Face-to-Face Courses

Write more poems

Face-to-face teaching has been at the core of our educational programme since 1997. Running three terms a year both in our London classrooms and regional centres across the UK, our face-to-face courses and workshops have helped countless poets find encouragement for their work and allowed their poetry to flourish.

On our face-to-face courses, a group of students meet on a regular basis with their tutor to read their own work, discuss poetry, and – session by session – develop new skills and confidence as poet. We offer a breadth of approach to learning poetry, with some courses focusing on form and technique, whilst others look to provide inspiration for generating new writing or offer close readings of certain poets or movements.

The longest courses we offer stretch over three terms (general, covering a wide variety of skills and subjects) and the shortest courses we offer are one-day workshops (specific, looking at specialist subjects and techniques).

All our Face-to-Face Courses

WRITE AHEAD: Free Introductory Workshop (Friday 27 September 2019)

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Tutor: Joey Connolly

WRITE AHEAD: Free Introductory Workshop (Friday 27 September 2019)

Want to be a poet? Go Write Ahead.

Start Date: September 27, 2019 7pm
End Date: September 27, 2019 ( 1 Day )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

£150.00 *

Tutor: Martha Sprackland

Gregory Manuscript Punch-Up

Knock your manuscript into shape ready for the Eric Gregory Awards

Start Date: September 29, 2019 10.30am
End Date: October 20, 2019 ( 22 Days )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

Advanced Poetry Workshop with Special Guests

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Tutor: Kathryn Maris

Advanced Poetry Workshop with Special Guests

One of our flagship advanced workshops, with the added perk of special guests each term

Start Date: September 30, 2019 2.00pm
End Date: December 2, 2019 ( 64 Days )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

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Tutor: Wayne Holloway-Smith

What Now?

Take the next steps in your poetry career and explore contemporary poetry’s cutting-edge

Start Date: September 30, 2019 6.45pm
End Date: December 2, 2019 ( 64 Days )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

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Tutor: Shazea Quraishi

The Poet’s Toolkit

Hone your craft, explore poetry’s inner workings, and look at techniques to help your poems achieve lift-off

Start Date: September 30, 2019 6.45pm
End Date: December 2, 2019 ( 64 Days )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

£180.00 *

Tutor: Anthony Anaxagorou

Reading Working Class Poetics

How have poets used the socio-symbolism of the working-class body to invite readers into their worlds?

Start Date: October 1, 2019 6.45pm
End Date: December 3, 2019 ( 64 Days )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

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Tutor: Tim Dooley

Intermediate Poetry Workshop

Tim Dooley’s weekly workshop for poets looking to develop their individual voice and technique

Start Date: October 2, 2019 2.00pm
End Date: December 11, 2019 ( 71 Days )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

Advanced Poetry Workshop with Mark Waldron

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Tutor: Mark Waldron

Advanced Poetry Workshop with Mark Waldron

Develop your writing through discussion and feedback in this advanced course with Mark Waldron

Start Date: October 2, 2019 6.45pm
End Date: December 4, 2019 ( 64 Days )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

£180.00 *

Tutor: Meryl Pugh

First Encounters

Take your first steps into the world of poetry!

Start Date: October 3, 2019 6.45pm
End Date: December 5, 2019 ( 64 Days )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

£95.00 *

Tutor: Becky Varley-Winter

Twisted Love

What makes a great love poem?

Start Date: October 3, 2019 6.45pm
End Date: November 28, 2019 ( 57 Days )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

Advanced Poetry Workshop with Richard Price

£180.00 *

Tutor: Richard Price

Advanced Poetry Workshop with Richard Price

Develop your writing through discussion and feedback in this advanced workshop

Start Date: October 4, 2019 11.00am
End Date: December 6, 2019 ( 64 Days )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

£80.00

Tutor: Richard Price

Poetry Surgery with Richard Price

In-depth 1-2-1 discussion on your poetry with Richard Price

Start Date: October 5, 2019
End Date: October 5, 2019 ( 1 Day )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

£177.00 *

Tutor: Ros Barber

Saturday Sessions with Ros Barber

Monthly all-day Saturday workshops with Ros Barber

Start Date: October 5, 2019 10.30am
End Date: December 7, 2019 ( 64 Days )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

