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.
- Textiles at the V&ACourse start date: Tue 2 Dec 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresThis session takes place in the V&A’s remarkable collection. It can be taken as a stand-alone visit (no previous knowledge required, all welcome) or a final lesson for the seven-week online course VB699 Textiles: An International History. You will see a wide range of woven, printed and embroidered cloth from around the globe and explore the roles these have played in the world’s material culture.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - Children's writing: a taster
Course start date: Tue 2 Dec 2025 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Andrew WealeFind out more about writing children's stories in this practical and interactive, short taster session.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - Journalism: a taster Course start date: Thu 4 Dec 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Laura SilvermanWhat makes a great story? Discover what goes into a magazine or newspaper article and be inspired to write your own. - Interactions between the Mediterranean world and Anglo-Saxon EnglandCourse start date: Fri 5 Dec 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Stephen PollingtonThis talk will explore some of the connections which maintained the Anglo-Saxons' feeling that Rome was part of their heritage.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00 - Demystifying Tate ModernCourse start date: Sat 6 Dec 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayGet an overview of Tate Modern with this straightforward and lively insight into the gallery’s current displays and the role of the gallery in the contemporary art world. #arthistory #tatemodern.Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00 - Drawing and mindfulness: releasing the judging mindCourse start date: Sat 6 Dec 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Clare Barton-HarveyExplore a range of perspectives and practical exercises for letting-go of the limiting effects of the judging mind, whilst connecting to drawing in refreshing and inspiring ways. The ideas and mindfulness skills are transferrable to all creative disciplines.
Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £89.00 - Studying Film: A TasterCourse start date: Sun 7 Dec 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Jon WisbeyThis taster of forthcoming film courses at City Lit in 2026 offers you the chance to think about which ones to take while also providing an opportunity to explore some of the key areas in film studies more generally.
Learn how to evaluate and discuss films while enjoying a working example of a City Lit film studies class.
We will view clips from a wide variety of films, exploring themes and technique in British, European and modern American cinema. There will be a chance to review term two film courses at City Lit (January - July 2026).Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - Picture book writing: a taster Course start date: Mon 8 Dec 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Andrew WealeFind out more about writing a picture book text in this practical and interactive, short taster session. - Write a short story in a week Course start date: Mon 8 Dec 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Jonathan BarnesTurn your great idea into a short story on this fun practical course. Through a series of inspiring exercises, you'll be introduced to some key fiction writing techniques and encouraged to draft a short story from beginning to end. Suitable for beginners who are comfortable learning at a fast pace.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £65.00 - In Scrooge's Footsteps: A Christmas Carol & Dickens WalkCourse start date: Tue 9 Dec 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Eleanor JacksonJoin us for a festive walk in the footsteps of Scrooge, looking at the locations and impact of Dickens’s most famous work. We will also examine how Dickens’s story has influenced our ideas of Christmas.
Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00 - Lunchtime lecture: William Blake, a life of innocence and experienceCourse start date: Wed 10 Dec 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayExplore the art of William Blake from a political perspective, looking at his social and cultural context as a working-class artist working in a rapidly changing world.
Full fee £14.00 Senior fee £11.00 Concession £9.00 - Adoring the Christ Child in art: images of the very generous MagiCourse start date: Thu 11 Dec 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Emma Rose BarberThe images of the Adoration of the Magi will be taken from medieval illuminated manuscripts, as well as panel paintings done for churches and chapels and fresco cycles. Artists covered include Italian artists such as Duccio, Giotto, Botticelli, Fra Filippo Lippi, Fra Angelico, Gentile da Fabriano, and northern Renaissance artists including Gossaert and Breughel.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - Music history bookclub: The Great PassionCourse start date: Fri 12 Dec 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Edward BreenThe music history book club meets towards the end of each term to discuss novels and biographies with musical themes and references relevant to the music history programme.
Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - History of ideas: the invention of ChristmasCourse start date: Sat 13 Dec 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Angela PlattBeginning around the middle of the 19th century, a ‘new Christmas’ came into the fore; a reinvented Christmas, if you will. Why did this Christmas shift as it did – to produce the modern celebration many people still enjoy today? In this course, the stories of those groups and individuals who impacted this ‘reinvention of Christmas’ will be shared.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00 - Lamplit HampsteadCourse start date: Mon 15 Dec 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Marilyn GreeneDiscover the mysterious atmosphere to Hampstead on a tour after-dark where the streets are lit by old-fashioned lamps. We will wind through the narrow back streets and catch glimpses of its fascinating history from the glow of lamps and lit buildings. This tour is particularly stunning over the Festive season where subtle Christmas lights add to the effect. We will end at the historic Holly Bush Tavern where we can warm up with a drink!
Tour starts outside Wagamama 58-62 Heath Street, NW3 1EN Ends Hampstead Tube Station.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00
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