 100
  3. The 60 minute writer
    Last Few Places
    Course start date:  Fri 29 Sep 2023 (and 9 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Claire Allen
    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 £109.00 Senior fee £109.00 Concession £55.00
    Rating:
    96% of 100
  4. Modern French literature
    Course start date:  Fri 29 Sep 2023

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Richard Niland
    Explore modern French literature in translation, discussing literary style, themes, and contexts as a way of sharing and developing responses to celebrated French writers. From Cendrars and Céline to Modiano and Ernaux, come discover poetry, prose, fiction, and autobiography by essential French authors of the past one hundred years.
    Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00
  5. Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  6. Philosophy and literature: from romanticism to existentialism
    Course start date:  Fri 29 Sep 2023

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Barrie Selwyn
    Full fee £259.00 Senior fee £207.00 Concession £168.00
  7. Reading for writers: the short story (a fortnightly course)
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 1 Oct 2023 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Annabel Banks
    The best way to write good short stories is to read a lot of good ones first. Dive into the best of short fiction, explore point-of-view, character and pacing, and begin to apply the lessons learnt to your own writing in this fortnightly course.



    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 £139.00 Concession £70.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  8. Understanding contemporary art: ideas and origins
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 2 Oct 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Christopher Collier
    Ever wondered what's going on in the mind of contemporary artists? This course explores the ideas and historical background behind some of today’s most intriguing works, from Conceptualism and Video to Body Art and Installation.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00
    Rating:
    90% of 100
  9. Nineteenth century French fiction
    Last Few Places, Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 2 Oct 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Megan Beech
    Nineteenth-century France was full of intrigue and squalor. Even a century after the upheaval of the French revolution, the country continued to grapple with issues of hierarchy, capitalism, and inevitable family dramas. In this course we’ll explore these themes through three of the most successful writers of this period: Zola, Maupassant and Flaubert.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00
  10. US history for beginners
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 3 Oct 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Dafydd Townley
    This online course offers a brief examination of, and introduction to, the political, economic, social and cultural aspects of the United States, 1608 - 2001.



    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 £64.00
  11. Writing and rewriting fairytales
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 3 Oct 2023 (and 3 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Victoria M. Adams
    Once 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
    Rating:
    98% of 100
  12. America in the 50s: culture and society
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 3 Oct 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Pauline Greene, Mark Malcomson, Dale Mineshima-Lowe, Paul Sutton, Patricia Sweeney, Ian Tucknott
    We will explore the political, social and cultural context of 1950s America through a study of representative and



    sometimes surprisingly radical literature, history and film of the period. We will also have an overview of important



    themes of the 1950s in art and music. The course has different tutors for each specialism, providing different ways



    in to understanding the decade.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £77.00
  13. A sense of place: Constable’s Hampstead
    Course start date:  Tue 3 Oct 2023

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Marilyn Greene
    Explore Georgian and Regency Hampstead walking in the footsteps of John Constable and seeing places he painted and quotes about his thoughts and feelings on Hampstead and his art.
    Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £8.00 Concession £7.00
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