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Ignite Change Through Poetry: Spring Workshops for the Next Generation of Writers

In a world grappling with crises from east to west, the power of the written word becomes more urgent than ever.

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Swallowed Tongues, Quietening Forests

Roshni Gallagher Explores Language, Meaning, Mistranslation and Environmental Crisis in Khairani Barokka’s ‘amuk’.

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Poetry Craft: My Favourite Poetic Device with Simon Barraclough

Simon Barraclough discusses his favourite poetic device.

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The cover image of Thinking with Trees by Jason Allen-Paisant on an ochre background

Fruitful Connections Between Race and Ecology; Jade Cuttle reviews ‘Thinking with Trees’ by Jason Allen-Paisant

Jade Cuttle reviews Jason Allen-Paisant’s collection ‘Thinking with Trees’.

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Write for the Planet: Nature & Climate Change Poetics

COP29 begins & The Guardian highlights the effectiveness of writing in response to the climate crisis: see our upcoming nature & climate change poetry courses!

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How to: Offer Feedback

Expert Poetry Tutor Elizabeth Parker’s guide on how to offer feedback.

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Poetry Queries: Can Poetry Be Taught? with Sascha Akhtar

In this series, we interview our tutors about poetry queries. Here’s Sascha Akhtar discussing the idea of whether poetry can be taught.

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An image with the text: 'Poetry School Spring 2025' overlaid for the Quick Course Guide.

Spring 2025 – Quick Course Guide

Poetry School Quick Course Guide Spring 2025

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Poetry Craft: My Favourite Poetic Device with Eve Grubin

Eve Grubin discusses her favourite poetic device.

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How to: Taking Criticism Well 

Expert Poetry Tutor Natalie Whittaker’s guide on receiving criticism constructively!

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‘Whose Story is it Anyway?’ Exploring Unreliable Narration with Elspeth Wilson

Expert Poetry Tutor Elspeth Wilson discusses narration and masking in your poetry

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How to: Poetry Writing Tips for Beginners

Expert Poetry Tutor Dr Becky Varley-Winter offers priceless pointers for new poets!

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This is an image of Food for the Dead by Charlotte Shevchenko Knight

How I Did It: Forward Prizes – Charlotte Shevchenko Knight on ‘Food for the Dead’

Welcome to our Forward Prizes 2024 ’How I Did It’ series. This year we asked poets shortlisted for the Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection to write about the inspiration behind one of the poems from their chosen collection. Here’s Charlotte Shevchenko Knight on what inspired her to write the poem ‘life & no escape’ in Food for…

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This is an image of The Wrong Person to Ask by Marjorie Lotfi

How I Did It: Forward Prizes – Marjorie Lotfi on ‘The Wrong Person to Ask’

Welcome to our Forward Prizes 2024 ’How I Did It’ series. This year we asked poets shortlisted for the Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection to write about the inspiration behind one of the poems from their chosen collection. Here’s Marjorie Lotfi on what inspired her to write the poem ‘Picture of Girl and Small Boy’ in…

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This is an image of Inheritance by Jasmine Cooray

How I Did It: Forward Prizes – Jasmine Cooray on ‘Inheritance’

Welcome to our Forward Prizes 2024 ’How I Did It’ series. This year we asked poets shortlisted for the Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection to write about the inspiration behind one of the poems from their chosen collection. Here’s Jasmine Cooray on what inspired her to write the poem ‘The Well’ in Inheritance. Early Drafts  Initially…

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This is an image of American Anthem by Kelly Michels

How I Did It: Forward Prizes – Kelly Michels on ‘American Anthem’ 

Welcome to our Forward Prizes 2024 ’How I Did It’ series. This year we asked poets shortlisted for the Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection to write about the inspiration behind one of the poems from their chosen collection. Here’s Kelly Michels on what inspired her to write the poem ‘Hurricane Season in Virginia Beach’ from American…

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How to: Feedback, Originality & Ownership in Poetry Workshops

Expert Poetry Tutor Natasha Hakimi Zapata unpacks the poetry workshop.

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An image of the cover art of Ben Lerner's poetry collection called 'The Lights' featuring what look like stars behind and eclipse

Ben, is that you? Sim Pereira-Madder reviews ‘The Lights’ by Ben Lerner

Finding Ben Lerner in his finest collection yet

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A Kaleidoscope of Forms: Digital Pamphlet

A collection of poetry curated by Michał Kamil Piotrowski from his students who took part in his Spring 2024 course.

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An image of darkly lit statues for Autumn 2024 Quick Course Guide

Autumn 2024 – Quick Course Guide

Our Autumn Term is now live! We have a whole host of brilliant tutors and poetry courses ready for you to pick from and as they tend to sell out really fast we’ve made this Quick Course Guide to help quickly guide you to the right course! Online Courses INTERNATIONAL Online courses without Live Chats,…

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MA Student Suzanna Fitzpatrick reads her poem ‘Somerset House’

MA in Writing Poetry first year student Suzanna Fitzpatrick is the winner of the Members’ Poems competition in the Summer 2024 issue of Poetry News, on the theme of ‘My Place’. The poem is called ‘Somerset House’, inspired by the location of the Poetry School’s London base and where Suzanna is studying for her MA….

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Poems from Gaza; Zeina Azzam reviews ‘Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear’ by Mosab Abu Toha

To read poetry from and about Gaza in these times is an act of solidarity, or perhaps even one of resistance. After all, a genocide* has been unfolding in the enclave by the Mediterranean Sea and the world has been unable – or unwilling – to do anything about it. Poetry is indeed political; it…

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‘Street Sauntering’ by Suzannah V. Evans — a blog on Flâneur-ing About: The Poetry of Streets

Suzannah V. Evans explains how her new course: ‘Flâneur-ing About: The Poetry of Streets‘ will help you write poetry as you meander through cities. I have an urge to begin this blog mid-sentence, perhaps with the word ‘So’ or ‘Alors’, its French equivalent, because then I could imagine the sentence appearing suddenly out from behind…

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‘Tender Towards Innocence’ by Carmen Bugan: a blog on Innocence in a Troubled World

Carmen Bugan explains how her new course: ‘A Quest for Innocence in a Troubled World‘ will help you write poetry that faces up to this worrisome time. I borrowed the title of this piece from Seamus Heaney, who has said about Czeslaw Milosz: Tender towards innocence, tough-minded when faced with brutality and injustice, Milosz could…

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What Is Revolutionary Poetics? by Mischa Foster Poole

Here is Mischa Foster Poole talking about his course Revolutionary Poetics: Writing Against the Grain; Alternate art; busting open the poem to embrace new and experimental forms. (5) This is because the tools that we have to hand are provided by the hegemonic ideology, the mode of production that seeks to ideologically reproduce itself through the…

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