£75.00 *

Tutor: Sarala Estruch

Memory, History, Loss, & Gains

Explore ways of writing about ancestry and inheritance in poetry

Start Date: October 5, 2019 10.30am
End Date: October 5, 2019 ( 1 Day )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

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Tutor: Jacqueline Saphra

Creative Constraint

Mix up your writing and learn new skills and techniques with Jacqueline Saphra

Start Date: October 9, 2019 6.45pm
End Date: December 11, 2019 ( 64 Days )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

£75.00 *

Tutor: Holly Corfield Carr & Rose Ferraby

Geologic Encounters

Unravel a stone in this poetry and illustration workshop, to see what you can find at its heart

Start Date: October 12, 2019 10.30am
End Date: October 12, 2019 ( 1 Day )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

£95.00 *

Tutor: Helen Calcutt

Go & Open the Door (Birmingham)

Explore difficult moments in a safe space to reclaim their narrative and give your grief a home

Start Date: October 12, 2019 12pm
End Date: December 7, 2019 ( 57 Days )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: The Pen Museum, Birmingham

Speaking in Tongues: Poetry & Theatre’s Intersection

£95.00 *

Tutor: Jacqueline Saphra

Speaking in Tongues: Poetry & Theatre’s Intersection

Bring your poetic skills to theatrical writing and see your work performed by professional actors

Start Date: October 15, 2019 6.45pm
End Date: December 8, 2019 ( 55 Days )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

£95.00 *

Tutor: Rebecca Gethin

Families & Other Animals (Exeter)

Develop innovative and exciting poems from real life experiences

Start Date: October 15, 2019 6.45pm
End Date: December 10, 2019 ( 57 Days )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Exeter Community Centre, Exeter

A/Way Day to Merstham: A Ginkgo Prize 'Hike n' Write'

£30.00 *

Tutor: Rachel Piercey

A/Way Day to Merstham: A Ginkgo Prize 'Hike n' Write'

A 'hike n' write' with poet and walker, Rachel Piercey

Start Date: October 19, 2019 10am
End Date: October 19, 2019 ( 1 Day )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Hunger’s End Café, Merstham, Surrey

£150.00 *

Tutor: Rachael Allen

Rachael Allen’s Weird Weekend

An intensive weekend exploring the strange, surreal, and weird in selected contemporary poets

Start Date: October 26, 2019 10.30am
End Date: October 27, 2019 ( 2 Days )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

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Tutor: Richard Scott

Poetry Surgery with Richard Scott

In-depth 1-2-1 discussion on your poetry with Richard Scott

Start Date: November 2, 2019
End Date: November 2, 2019 ( 1 Day )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

Childhood into Poetry: Masterclass with Homero Aridjis

£75.00 *

Tutor: Homero Aridjis

Childhood into Poetry: Masterclass with Homero Aridjis

Join Mexican poet, environmental activist, and Ginkgo Prize judge Homero Aridjis for a special masterclass on taking inspiration from childhood.

Start Date: November 9, 2019 10.30am
End Date: November 9, 2019 ( 1 Day )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

WRITE AHEAD: Free Introductory Workshop (Friday 15 November 2019)

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Tutor: Abigail Parry

WRITE AHEAD: Free Introductory Workshop (Friday 15 November 2019)

Want to be a poet? Go Write Ahead.

Start Date: November 15, 2019 7pm
End Date: November 15, 2019 ( 1 Day )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

£75.00 *

Tutor: Gregory Pardlo

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Find new uses for lines, images, and even whole poems you might otherwise throw away

Start Date: November 16, 2019 10.30am
End Date: November 16, 2019 ( 1 Day )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

£150.00 *

Tutor: Jennifer Wong

Falling in Love With Prose Poems

An intensive weekend developing your own prose poem voice

Start Date: November 23, 2019 10.30am
End Date: November 24, 2019 ( 2 Days )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

Safeguarding Training for Poets – Children & Young People

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Tutor: Barnardo's

Safeguarding Training for Poets – Children & Young People

Calling all poets, creative writing tutors, and workshop facilitators!

Start Date: November 29, 2019 9.30am
End Date: November 29, 2019 ( 1 Day )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

Safeguarding Training for Poets – Vulnerable Adults

£20.00

Tutor: Barnardo's

Safeguarding Training for Poets – Vulnerable Adults

Calling all poets, creative writing tutors, and workshop facilitators!

