Poetry Writing Courses Online & in London
Be inspired to write poetry at the college where Andrea Levy, Malorie Blackman, Anna Burns, and other celebrated authors studied. Experiment with poetic form and technique, develop your craft, and fine-tune your poems in our range of courses and workshops.
We have poetry lessons and courses for everyone, from complete beginners right up to experienced poets looking for detailed feedback on their work.
Learn from published authors
Our tutors are published authors, practising writers and experts in their field. So you'll benefit from the expert tuition from a published author as well as getting 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. Learn about their recent accomplishments.
Unheard Voices Scholarship
City Lit’s Malorie Blackman Scholarships for 'Unheard Voices', providing three annual awards worth up to £1000 each, to fund one year’s study within the Creative Writing department at City Lit. Learn more >
For the latest news, courses, events and competitions, stay in touch with the Department on Facebook and Twitter.
- Ways into poetry: intensive
Course start date: Sun 5 Oct 2025 (and 5 other dates)Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Alice FrecknallAre you just starting to write poetry? This shorter version of our introductory Ways into poetry course offers an opportunity to experiment with language and a variety of poetic devices. Discover the key elements of a poem in a friendly and interactive class.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £65.00 - Create your first poetry collection Course start date: Sat 7 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
You've written and workshopped your poetry, and now you're ready to create your first collection. But where do you begin with that process? This workshop offers instruction and advice on putting together your first poetry collection.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Writing poetry: getting started Course start date: Thu 12 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Billie ManningThis short, fun workshop is the perfect starting point for students who are writing for the first time or new to the poetry path. Join us for thought-provoking writing exercises and poetry theory for beginners.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Writing eco-poetry Course start date: Sat 28 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah WestcottHow might poets write about the natural world today, and what is an eco-poem?Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - The poem as quest: writing narrative poetry Course start date: Sat 5 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Online
From ballads to myths, learn the techniques and styles needed to write narrative poetry.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Poetry and the moving image Course start date: Sun 3 Aug 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julie IrigarayBoth film and poetry explore imagery and have the capacity to capture and expand a single moment in time. On this fun short course you will learn how write poems inspired by the world of film and cinema.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Poetry: a taster Course start date: Sat 13 Sep 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julie IrigarayThis short, fun workshop is the perfect starting point for students who are writing for the first time or new to poetry. Join us for thought-provoking writing exercises and poetry theory for beginners.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - Ways into poetryCourse start date: Sat 4 Oct 2025 (and 7 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Cecilia KnappCome and revel in the possibilities of expression and form offered by poems across time, guided by lively group discussion and tutor expertise.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00 - Poetry workshop: intensive Course start date: Tue 23 Sep 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julie IrigarayWant to have your poems critiqued in a supportive environment? This intensive poetry workshop focuses on offering feedback to poets who have already written a selection of poems and are looking to push their writing further.Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £80.00 - Autobiography into poetry Course start date: Sun 5 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah WardleLearn how to translate real-life experiences into powerful poems in this stimulating course for those interested in the meeting place between autobiography and poetry.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Writing the body in poetry Course start date: Sun 2 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julie IrigarayExplore the relationship between poetry and the body, and learn to be bold and innovative in writing about your own bodily experiences, in this thought-provoking workshop.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Writing women's experiences in poetry Course start date: Sat 15 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julie IrigarayThis course will look at how contemporary women poets write about their experiences of womanhood. We'll discuss their strategies and you'll be encouraged to write poems, in a supportive environment, about what being a woman means to you.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Writing the prose poem Course start date: Sat 14 Feb 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julie IrigarayA form that’s flowered in recent years, this short course will guide you to write your own prose poetry.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00
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