Writing poetry: getting started
Choose a starting date
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.
- Start Date: 12 Jun 2025End Date: 13 Jun 2025Thu-Fri (Evening): 19:00 - 21:30OnlineFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00
- Start Date: 07 Feb 2026End Date: 07 Feb 2026Sat (Daytime): 10:30 - 16:30In PersonFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00
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.
What is the course about?
This is a fun introductory course designed to support learners in exploring the form, language and structure of poetry.
What will we cover?
- Popular poetic forms: acrostic, concrete and free verse.
- Structuring your poem through rhyme and rhythm.
- Finding poetic stimuli.
- Alternative poetic traditions.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Develop your knowledge of poetic form and tradition.
- Develop your understanding of poetic structure.
- Write first draft poetry from the provided information and exercises.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This is an introductory course. Students will need to be able to write in fluent English.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
A mix of tutor instruction, pair work and interactive writing exercises and discussion of published texts.
All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit.
For classes longer than one day, regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines.
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?
No extra costs - bring pen and paper.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Visit Writing > Poetry on our website to browse our full range of beginners', intermediate and advanced poetry writing classes.
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.
Billie Manning is a widely published poet who has been teaching poetry courses for City Lit for more than 5 years. She is a qualified teacher and currently works as the Learning and Participation Coordinator for the Poetry Society. In her spare time, she enjoys reading poetry, writing poetry, talking about poetry, and occasionally, while falling asleep, thinking of really great lines of poetry, which in the morning turn out to be entirely ludicrous, and not in the good way.
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.