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.
- Writing for magazines
Course start date: Wed 7 May 2025 (and 6 other dates)Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Phyllis RichardsonGet inspired to write on this practical course for freelance journalists and bloggers. Learn to carry out research, interview people, pitch and publish stories, and build your presence on social media.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £75.00 - Starting your novelCourse start date: Mon 28 Apr 2025 (and 5 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sophie McKenzieGot a great idea for a novel? Jump start your project in this supportive course that covers craft basics such as character and plot. Ideal for writers of fiction with some experience who have an idea for a novel.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £120.00 - Ways into poetryCourse start date: Mon 28 Apr 2025 (and 8 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Cecilia KnappRelatively new to writing poetry? This inspiring course offers an opportunity to experiment with language and a variety of poetic devices alongside fellow emerging poets. Discover the key elements of a poem in a friendly and interactive class.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £120.00 - Ways into creative writing Course start date: Mon 28 Apr 2025 (and 20 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Claire CollisonWant to have a go at creative writing in a supportive environment? Join one of these introductory courses. Guided exercises will give you the tools to explore language creatively and find your own writing voice.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £120.00 - Cornish beginners taster Course start date: Tue 16 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Gary RetallickCome and discover Cornish in this lively online taster. - Swedish beginners tasterCourse start date: Tue 16 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Yohanna JacobssonCome and discover Swedish on this lively online taster.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - Writing creative non-fiction Course start date: Mon 28 Apr 2025 (and 12 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Paul LaffanExplore practical and imaginative approaches to creative non fiction, including travel writing, life writing and the essay. Analyse published work, produce your own pieces, and benefit from detailed feedback.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £249.00 Concession £125.00 - Lunchtime lecture: Understanding AbstractionCourse start date: Tue 16 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayLearn the common reasons for abstraction in art, across time and culture. From the Byzantine icon to the Igbo figurine, from Young Sook Park to Mark Rothko, we’ll think about how abstraction is more common in the history of art than is typically thought. Explore ways into thinking about and experiencing abstract art.Full fee £14.00 Senior fee £11.00 Concession £9.00 - Irish beginners taster Course start date: Tue 16 Sep 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah O'DonnellCome and discover the Irish language in this lively taster session.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - How to read a film: a beginners' guide to cinema Course start date: Mon 12 May 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Paul SuttonThis course will develop your critical appreciation of the cinema by teaching you how to read and understand film texts. We will look at the elements that underpin film form – narrative, mise en scène, cinematography, editing and sound – alongside its historical development. We will consider film style by exploring classical, post-classical and art cinema and we will examine influential critical modes of analysis, such as genre, authorship and spectatorship.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - Russian beginners taster Course start date: Wed 17 Sep 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Altannavch MurrayCome and discover Russian in this lively taster.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - Beyond the headlines: Left populism and socialism todayCourse start date: Wed 17 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Salome IetterThis course will provide an overview of the politics of ‘Left populism’ in their historical perspective and contemporary manifestations as well as in their relation to socialist politics.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £51.00 - Lipreading and managing hearing loss: beginners module 2Course start date: Wed 17 Sep 2025 (and 5 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
This class is suitable for if you have completed module 1 or have completed the one term introduction to lipreading class or have attended a lipreading class at any level in the past, but want to go back to basics. You will develop your lipreading and fingerspelling skills and build your confidence.
This course will be taught in spoken English and not in sign language.
See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £110.00 Concession £85.00 - Exploring British cinemaCourse start date: Wed 17 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Jon WisbeyDefining itself around themes such as realism, class and national identity, and differentiating itself from Hollywood and other national cinemas, British cinema has found critical and popular acclaim both domestically and internationally. This course explores key themes and developments in British cinema, past and present, through a range of films, filmmakers and critical concepts and responses.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £84.00 - Lieder: music and poetryCourse start date: Wed 17 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Katy HamiltonFrom the late-eighteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries, the German Lied developed and blossomed as a musical genre for amateurs, professionals, homes and concert halls. We trace its history through some of its most important composers.
This course has a scheduled break week on 29 Oct 2025.
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