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 >
- Advanced figure and portraitCourse start date: Fri 10 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Paul Dixon, Desmond Haughton, Amy-Rose Holland, Brian Sayers, Benjamin Senior, Andrea VoiseyRepresentation of the human form offers inexhaustible potential for expression and for the communication of ideas. This is an exciting advanced course for those with experience of working with the figure and/or portrait who would like the challenge of exploring new perspectives on the figurative tradition through drawing, painting and and a range of contemporary and mixed media.Full fee £2,899.00 Senior fee £2,319.00 Concession £2,029.00 - Introduction to using a SketchbookCourse start date: Fri 10 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
A sketchbook is a great place to try things out, make mistakes and take risks - all in the nature of experimentation. An introduction to exploring creative mixed-media, drawing and mark-making techniques with confidence which can build personal ideas for further development.
Suitable for beginners as well as those with some previous drawing experience who would like to start using a sketchbook.Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Develop your confidence in writing: grammar, punctuation, expression (level 1-2)Course start date: Fri 2 May 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Would you like to be more confident in the way you write whether emails or reports at work or messages to friends? Do you want to work on how you form sentences, understand grammar and use punctuation so your writing is more creative? Do you want to learn how to create meaning in your writing?. This course will help you be more secure in your professional, academic or creative writing skills and help you improve some of your weak areas around forming and punctuating sentences with appropriate grammatical form. You will develop your confidence in the most essential areas of writing including different sentence structures, writing paragraphs, using punctuation effectively, using active and passive voices and proofreading.
You need to do a pre-course assessment. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / 020 8078 0489 for a face-to-face assessment or click the Start Assessment button on this page. Log on with your email address (not name).
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £90.00 - Spanish 4/5 historia del arte español: module 2Course start date: Fri 17 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Anna Riera MoraVen a descubrir la Historia del arte español a traves de las galerias de arte de Londres en este segundo módulo que explorará los périodos artísticos del Romanticismo al expresionismo abstracto durante 6 sesiones y una visita final a la Tate Modern Gallery.
Ideal para estudiantes de nivel 4 o 5, o que han estudiado español por 5 años (los participantes deben tener las habilidades necesarias para debatir activamente en clase usando el español).
No es necesario tener conocimientos previos de historia del arte. Durante el curso estudiaremos tambien el vocabulario necesario para entender articulos sobre arte y para valorar obras de arte.Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - Introduction to beaded jewelleryCourse start date: Fri 17 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Beverley SellFancy trying your hand at beaded jewellery making? Learn how to work with beads, wire, thread and findings to create beautiful beaded necklaces, bracelets, earrings and tiara designs. Join our introductory course for all levels to discover where to find the best beads, how to knot with thread, manipulate and twist wire and learn how to finish your work using clasps.
- History, memory and mental wealth: why we need to talk about empireCourse start date: Fri 17 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Martin JorgensenFormally, European imperialism ended decades ago. Yet, the different legacies still affect the world and many societies today. Join us for a discussion on why we need to talk about empire and mental wealth.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - Lipreading teacher training courseCourse start date: Fri 17 Oct 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Blended (learn both online and in-person)
Tutors: Anita ThorntonPart-time 19 days spread over 10 lecture blocks
This course will be a mixed delivery mode. Students will attend City Lit, Covent Garden, London for some of the teaching blocks and access some of the blocks online.
You will attend lecture and teaching practice blocks on the following dates.
2025: 17 and 18 October, 14 and 15 November, 12 and 13 December,
2026: 9 and 10 January, 6 and 7 February, 20 and 21 March,
17 18 April, 8 May, 15 and 16 May, 12 and 13 June
If combined with a teaching qualification such as our GT105 Award in Education and Training, this will qualify you to teach Lipreading in the Further Education sector.
You cannot enrol online for this course. Please contact us at lipreading@citylit.ac.uk to request an application form.Full fee £2,699.00 Senior fee £2,699.00 Concession £2,699.00 - Italian intermediate book clubCourse start date: Fri 17 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Silvana VistolaThis course is for intermediate and lower intermediate learners of Italian (Italian 2 Upper and Italian 3 lower, or learners in their third or fourth year of studying Italian) who would like to improve their reading skills and learn new grammar and vocabulary through reading and discussing works of Italian fiction and/or non-fiction. The texts chosen may be in the form of easy readers to facilitate understanding. The chosen texts will be written in Italian, and discussions will be in Italian, though some English may be permitted, so learners will be able to stretch themselves and feel more confident about expressing their opinion and asking questions in class.Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £90.00 - Some like it Indie: How the Independents Revoultionised Postwar HollywoodCourse start date: Fri 17 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
What do The Apartment, The Great Escape, West Side Story, In the Heat of the Night, The Pink Panther, The Magnificent Seven, Fiddler on the Roof and Some Like it Hot have in common? They were all produced by one small production company, run by three brothers, as the studio system was replaced by the new independent producers. Most Hollywood history fetishizes the 1970s as the decade in which the movies finally came of age. But this course looks back to the late ‘50s and ‘60s and zooms in on a single independent production company, the Mirisch Company, to understand the seismic shift that transformed Hollywood – not only in how films were produced but also in terms of the subjects and styles of the films themselves.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £142.00 - Spanish 3: one season, one painting, one music: otoñoCourse start date: Fri 24 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Anna Riera MoraEn estos talleres dedicados a las cuatro estaciones vamos a activar nuestros sentidos: vista, oido, olfato y gusto. Ven a practicar tu español mientras intercambiamos las sugestiones, impresiones y sentimientos que nos evoca una musica, un color o una pintura.
Ideal for students who have done 3 or 4 years of Spanish, and are looking to practise more talking and listening skills, as well as develop their knowledge of art.Full fee £39.00 Senior fee £31.00 Concession £25.00 - Italian multicultural literature: letteratura senza confiniCourse start date: Fri 24 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Veronica De FeliceItaly is increasingly becoming a more multi-cultural country, and this diversity is beginning to be reflected in its literature. This short course will introduce you to some of the most interesting and exciting writers from this new wave of diversity.Full fee £39.00 Senior fee £31.00 Concession £25.00 - Scanning photography negatives, transparencies and printsCourse start date: Fri 24 Oct 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Dominic HarrisDo you have boxes of old prints, negatives or transparencies gathering dust that you'd love to have digitised? Learn how to get your archive onto your computer using different methods from flatbed and film scanners to a digital camera.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £129.00 - Children's book illustration studioCourse start date: Fri 24 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tim EllisCity Lit Studios provide time each week for you to commit to working on a personal project or portfolio, alongside your peers. A tutor will be on-hand to provide insights and guidance, as and when you need it.
Studios are for experienced learners with a burgeoning creative practice they wish to hone, in a supportive environment. For example, those who have completed a Beginners and Developing course in a relevant subject, or have equivalent industry experience. - Teaching methods for BSL teachers workshopCourse start date: Fri 24 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Richard CarterAre you a BSL teacher? Would you like to improve or learn new ways to teach BSL in your class? Richard Carter comes highly recommended - he will teach you how to find the best way for your students to learn BSL. This will help you to become confident and motivate your teaching.
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