Writing Courses & Workshops Online & in London
Be inspired to write, and learn how to get published at the college where Andrea Levy, Malorie Blackman, Anna Burns, and other celebrated authors studied. Read our success stories to see what's possible for you as a writer.
Learn from published authors
Whether you're just starting out or ready to publish your first book, the benefits of our writing courses include expert tuition from a published author and feedback on your work as you develop your writing skills. There will also be opportunities to participate in group discussions and activities with fellow students.
Unheard Voices Scholarship
City Lit’s Malorie Blackman Scholarships for 'Unheard Voices' provide three annual awards to fund one year’s study within the Creative Writing department at City Lit. Learn more >
See what it's like be part a City Lit online creative writing course.
- Streets of Horror, Streets of Hope: The East End, 1888Course start date: Tue 8 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Sarah WiseBecause of the ‘Jack the Ripper’ killings, the late-Victorian East End can be read as a cityscape of poverty and fear. But there is another Whitechapel – a magnet for a variety of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds who sought to grapple with the problems of the modern city and to create a better life.
Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - Lunchtime lecture: Louise Bourgeois, the abject and the eroticCourse start date: Wed 9 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayAn introduction to the art of Louise Bourgeois, its feminism, both erotic and abject. We explore Bourgeois as a sculptor, printmaker and performance artist, looking at how she was influenced by psychology and biography.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £7.00 - Pilates: Friday chill out
Course start date: Fri 11 Jul 2025 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Monica WillettLearn Pilates exercises to improve your health. The course is taught at a gentle and enjoyable pace and covers basic moves to improve core strength, balance and posture. Suitable for all, including complete beginners.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £83.00 - Chinese: The meaning of charactersCourse start date: Sat 12 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Joyce LeeCome and explore the essence of Chinese characters and their profound significance in this enlightening lively online workshop. Unlock the hidden meanings behind strokes and symbols, tracing the cultural, historical, and philosophical depths they hold.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £29.00 - Late Victorian Soho: From Sex and Shopping to Police & Radical PoliticsCourse start date: Tue 15 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Sarah WiseThe West End was a heady mix of glamorous shopping emporia, political refugees from Europe, street-based and brothel-based prostitution, and the general public just enjoying a day or evening ‘Up West’. Join Dr. Sarah Wise to learn more on this 2 hour guided walk of Soho.
Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - The art of Chinese gardens: nature and philosophyCourse start date: Wed 16 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Online
In early modern China, gardens were more than places of retreat, they functioned as major social, cultural and economic sites. In our time of ecological crisis, gardens play a crucial role in mitigating pollution. This course will examine how the intersections of art, architecture, philosophy and sensory experience of Chinese gardens show continuity and change from the early modern period to the present day.
Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - Music, sound, and the moving image Course start date: Thu 17 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Neil LuckThis course explores key ideas about music for the screen, covering a broad range of examples, techniques, and ideas.Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £62.00 - Craft focus: how to edit your non-fiction Course start date: Sat 19 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Andrew KenrickOnce your manuscript is on the page, the editing process begins. Where do you start and what skills do you need? This course guides learners through the editing of a non-fiction manuscript, exploring approaches to making line edits, improving structure and more.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £60.00 - Spanish 4/5: El Quijote desde el siglo XXI: el primer libro de carreteraCourse start date: Mon 21 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Óscar Salgado SuárezEn este curso vamos a conocer algunas de las obras más importantes de Cervantes así como leer y analizar extractos de su obra más famosa “Don Quijote de la Mancha”. Ideal para estudiantes con nivel avanzado de español (si has estudiado al menos durante 4/5 años).Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - French 4: à lire sur la plageCourse start date: Mon 21 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Pierre PorcheronVous aimez lire en francais et vous voulez découvrir des romans légers à lire en vacances. Venez les découvrir dans ce cours animé et interactif. C'est aussi une excellente introduction si vous ne lisez pas déjà de romans français. - How to get published Course start date: Mon 21 Jul 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Neil ArkseySo you've finished your manuscript. What's next? This short course provides guidance in submitting novels and non-fiction books to agents and publishers, and helps you to tailor your work to maximise its potential in the marketplace.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £109.00 Concession £55.00 - Herodotus and the problem of history before his own timeCourse start date: Mon 21 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sean GabbEnhance your understanding of the Greek language by translating passages taken from the Histories by Herodotus. Suitable for advanced students.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £64.00 - Brush up your advanced LatinCourse start date: Tue 22 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Judith RiceBrush up your advanced Latin by translating a selection from Juvenal's Satires.
- Great composers: Louise Farrenc Course start date: Thu 24 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Trish ShawDiscover the musical life and work of Louise Farrenc (1804–1875), the celebrated French pianist, composer, teacher and scholar. Learn about her delightful chamber music, her important piano etudes, and her impact on French music and culture in the 19th century.Full fee £39.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £39.00 - Sketching at the museum: National Gallery Course start date: Thu 24 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Diane MartinExplore the pleasure and challenge of sketchbooks: learn and improve your drawing skills and ‘ways of seeing’ and understanding by working from some of the iconic paintings in the National Gallery.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £79.00
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