Writing Courses & Workshops Online & in London

This course will introduce and discuss two novels by eminent author, Muriel Spark- Memento Mori (1959) and The Ballad of Peckham Rye (1960). Her writing wilfully upends notions of conformity and acts as a disrupter to accepted conventions. Instead, ‘Spark beckons us to encounter the stranger’ (Marilyn Reizbaum). Playfully disrupting passive readers and stretching comfort zones, Spark’s work provides a space to access unaccustomed outlooks that make us rethink our relationship with ourselves, others, and the world. Instead of unconsciously going with the flow, she awakens us to life’s stranger things.

Explore the astonishing range of poetic responses to a hundred years of warfare, acts of witnessing, endurance, defiance and condemnation by writers across the globe: Sassoon and Wilfred Owen in Britain, Brecht, Milosz, Celan, Akhmatova and Stepanova in Europe and Russia, Darwish and Zhadan in the Middle East and Ukraine, and many others. How do they describe the indescribable? High art or doggerel, what does it matter once the bombs start to fall?

Explore the story of how Indian painted and printed cottons became an important trade commodity for the Western domestic market, and the far-reaching impact of their design and manufacture.

Improve your knowledge of Italian through on this short literature course which will give you an opportunity to learn new vocabulary and practise your grammar by being exposed to authentic Italian texts. Each term learners will look at a new text and use it as a base to improve not only their reading skills but also their speaking, grammar and vocabulary.

String quartets developed new musical forms and ensured success for many composers, whilst allowing an intimate conversation with their audiences. We trace the quartets of the masters from Haydn and Mozart to Shostakovich and beyond.

Improve your understanding of the differences between English and Welsh on this practical, online translation course for Level 4/5 learners of Welsh.

Does the amount of data coming into your inbox and folders threaten to overwhelm you? Do you need to develop a system for managing information, tasks and meetings? MS Outlook and OneNote can be part of this system but for many people they feel part of the problem rather than the solution. This course will enable them to work for you not the other way round. You will focus on how to think about problems, solve them and what you are trying to achieve. You will work on developing an email routine that allows you to concentrate on tasks at hand and not be distracted by incoming messages. You will focus on how to create a folder system on Outlook and process using quick steps, rules, categories and colour-coding so you can keep a trace of emails, tasks and appointments. You will learn simple and efficient ways to schedule your work and use notes and task and the flagging system to keep track of your priorities. In addition you will focus on how you can integrate OneNote and Outlook to save you time.

This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here

Venez découvrir et écouter une grande dame de la chanson française. Quand Barbara chante, sa voix, ses émotions et sa poésie ne peuvent vous laisser indifférent. La nouvelle génération lui rend sans cesse hommage en reprenant son répertoire!

Mahama Gandhi’s messages are profound and based both on his lived experience and intellectual power. His views on truth seeking and non-violent action have inspired many, particularly in the civil rights movements. Join this one-day course to find out more about his philosophy and consider its continued relevance in the 21st century.

How do you cope with different Spanish accents? Do you find some easier to understand than others? This series of short courses will help you understand the specificities and intricacies of a variety of Spanish and South American accents, so you can spot their speakers more easily and understand them better to keep the conversation going.

This course offers an exploration of French and Francophone political cinema. We will analyse the works of influential directors such as Godard and Varda to gain insights into pivotal historical moments of the development of politically engaged cinema. Join us on an investigative journey where film serves as a lens for understanding the complex dynamics of social and political movements.

During the 1960s British cinema re-established itself as a leading producer of films, including realist dramas such as Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), and action and adventure fantasies with the highly popular James Bond films. This course explores these developments through a range of critical approaches and considers the way in which they contributed to a revitalised British cinema.