Poetry workshop: intensive
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
Course Code: HW311
Duration: 6 sessions (over 6 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?
This course is designed as an intensive workshop. Workshopping previously written poems will take up the majority of the class time. Each class will begin however with a short writing activity to offer attending poets fresh directions and inspiration.
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?
- Writing prompts to generate new work.
- How to respectfully critique the work of other poets.
- How to apply feedback offered on your own poems.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Write a series of new poems using the prompts provided.
- Receive and apply detailed feedback on the work you have produced so far.
- Understand how to respectfully deliver feedback to other poets.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is suitable for poets at intermediate levels who have completed other poetry courses previously and have a selection of poems ready for critique.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will be taught online through a mix of short writing activities and feedback sessions. You will be expected to provide poems for regular critique and to read the work of other poets outside class in preparation for each session.
All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit.
For classes longer than one day regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines.
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?
It is useful to have a pen and paper to hand and to complete all the recommended audio and visual checks on your computer.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
City Lit offers a range of courses for poets including Create your first poetry collection and Advanced Poetry Workshop.
Sarah Westcott is an award-winning poet and journalist who has been writing professionally for over 20 years. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway and has published three books of poetry. Her first collection Slant Light, published by Liverpool University Press (Pavilion Poetry) was Highly Commended in the 2017 Forward Prizes. Her pamphlet Inklings was a Poetry Book Society choice. Her second collection, Bloom, was published in May 2021 with Pavilion Poetry. Sarah's poems have appeared in magazines including Poetry Review, POEM and Magma, on beermats, billboards and the side of buses, and in anthologies including Best British Poetry. She was a writer-in-residence at the Bethnal Green nature reserve in 2016 and had her poems installed in the trees, triggered by footsteps. Recent awards are first prize in the London Magazine poetry prize, the Poets and Players Prize and the Manchester Cathedral poetry prize. Sarah grew up in north Devon, on the edge of Exmoor, and lives in Kent with her family. She is particularly interested in writing about the natural world.
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.
