Pathways through Poetry: Module 2

The second module in our Pathways Through Poetry series: 'Syllable, Stress and Metre'. Take the next step on your journey to poetic success!

THIS COURSE IS CURRENTLY IN THE PRIORITY BOOKING PERIOD
You can only book this course if you completed Pathways Module 1 in Spring 2026. If you did not attend this workshop last term, please email us at [email protected] and we will contact you once the priority booking period has ended.

* This course will take place on the video-conferencing platform ZOOM * 

What is the sound of poetry, and where did it come from? Is there really such a thing as a poetic ‘foot’? Can a line exist off the page? Do forms have personalities? Why do we break lines where we do? This module will tackle all these questions, and more. Across ten weeks, you will explore foundational elements of verse – rhythm, line-break, rhyme, euphony – and discover how they can combine in often unexpected ways. With a firm grasp of these elements, you will learn how to write poems that make your reader’s heart skip a beat.

Starting from the smallest building-block (the syllable), and moving on to ideas about metre, melody, and structure – via optional exercises and writing-games – you will develop an intuitive feel for the fundamentals of prosody, and a sense of the story of poetry in English over the last half-millennium.

We will approach poetic form not as a dry set of rules, but rather as a set of organic, living processes – and a repertoire of endlessly versatile techniques for your poetic toolkit. You’ll learn technical methods of scansion, and how they can help you to listen more carefully to your own lines. Over the course, you will develop that practice through a close reading of some of the greatest poems in the language, looking under the bonnet at the engine that drives them. (You might even start to question a few things you were taught about poetry and metre at school.)

Led by one of the country’s leading poetry critics, this course will place an emphasis on practice, experimentation and play, and the development of new skills. In this course’s welcoming, low-pressure writing challenges, the goal is these not to write ‘the perfect poem’, but to learn new poetic dance moves – and how to improvise around them – so you can move with confidence across the dance-floor of the blank page.

Writers whose work you are likely to encounter along the way include: William Langland, William Shakespeare, Robert Herrick, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Edna St Vincent Millay, Marianne Moore, Gwendolyn Brooks, Seamus Heaney, Paul Muldoon, Abigail Parry, Gregory Leadbetter and Shane McCrae.

10 weekly Zoom sessions on Tuesdays, 6.30–8.30pm (BST), starts 19 May 2026.

Pathways Through Poetry is a new Poetry School programme, aimed at increasing access to the poetry world and to give students a thorough grounding in the craft of writing poetry. The programme runs over 2 years and comprises 6 x termly modules of 10 sessions, each with a different focus and curriculum. Each module is taught by a different tutor, meaning that over the full programme, students will work with 6 different tutors, creating a dynamic and lively learning experience, as well as exposing participants to a wide range of current poetry professionals. The course content was devised in 2025 in consultation with a poetry dream team: Helen Mort, Rachel Long, and Matthew Caley. This is the first Module of the Pathways Through Poetry programme and next modules will be published in subsequent terms.

Concessions & Accessibility

To apply for a concession rate, please send relevant documentation showing your eligibility for one of our concessions to [email protected]. Conditions of eligibility are detailed here. If you have any questions or wish to be added to the waiting list of a sold-out course, please email [email protected].

What to Expect

Please check the left hand side of this page for information on how this course works in practice, under the heading ‘Course Style‘. If you’re unsure as to what any of the terms there mean, or if this course is a good fit for you, please visit our What to Expect page which includes some further information on how our courses function

Related Courses

• Pathways through Poetry: Module 1
• Poetic Forms for Beginners
• Beginners’ Workshop Group