Start Date: November 29, 2019 1.30pm
End Date: November 29, 2019 ( 1 Day )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

FREE WORKSHOP: A mountain that is your grief you can’t utter

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Tutor: Helen Calcutt

FREE WORKSHOP: A mountain that is your grief you can’t utter

A free workshop exploring trauma and grief

Start Date: November 30, 2019 11.30am
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

‘To strive, to seek, to find & not to yield’: Dramatic Monologues

£75.00 *

Tutor: Mark Ford

‘To strive, to seek, to find & not to yield’: Dramatic Monologues

Try on a different persona and delve into dramatic monologues

Start Date: November 30, 2019 10.30am
End Date: November 30, 2019 ( 1 Day )
Type: Face-to-Face • Location: Poetry School, London

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HOW FACE-TO-FACE WORKS

Tutor and students sit round a large table for a typical Poetry School course session or workshop and the meetings are friendly and relatively informal.

In each session, you might be given Exercises (specific writing tasks to inspire your own poems or ideas) or Feedback (comments on your work by tutors and / or other students); you might be Reading (close attention to published poems, looking for examples of technique, style, theme or form), Writing (working towards creating new poems throughout the duration of the course or workshop) or a combination of all these. Some courses will include tasks for you to complete at home.

Our face to face courses are designed to suit all levels of experience: some activities are open to all, and others are structured with beginner, intermediate or advanced poets specifically in mind. Similarly, our activities aim to offer a breadth of approach to learning poetry, with some focusing on form and technique, whilst others look to provide inspiration for your writing.

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

Content will vary course to course, but on all our face-to-face courses you can expect the following:

reading, writing and thinking about poetry in different ways
exposure to new writers, voices, forms and styles
the confidence to write more and devote more time to writing
generating new work
discovery of new areas and subjects for research
better understanding of how to make choices (length, theme, tone, etc)
enhanced critical skills
practical advice on further development

Many of our teaching poets are also performers, makers and artists, as well as teachers, and like to teach more than just poetry in their classes. One of the great advantages of face-to-face teaching is that is doesn’t always have to happen in a classroom. From time to time, we also like to run workshops where as well as writing poems, you might be going on a walking tour, exploring a priceless archive, painting pictures, eating exotic foods, making theatre props or even swimming in the wild.

We pride ourselves on the standard of our teaching and the poetry produced on every one of our courses. Many of our students have gone on to successfully submit their course work for publication in magazines and journals, and had success in competitions. But don’t take it from us: read some of our many student testimonials.

COURSE FORMATS

Generally speaking we offer 3 main types of face-to-face course:

LONG COURSES are more than 10 weeks and run over several terms. All our long courses start in the Autumn, but can be joined mid-way (subject to availability). Long courses are quite general and will encompass a large variety of ideas and techniques suitable for particular skill levels.

SHORT COURSES are commonly 10 weeks or less, once a term, with regular sessions running weekly or fortnightly. Short courses tend to focus on a particular subject, theme, form or technical aspect of poetry, often open to all levels.

WORKSHOPS are weekend, one or half day sessions. One day workshops are intensive writing and learning experiences that last 5 hours (with an additional 1 hour lunch break).

If you’re unsure which class, level, or style of course might be best for you, you can contact our administration team on administration@poetryschool.com for help with any course queries you might have.

FAQ

The activity I want is fully booked – what can I do?

Lost property?

Lost property will be kept in the office at 81 Lambeth Walk. Please call or email us if you believe you have left something in the classrooms.

What should I do if I can’t make a class session?

What is your refunds policy?

If you cannot attend a course a full refund will be made as long as cancellation is received four weeks before the course start date. After this period, we are only able to give you a refund if the course has sold out and we are able to fill your place. Refunds cannot be given if you were unable to attend a course or did not log on to the online chats. Please read our Terms & Conditions for more information.

How do I teach for the Poetry School?

Please send us details of your publication record and teaching experience and the ideas you have for courses and workshops you'd like to teach. If your ideas for the programme are a fit for ours, we will start to make joint plans. Download this 'Teaching for the Poetry School for the First Time' hand out which might be useful.

All our Face-to-Face Courses

HOW FACE-TO-FACE WORKS

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

COURSE FORMATS

FAQ

The activity I want is fully booked – what can I do?

Lost property?

What should I do if I can’t make a class session?

What is your refunds policy?

How do I teach for the Poetry School?

Find a Course