Masterclass: poetry (a one-term intensive workshop)
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
Sorry, this course is now full
Course Code: HW126
Duration: 11 sessions (over 11 weeks)
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Center for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
Want to take your poetry to masterclass level? This course challenges students to explore new ways of working with language, form and structure in their poetry. Students will have the opportunity to workshop their poetry and develop new avenues in their verse, polishing their poems for performance and publication. The course will include tutor instruction and writing exercises alongside the workshop element. The course is suitable for students who have experience in an advanced workshop setting. Please note that full attendance and participation is expected at this advanced level.
This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.
What will we cover?
Topics will include but are not limited to:
- Techniques for manipulating classic and emerging forms.
- Using schools of poetry to inform your writing.
- Innovative uses of the poetic conceit.
- New approaches to rhyme and rhythm.
- Methods for revising your poetry.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Redraft your poetry to a more advanced standard incorporating techniques explored in class and feedback received.
- Participate constructively in a workshop setting.
- Respond to and assess poetry with critical insight.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This is an advanced poetry writing course. Students will be expected to have written a number of poems to a publishable standard. Students will need to submit up to three poems to writing@citylit.ac.uk by 20th August 2021 to be considered.
Applications for this course are now closed.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
The course will include a mix of tutor led discussion, workshop readings, critical feedback from the class on your own poems, tutor feedback and discussions of theory and structure and writing and redrafting exercises in and out of class time.
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Please bring a notebook and pen or pencil with you to class. You will need to bring copies of your poems on request.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
City Lit has a range of poetry and writing courses on offer.
All students are invited to join us at Late Lines, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to Between the Lines, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on Facebook and Twitter.
Ellen Cranitch is a prize-winning poet. Her first collection The Immortalist was shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney Award for Best First Collection 2018. Ellen’s poetry is published by Bloodaxe, Templar and Carcanet Press. She has taught at The University of St Andrews, City University and UCL and lives in London where she’s a reviewer for Poetry Review. Recent teaching appointments include Associate Lecturer at Bath Spa University and Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Hull where she ran the poetry modules.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
