Blog
All of our Blog Posts

How to Improve Your Poetry: Poetry as a Revolution of Language
In this series, we interview our tutors about poetry and its place in their world. These interviews will cover creative writing tips, excelling in a poetry workshop, building a literary career, and finding your poetic voice. Here’s Rebecca Levi on poetry as a revolution of language. Rebecca is running The Poetics of Latin American Resistance:…
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Advanced Poetry: Elevate Your Craft
For advanced poets looking to refine their skills and learn from leading guest tutors, our Advanced Poetry Masterclasses offer an unparalleled opportunity to engage with expert voices, explore new poetic territories, and deepen your craft. These workshops will push the boundaries of technique, poetic form, and lyrical expression. Mayonnaise & the Sublime Masterclass – Agnieszka…
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Poetry for Everyone: Your First Steps into Writing
Our Poetry for Everyone workshops are designed for new poets, casual writers, and creative hobbyists who are just starting to explore the world of writing. With a focus on beginner-friendly techniques, you’ll learn the basics of poetic forms, how to experiment with different styles, and how to express your thoughts and feelings through the art…
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Poetry Craft: What is a Golden Shovel?
As part of our Poetry Craft series, Catherine Smith discusses how to write a Golden Shovel poem. Can you explain what a Golden Shovel poem is? The ‘Golden Shovel’ is a poetic form, where the poet chooses a line from an existing poem and uses each word from that line as the last word of…
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Stealing Fire: Learning from Female Poets
Ready to explore the transformative power of female poets? Our Stealing Fire workshops are designed for those inspired by feminist literature and the powerful voices of women in poetry. These workshops will guide you to understand the rich legacy of female voices. A focus on feminist and influential poets. Offering tools to sharpen your own…
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CLIMATE POETRY: Blaise Sales and Jasper Rees, ‘Heat Stressed Moth’
A collaboration between the University of Leeds Poetry Centre and the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures
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Break the Rules: Experimental & Playful Poetry
For young creatives, literary rebels, and experimental poets, these workshops challenge you to push the boundaries of poetry, embrace unconventional techniques, and play with form in exciting new ways. Ideal for experienced poets and alternative thinkers who are ready to break the rules and redefine poetry itself. Poems After Poems: Writing Ars Poetica – Leah…
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CLIMATE POETRY: Simon Armitage, ‘The Summit’
A collaboration between the University of Leeds Poetry Centre and the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures.
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Poetry for Change & Personal Growth: Writing in Crisis & Finding Your Voice
Poetry has the power to heal, resist, and transform. Whether you’re writing to navigate personal challenges, address global crises, or find an expressive outlet, our workshops provide the space, support, and expert guidance to help you craft the best poetic response. Lighting the World: Writing in Times of Crisis – Shazea Quraishi Explore how poetry…
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How to: Get your Poetry Published
In this series, we interview our tutors about poetry and its place in their world. These interviews will cover creative writing tips, excelling in a poetry workshop, building a literary career, and finding your poetic voice. Here’s James Byrne on getting your poetry published. 1. How did you go about getting your first poem/pamphlet/collection published?…
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How to Write Poetry: Poetry as Translation and Transformation
In this series, we interview our tutors about poetry and its place in their world. These interviews will cover creative writing tips, excelling in a poetry workshop, building a literary career, and finding your poetic voice. Here’s Carmen Bugan discussing the idea of poetry as translation and transformation. 1. Let’s start with Desert Island Poems….
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Freedom in Form: Challenge Your Poetry Boundaries
Are you ready to break free from traditional structures and explore the possibilities of poetry? Our Freedom in Form workshops are designed for poets who want to experiment, challenge conventions, and embrace forms of expression. This is your chance to redefine your creative process and take bold steps in your creative practice. With a focus…
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Unsticking a Stuck Poet: Overcoming Writer’s Block
Feeling stuck? Our Unsticking a Stuck Poet workshops are designed for writers in need of fresh inspiration. These workshops provide practical strategies, prompts, and exercises to help you get back into your writing flow. Whether you’re looking for ways to break through mental barriers or just need a little guidance to get started, these courses…
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Food, Family & Poetry: Writing Memory Through the Senses
Ready to explore the power of memory and sensory writing? Our Food, Family & Poetry workshops are designed for poets looking to connect deeply with history, storytelling and memory, exploring how the senses shape the stories we tell. COURSES: Around the Table: Writing about Food & Family with Romalyn Ante Explore how food and family…
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Vanessa Kisuule on the Southbank Centre’s New Poets Collective
For the second year running, The Poetry School have invited this year’s New Poets Collective to run a series of exciting courses with us. We’ve been chatting to Vanessa Kisuule, poet, performer, and lead tutor for the Collective, about the exciting scheme and what she looks for in applications. Read Vanessa’s thoughts below and check…
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Poetry as Response: Transreading & Translating
For poets interested in translation, transreading, and poetic response, these workshops explore how poetry can be transformed, adapted, and reimagined across languages and cultures. Learn to engage with poetry in new and dynamic ways, responding to existing works with fresh interpretations. Transitions, Translations, Transformations, Transreading – Carmen Bugan Explore the interplay between reading, translation, and…
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Voice, Experimentation, and Legacy: Advanced Poetry Explorations
With our Southbank New Poets Collective Series of workshops.
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How to: Writing, across the Seasons
In this series, we interview our tutors about poetry and its place in their world. These interviews will cover creative writing tips, excelling in a poetry workshop, building a literary career, and finding your poetic voice. Here’s Tice Cin discussing how to write about Spring. 1. What is your favourite poem about Spring? ‘Dear Spring’…
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Poetry Workshops to Spark Creativity: Ritual, Style, and Everyday Inspiration
With our Southbank New Poets Collective Series of workshops. Spring is upon us, and there’s no better time to refresh your practice! Put a spring into your writing with our inspiring new lineup of workshops led by South Bank New Poets Collective, representing some of the most exciting new voices in the poetry of today…
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New Poets Collective 2025 – Quick Course Guide
We are delighted to announce a new series of exciting zoom courses tutored by fresh voices from The New Poets Collective. Have a look at the below quick guide to this fantastic line up and make sure you book your place quickly to avoid disappointment! Video Courses Poetry & Divination: Generating Poems Through Ritual &…
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How to: Writing, across the Seasons
In this series, we interview our tutors about poetry and its place in their world. These interviews will cover creative writing tips, excelling in a poetry workshop, building a literary career, and finding your poetic voice. Here’s Tice Cin discussing how to write about Winter. 1. How does the winter season influence your poetry? Do…
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Poetry Queries: Can Poetry Be Taught? with Abbi Parcell
In this series, we interview our tutors about poetry queries. Here’s Abbi Parcell discussing the idea of whether poetry can be taught.
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Summit Festival with Poet in Residence, Sammy Weaver
To celebrate our launch of the Laurel Prize 2025, we are proud to present a beautiful blog and four stunning new poems from our Summit Poet in Residence, Sammy Weaver. In October 2024, over two hundred people and over twenty leading poets gathered for Summit, our festival devoted to ecopoetry and nature writing, with our…
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Explore Place, Fragmentation, and Identity: Transform Your Poetry in 2025
Poetry is a way to explore who we are, where we belong, and a means to create identity and meaning in a fragmented world. This season, we’re offering three transformative courses designed to deepen your craft and perspective: 1. Women, Writing, and Place Use your writing to explore personal identity and the intersections that shape us.In this…
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