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.
- Seeing inside paintingsCourse start date: Thu 16 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Caroline RaeDiscover the secrets of the Old Masters and learn how they created their wonderful effects in this introductory course on painters and painting. We will consider the physical history and scientific examination of artworks in relation to aspects including forgeries, hidden paintings and conservation/ restoration.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £179.00 Concession £116.00 - 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 - Italian 2 lower conversation
Course start date: Fri 9 May 2025 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Rosanna CarlàThis skills-based course is for lower intermediate learners of Italian and is intended to improve your Italian speaking skills in everyday situations. We will be looking at both formal and informal scenarios, and the aim is to help you to feel more comfortable speaking Italian in order to improve your fluency. Please note this course is intended for Italian 2 lower learners (learners in their second year of study).Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00 - Debt in the global political economyCourse start date: Tue 21 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Caglar EzikogluExplore the intricacies of debt within the global political economy, examining its impacts, mechanisms, and socio-economic consequences.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £84.00 - Looking beyond headlines: colonialism and contemporary conflictsCourse start date: Wed 22 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Salome IetterThis course will provide a reflection on the colonial, post-colonial and neo-colonial aspects and underpinnings of contemporary conflicts.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £51.00 - Lunchtime lecture: Cezanne – from aspiring Impressionist to Post-Impressionist revolutionaryCourse start date: Thu 23 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julia MusgraveExplore the development of Cezanne revolutionary approach to painting, his techniques and motifs and some of the many artists whose work he influenced.Full fee £14.00 Senior fee £11.00 Concession £9.00 - Friday lates: psychogeography: the art of getting lost Course start date: Fri 16 May 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Christopher CollierFrom pub crawls to punk rock, via comic books, action painting and Hegelian philosophy; hear the unlikely tale of the Situationists: international artist-revolutionaries who tried to change the world itself into a work of art.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Level 3 Certificate in Software Development, Gateway Qualifications Course start date: Tue 28 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Blended (learn both online and in-person)
Tutors: Sathish Boini, Kathryn ColdhamThis Level 3 accredited course is designed for learners wishing to develop and extend their digital and IT skills to prepare for different roles in the digital and creative industries within Software Development.
The Free Courses for Jobs initiative is for Londoners aged 24 or over at the start of the course who are: on a low-income; or on certain benefits; or do not have a full level 3 qualification. For more information Click here
The course fee is £2699.00. If you are unable to pay the course fee upfront, you can choose to apply for an Advanced Learning Loan from the Student Loans Company (SLC) to help cover the cost. The Advanced Learner loan available for this course is £1645.00. The remaining fee of £1054.00 will need to be paid at enrolment. If you are unable to pay this fee upfront, you can talk to our Information, Advice and Guidance team who will advise you on other financial support available. You can contact the Advice and Guidance Team by phone on (0203 871 3111) or by email: advice@citylit.ac.uk. The Loan is repayable after the course ends. For more information, please call Business & Technology on 020 7492 2515. You can find more information about the Advanced Learner Loan here www.citylit.ac.uk/advanced-learner-loansFull fee £2,699.00 Senior fee £2,699.00 Concession £2,699.00 - The Spanish Empire: Power, Conquest, and LegacyCourse start date: Tue 28 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Maisa EdwardsJoin Dr. Maisa Edwards to explore the rise, global reach and fall of the Spanish Empire from the 1400s to the 1800s.
Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £77.00 - Exploring Film GenresCourse start date: Wed 29 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Jon WisbeyBoth commercial strategy and critical concept, genre provides critics and audiences with a way of distinguishing between types of films and narrative patterns, while affording filmmakers the opportunity to exploit successful formulas. Drawing on key theories of the concept, this course looks at a range of genres, and sub-genres, and the way in which they have evolved through cinema's history.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £84.00 - Philosophy reading group: Descartes's MeditationsCourse start date: Wed 29 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Karl WhiteDescartes’ Meditations is arguably the foundational text of modern Western philosophy influencing not only the what of philosophy, but the how and the why. Reading it together, we’ll discover the stone that created ripples still affecting our thinking today.
Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £51.00 - Greek philosophy: the Hellenistic periodCourse start date: Thu 30 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: John GoffThe pursuit of happiness is ongoing. In the ancient Greek world this gave rise to several ‘philosophies of life’ that remain the cornerstone of contemporary attitudes. Join this course to explore their key sources. - Fact and Fantasy: English Houses in FictionCourse start date: Thu 30 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Phyllis RichardsonWhy have so many British authors set stories in and around an important house? How does the structure, history and atmosphere of a great house affect plot and narrative? And where do authors derive their inspiration to build fictional houses that capture readers’ imaginations so fully? The novels on this course all focus on one finely imagined house and demonstrate the author’s own personal concerns of the time.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00 - Art in theory: What is creativity?Course start date: Thu 30 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Online
This critical studies course for developing artists and makers explores the concept of creativity and what it means to be an artist, drawing on a range of cultural theories and work by creative practitioners to help inspire and enhance creative and critical thinking.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £139.00 - Spanish 2/3: Un viaje por la Patagonia argentinaCourse start date: Sat 1 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Analía ToloneDiscover the beauty of the outstanding of Argentinian Patagonia, the region defined by its dramatic landscapes, jagged peaks, pristine rivers and incredible wildlife. In this workshop we will explore the three main districts (The Lake District, Atlantic and Southern Patagonia) and their historic aspects. We will also touch in the Welsh culture heritage that can be found in small towns such as Trelew.
This will be an informative workshop done in Spanish. You should have an elementary level of the language
(at least an A2 leve, i.e at least Spanish 2 upper).Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
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