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.
- Explore: book cover illustrationCourse start date: Sun 29 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alison BarrattOn this course, learn all the ingredients of brilliant book cover design, and, most importantly, how to create one for your book – perhaps something you’ve created yourself, or a favourite book you want to pay homage to.
Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £89.00 - Great works: Arvo Pärt's PassioCourse start date: Mon 30 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Edward BreenEstonian composer Arvo Pärt (b.1935) is one of the most frequently performed classical composers of our times. Explore his setting of St John’s passion and learn about his compositional techniques.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £29.00 - London photography walk: River ThamesCourse start date: Wed 1 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Michael HardingExplore and discover London through photography walks around locations rich in photographic potential.
The walks revolve around photographing views along the River Thames, from the Aldwych area eastwards to the City, from London Bridge to the Southbank and from Westminster to the newly developed Nine Elms area. Bring your own camera and comfortable walking shoes as you capture places, spaces, objects and people.Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - Bookbinding: gold tooling on paperCourse start date: Sat 11 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tracey RowledgeLearn how to develop a language with gold tooling on paper using hand finishing tools, BS Glaire and loose gold leaf. For all levels, from beginners to those with experience in gold tooling using hand finishing tools and gold leaf.Full fee £369.00 Senior fee £295.00 Concession £240.00 - Costume jewellery 1800 to nowCourse start date: Sun 12 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Judith Crowe, Derek JhinnooCostume jewellery tends to be viewed as the poor cousin of fine jewellery but the reality is far from that. This is a one day course that looks at the history of costume jewellery from 1600 and how the advances in materials and technology made it so popular.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £129.00 - Try it out: knotting and stringing for beads and pearlsCourse start date: Mon 13 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Beverley SellBy exploring a range of beaded jewellery techniques you will learn how to string beads and how to knot between beads and pearls. You will also learn how to attach simple clasps and findings to bracelets, necklaces and earrings.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £129.00 - Short form stop motion animation for InstagramCourse start date: Mon 13 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Stephanie GriffithsStop motion animation is the most popular form on social media. Engage in an exciting exploration of storytelling using a range of animation techniques and genres. See your drawings and models come to life and create a series of exciting animated sequences to enhance your social media posts or your professional show reel.Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Printmaking into bookbinding
Course start date: Mon 12 May 2025 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Claire Hynds, Margo Van RooyenExplore the three dimensional possibilities of print. This course will encourage you to develop your initial ideas through experiments with printmaking techniques and bookbinding structures to create an artist’s book. Some printmaking and/or bookbinding experience may be beneficial but not essential.Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Music in the Weimar republicCourse start date: Tue 21 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Katy HomdenDiscover the colourful landscape of music in Germany between the wars. Break week: 26 May 26.Full fee £269.00 Senior fee £215.00 Concession £188.00 - Speak Shakespeare monologues and scenes: comediesCourse start date: Wed 22 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vernon ThompsonDo you enjoy speaking Shakespeare or would you like to enjoy it? Whether you are preparing a Shakespearean monologue for audition or simply have an interest in their structure, rhythm and poetry, this course enables you to work on and speak monologues from the Comedies with confidence as well as rehearse duologues/ scene work from As You Like It and All's Well That Ends Well specifically. The course is held at the college, and includes a trip to the Box Office Studio in Shoreditch, site of the original Theatre where the Lord Chamberlain's Men performed.
- City Lit contemporary collage projects 3 Course start date: Thu 23 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
City Lit contemporary collage projects 1 initiates a year-long set of collage and mixed media projects designed to experiment with and examine the interplay between the two and three dimensions. You will work with a wide range of materials, on and off the wall, extending our pictorial practice into the realm of collage, painting, drawing, assemblage, bricolage, decoupage, photomontage, small scale constructions, printing and text within the context of mixed media.
Note* the course is designed in a way to enable students to either complete all three courses over the year or to come in at any stage in no particular order.Full fee £839.00 Senior fee £671.00 Concession £545.00 - Large-scale sketchbook Course start date: Fri 24 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tony HullExplore the sequential and adaptive nature of large format sketchbook drawing as a site for generating personal material, inviting connections, and extracting patterns of meaning. Includes artist research, set-project as stimulus, and practical exploration of contemporary drawing techniques.
Full fee £449.00 Senior fee £359.00 Concession £292.00 - Music history bookclub: Viva Violetta and VerdiCourse start date: Fri 24 Apr 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 - Jewellery: a buyer's guide to pearls Course start date: Sat 25 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Judith Crowe, Derek JhinnooJoin this fascinating one-day course for a valuable insight into pearls, their cultivation and trade, and use in jewellery. Learn how to recognise the many types on the market, judge the good from the bad, spot the imitations and buy your pearl jewellery with confidence. - ACT for people who stammer Course start date: Thu 30 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Carolyn Cheasman, Rachel EverardThis is a powerful approach to therapy. You'll learn to work more effectively with negative thoughts and feelings through acceptance and mindfulness work. You'll also learn how to identify, and move towards, valued goals and directions in your life.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £90.00 Concession £26.00
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