Write poetry and perform it, finding your own style and delivery under the guidance of a spoken word artist. Explore the differences between performance and other forms of poetry.
Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
The course is about exploring and discovering performance poetry, also known as the spoken word.
Students say: The tutor is enthusiastic, personable and good at what they do; enjoyable and challenging; inspiring and entertaining; great fun - I learned lots and would do this again.
What will we cover?
- The spoken word and how it differs from the written word. - How the spoken word works. - Conventions of the spoken word. - How to use the rules and conventions and how to break them. - Finding your own style/delivery.
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Write a spoken word piece. - Perform your pieces in front of an audience. - Be critical and accept feedback.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
The course is for those new to performance poetry/spoken word, with or without previous poetry experience.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Activities, visual and audio aids, writing, discussion.
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Writing materials.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
City Lit offer a range of poetry courses at a range of levels. Browse the writing section of the website to find the perfect course for you.
All students are invited to join us at Late Lines, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to Between the Lines, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on Facebook and Twitter.
Toby Campion is an award winning poet and playwright. Winner of the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2024 and shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem 2024, Toby is a former UK National Poetry Slam winner and World Poetry Slam finalist. His debut short collection, Through your blood, was Highly Commended in the Forward Prizes 2018 and his poems have been published widely, most recently in The Rialto, bath magg, And Other Poems, Aesthetica and The London Magazine. Toby is the founder of the National Poetry Collectives Showcase and the Director of UniSlam. He teaches the London-based queer creative writing group, verse, and has taught for organisations including Roundhouse, Financial Times, National Trust and The Poetry Society.
Megan BeechSee moreSee less
Dr Megan Beech is a literature scholar and performance poet. She was the winner of the Poetry Society’s SLAMbassadors national youth slam in 2011. She has performed at venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Parliament, the Southbank Centre, Glastonbury Festival and Cheltenham Literature Festival. Her debut collection 'When I Grow Up I Want to be Mary Beard' was published in 2013, and her latest book 'You Sad Feminist' was released in 2017. Her poetry has featured on the Sky One's 'Russell Howard Hour' and the BBC iPlayer series ‘Women Who Spit'. She was featured in The Guardian lists of ‘inspiring young feminists in 2014’ and ‘Must Read Books of the Year 2014’ and Evening Standard's list of 'Ten 21st Century feminist icons'. She has recently finished a PhD at the University of Cambridge.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
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https://www.citylit.ac.uk/performance-poetry-getting-started1472014Performance poetry: getting startedhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/p/e/performance_poetry-square_9_1.jpg7979GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Writing/Poetry/Poetry/Courses/Writing/Courses/Writing/Poetry228515901358113602122851358113602Write poetry and perform it, finding your own style and delivery under the guidance of a spoken word artist. Explore the differences between performance and other forms of poetry.002694048Performance poetry: getting started7979https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/p/e/performance_poetry-square_9_1_2.jpgInStockDaytimeSatKeeley StreetAvailable coursesOne-off onlyWeekend2026-06-06T00:00:00+00:00Beginners, Some experienceJun 2026WritingHW3247979Performance poetry: getting started794079Toby Campionperformance-poetry-getting-started/hw324-2526Write poetry and perform it, finding your own style and delivery under the guidance of a spoken word artist. Explore the differences between performance and other forms of poetry.0000-Available|2026-06-06 00:00:00The course is about exploring and discovering performance poetry, also known as the spoken word.<br/><br/><b>Students say:</b> The tutor is enthusiastic, personable and good at what they do; enjoyable and challenging; inspiring and entertaining; great fun - I learned lots and would do this again.Write poetry and perform it, finding your own style and delivery under the guidance of a spoken word artist. Explore the differences between performance and other forms of poetry.- The spoken word and how it differs from the written word.<br/>- How the spoken word works.<br/>- Conventions of the spoken word.<br/>- How to use the rules and conventions and how to break them.<br/>- Finding your own style/delivery.- Write a spoken word piece.<br/>- Perform your pieces in front of an audience.<br/>- Be critical and accept feedback.The course is for those new to performance poetry/spoken word, with or without previous poetry experience.Activities, visual and audio aids, writing, discussion. <br />
<br />
