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 >
- Artists sketchbook walkCourse start date: Sat 5 Jul 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Heidi WigmoreTake a sketchbook walk in Central London to observe, record and engage with the urban environment, both historic architecture, modern skylines, the river and parks. Quick sketching, supported by discussion and reflection along the way, will open up new ways of seeing and responding to your surroundings. Meet at City Lit main entrance.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £79.00 - Woodblock and lino printmaking: large-scale workshopCourse start date: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Large scale printmaking enables expressive mark making. Use woodcut and linocut carving techniques to produce big, bold and multi-coloured, multi-layered prints for you to take home.Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Life drawing: focus on hands and feetCourse start date: Wed 15 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
This short course is aimed at those with some previous life drawing experience who would like to meet the unique challenge of drawing hands and feet. Explore how to make sense of their complex structure and form and to draw these parts of the anatomy convincingly. You'll never leave hands and feet out of your life drawings again!Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - Music history bookclub: Charles Jessold, Considered as a MurdererCourse start date: Fri 17 Jul 2026
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 - Sketching at the National GalleryCourse start date: Thu 23 Jul 2026
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 £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £89.00 - Life painting for beginners: summer school intensiveCourse start date: Mon 27 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
This 4 day intensive course is a great introduction to painting directly from the life model, where you will make great progress in understanding how to paint from life. Using simple structured projects, you will explore different approaches to represent the human form in paint, with encouraging, helpful guidance from an experienced tutor and taking inspiration from the work of other painters. Suitable for beginners in painting who have done some life drawing previously.
Full fee £349.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £227.00 - Introduction to prop making for film, TV, theatre and displayCourse start date: Mon 28 Jul 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ro SylvesterLearn a range of sculptural techniques that are used in the ever expanding film, TV and theatre prop making industry. Explore a range of sculpting and casting methods and fabricating techniques, and experiment with materials.Full fee £479.00 Senior fee £383.00 Concession £311.00 - Intensive throwing week: improversCourse start date: Mon 3 Aug 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Matt SherrattLearn how to throw mugs, bowls and lidded jars. Intermediate students can use this course to refresh their skills on the wheel.Full fee £549.00 Senior fee £439.00 Concession £357.00 - English communication for life and work - with maths and digital skills (entry 3-level 1)Course start date: Wed 30 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Do you want to improve your English reading, writing, speaking and listening so that you can express yourself confidently and do the most important and common everyday tasks at home and at work? Do you also want to develop your digital skills and maths so you can use be confident online and also handle money and budget successfully? Join this course and develop your communication skills for work and personal life. You will visit places of interest such as museums, cafes and market so you develop your skills in a real life settings. You will learn how to read and write paragraphs and short texts about topics that interest you and important events. You will practise filling in forms, writing formal and informal letters and emails and you will improve your spelling, vocabulary and use of punctuation. You will also become more confident in expressing your thoughts and feelings and dealing with difficult situations, for example, at work or in your personal life. You will practise talking about your own life events and key issues such as news stories, public figures, health and culture. Your digital skills and maths will improve so you can manage your money, research important topics and use social media.
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 £15.00 - English, maths and digital skills for life (entry 1-entry 2)Course start date: Wed 30 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Do you want to improve your reading and writing of English and your spoken communication skills? Would you like to practise your computer and digital skills at the same time? Do you need to work on your maths? You can do all of this in this class. On this course you will improve your writing, reading, speaking, listening, your maths and digital skill by discussing important topics,completing creative tasks and visiting places such as the National Portrait Gallery, the Transport Museum, cafes, libraries, and markets. You will learn how to express yourself confidently when talking, writing and using the computer, read and write full sentences in English, fill in forms on paper and on the computer, understand and write important letters and emails land make appointments. You will become confident in your spelling, vocabulary, using capital letters, full stops and expressing your thoughts and feelings. You will practise searching for information on the Internet. And you will learn the maths you need for everyday life such as adding up your shopping costs and calculating your weekly budget. This course will help you learn all the most important skills you need in life.
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).possible.
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 £15.00 - ESOL, maths and digital skills - for life and work (entry 2-entry 3)Course start date: Thu 1 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Are you quite confident about your everyday English? Can you have some short conversations and read and write simple emails? Can you go shopping, talk about simple subjects, and write a letter? But do you make quite a lot mistakes? Is it difficult to speak, read or write about more complicated topics? This course will help you learn more vocabulary and grammar so you can talk, read and write about more interesting everyday things and make fewer mistakes. Your will practise your speaking, listening, reading and writing so you can understand people better, talk about most daily topics, read a simple news story, and write a long email or letter. You will also improve your maths and the English you need to do maths such as for simple calculations with money and using percentages.
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 £15.00 - Korean beginners: module 2+3Course start date: Sat 3 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Heeyun ChoiContinue learning Korean on this lively online course. Suitable if you have completed Korean beginners: module 1+2 or equivalent.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £249.00 Concession £162.00 - Philosophy and the meaning of lifeCourse start date: Mon 12 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Karl WhiteSome philosophers have insisted that philosophy should explain the meaning of our existence. What does it mean for us to be? And how then should we live? This course examines some seriously philosophical answers.
- Japanese philosophyCourse start date: Mon 12 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: John GoffJapanese philosophy extends well beyond Zen, with several philosophical traditions including that of the modern Kyoto School. Developing distinct cultural, aesthetic and political concepts, Japanese philosophers offer a rich field of thought. - Anthropology of space, place and the cultural landscapeCourse start date: Mon 12 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Yasmin HalesThis is an introductory and interdisciplinary course which ranges beyond social anthropology to explore aspects of cultural geography, philosophy, psychology, art and architectural history, enriching your theoretical and ethnographic understanding of the cross cultural meaning of space within the built environment.
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