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our <a href=" https://www.citylit.ac.uk/expectations-for-participating-in-writing-courses" target="_blank">expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit</a>.Writing materials.City Lit offer a range of poetry courses at a range of levels. Browse the writing section of the website to find the perfect course for you.<br/><br/>All students are invited to join us at <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/latelines">Late Lines</a>, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/betweenthelines">Between the Lines</a>, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/citylitcreativewriting">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.twitter.com/citylitwriting">Twitter</a>.PoetryPoetryvirtual3035962Performance poetry: getting started7979https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/p/e/performance_poetry-square_9_1_3.jpgInStockDaytimeSatKeeley StreetAvailable coursesOne-off onlyWeekend2027-02-13T00:00:00+00:00Beginners, Some experienceFeb 2027WritingHW1437979Performance poetry: getting started795179Megan Beechperformance-poetry-getting-started/hw143-2627Write poetry and perform it, finding your own style and delivery under the guidance of a spoken word artist. Explore the differences between performance and other forms of poetry.0000-Available|2027-02-13 00:00:00The course is about exploring and discovering performance poetry, also known as spoken word poetry.<br><br><b>Students say:</b> "The tutor is enthusiastic, personable and good at what they do"; "enjoyable and challenging"; "inspiring and entertaining"; "great fun - I learned lots and would do this again.".Write poetry and perform it, finding your own style and delivery under the guidance of a spoken word artist. Explore the differences between performance and other forms of poetry.- The spoken word and how it differs from the written word<br>- How the spoken word works<br>- Conventions of the spoken word<br>- How to use the rules and conventions and how to break them<br>- Finding your own style/delivery.- Write a spoken word piece<br>- Perform your pieces in front of an audience<br>- Be critical and accept feedback.The course is for those new to performance poetry/spoken word, with or without previous poetry experience.Activities, visual and audio aids, writing, discussion. <br />
<br />
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our <a href=" https://www.citylit.ac.uk/expectations-for-participating-in-writing-courses" target="_blank">expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit</a>.Writing materials.<p>City Lit offer <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/writing/poetry-writing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a range of poetry courses at a range of levels</a>.<br><br>All students are invited to join us at <a href=" https://www.citylit.ac.uk/latelines" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Late Lines</a>, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/betweenthelines" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Between the Lines</a>, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/citylitcreativewriting" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/citylitwriting.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bluesky</a>.</p>PoetryPoetryvirtual797940,51HW324,HW143NONESat06/06/2610:30 - 16:3010:3016:301 session1One-off onlyDaytimeWeekendKSKeeley StreetToby Campion,Megan BeechBeginners, Some experienceAvailable courses2026-06-06T00:00:00+00:00,2027-02-13T00:00:00+00:00Jun 2026,Feb 2027Writing7979Performance poetry: getting startedperformance-poetry-getting-started/hw324-2526,performance-poetry-getting-started/hw143-2627Write poetry and perform it, finding your own style and delivery under the guidance of a spoken word artist. Explore the differences between performance and other forms of poetry.0000-Available|2026-06-06 00:00:00The course is about exploring and discovering performance poetry, also known as the spoken word.<br/><br/><b>Students say:</b> The tutor is enthusiastic, personable and good at what they do; enjoyable and challenging; inspiring and entertaining; great fun - I learned lots and would do this again.,The course is about exploring and discovering performance poetry, also known as spoken word poetry.<br><br><b>Students say:</b> "The tutor is enthusiastic, personable and good at what they do"; "enjoyable and challenging"; "inspiring and entertaining"; "great fun - I learned lots and would do this again.".Write poetry and perform it, finding your own style and delivery under the guidance of a spoken word artist. Explore the differences between performance and other forms of poetry.- The spoken word and how it differs from the written word.<br/>- How the spoken word works.<br/>- Conventions of the spoken word.<br/>- How to use the rules and conventions and how to break them.<br/>- Finding your own style/delivery.,- The spoken word and how it differs from the written word<br>- How the spoken word works<br>- Conventions of the spoken word<br>- How to use the rules and conventions and how to break them<br>- Finding your own style/delivery.- Write a spoken word piece.<br/>- Perform your pieces in front of an audience.<br/>- Be critical and accept feedback.,- Write a spoken word piece<br>- Perform your pieces in front of an audience<br>- Be critical and accept feedback.The course is for those new to performance poetry/spoken word, with or without previous poetry experience.Activities, visual and audio aids, writing, discussion. <br />
<br />
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our <a href=" https://www.citylit.ac.uk/expectations-for-participating-in-writing-courses" target="_blank">expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit</a>.Writing materials.City Lit offer a range of poetry courses at a range of levels. Browse the writing section of the website to find the perfect course for you.<br/><br/>All students are invited to join us at <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/latelines">Late Lines</a>, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/betweenthelines">Between the Lines</a>, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/citylitcreativewriting">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.twitter.com/citylitwriting">Twitter</a>.,<p>City Lit offer <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/writing/poetry-writing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a range of poetry courses at a range of levels</a>.<br><br>All students are invited to join us at <a href=" https://www.citylit.ac.uk/latelines" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Late Lines</a>, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/betweenthelines" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Between the Lines</a>, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/citylitcreativewriting" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/citylitwriting.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bluesky</a>.</p>PoetryPoetryconfigurable
