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Video Courses

Fully digital face-to-face courses, held online via Zoom and accessible from around the world.

Face-to-face teaching is now available remotely through our Zoom-based courses

On our video courses, a group of students meet on Zoom 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 Video Courses

£70.00 *

Tutor: Becky Varley-Winter

Poetic Forms for Beginners

Spark your creativity and take your first steps into the world of poetry!

Start Date: May 6, 2026
End Date: July 1, 2026 ( 57 Days )
Type: Video

Freedom in Form: Creativity, Control, & Craft with Jacqueline Saphra

£240.00 *

Tutor: Jacqueline Saphra

Freedom in Form: Creativity, Control, & Craft with Jacqueline Saphra

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

Start Date: May 11, 2026
End Date: July 20, 2026 ( 71 Days )
Type: Video

£70.00 *

Tutor: Becky Varley-Winter

Beginners’ Workshop Group

Join a supportive community for close reading and developmental feedback on your new poems!

Start Date: May 13, 2026 7–9pm
End Date: July 8, 2026 ( 57 Days )
Type: Video

Technique 3.0 [How to Discover or Disown It]

£260.00 *

Tutor: Matthew Caley

Technique 3.0 [How to Discover or Disown It]

What training do you do to sustain and maintain yourself as a poet? Explore the essential work of writerly ‘technique’, in an all new edition of this ever-popular course.

Start Date: May 14, 2026 7–9pm
End Date: July 16, 2026 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video

Poetry at the Next Level: An Advanced Workshop with Wayne Holloway-Smith

£240.00 *

Tutor: Wayne Holloway-Smith

Poetry at the Next Level: An Advanced Workshop with Wayne Holloway-Smith

Challenge yourself, elevate your writing, and take the next steps in your poetry career.

Start Date: May 18, 2026 6.45pm
End Date: July 20, 2026 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video

The Close Read: Advanced Poetry Workshop with Anthony Anaxagorou

£350.00 *

Tutor: Anthony Anaxagorou

The Close Read: Advanced Poetry Workshop with Anthony Anaxagorou

Develop your writing through discussion and feedback in this advanced workshop with Anthony Anaxagorou.

Start Date: May 18, 2026 1-4pm
End Date: July 20, 2026 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video

£180.00 *

Tutor: Tristram Fane Saunders

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!

Start Date: May 19, 2026 6.30–8.30pm
End Date: July 21, 2026 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video

£180.00 *

Tutor: Rachel Long

Pathways through Poetry: Module 1

A blank page – do or don't? The first module in our new Pathways Through Poetry series. Jump in and we'll guide you through the journey to poetic success!

Start Date: May 19, 2026 6.30–8.30pm
End Date: July 21, 2026 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video

New Territories: An Intermediate-Advanced Workshop with Wayne Holloway-Smith

£240.00 *

Tutor: Wayne Holloway-Smith

New Territories: An Intermediate-Advanced Workshop with Wayne Holloway-Smith

Bring your writing to the next level and explore contemporary poetry’s cutting-edge.

Start Date: May 19, 2026 6.45pm
End Date: July 21, 2026 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video

£240.00 *

Tutor: Tim Dooley

Wednesday Workshop with Tim Dooley

Our long-running weekly workshop with Tim Dooley, for poets looking to develop their individual voice and technique.

Start Date: May 20, 2026
End Date: July 22, 2026 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video

Advanced Poetry Workshop with Mark Waldron

£240.00 *

Tutor: Mark Waldron

Advanced Poetry Workshop with Mark Waldron

An advanced weekly workshop group with the inimitable Mark Waldron.

Start Date: May 20, 2026 6.45–8.45pm
End Date: July 22, 2026 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video

Lighting the World: Writing in Times of Crisis

£240.00 *

Tutor: Shazea Quraishi

Lighting the World: Writing in Times of Crisis

Take poetic action in response to these times of war, displacement and climate emergency.

Start Date: May 20, 2026
End Date: July 29, 2026 ( 71 Days )
Type: Video

Rachel Long’s Advanced Weekly Workshop with Special Guests

£240.00 *

Tutor: Rachel Long

Rachel Long’s Advanced Weekly Workshop with Special Guests

An exciting advanced workshop group with the much-loved Rachel Long and the benefit of special guest tutors each term.

Start Date: May 20, 2026
End Date: July 22, 2026 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video

Clarity & Vision: Advanced Poetry Workshop with Richard Price

£240.00 *

Tutor: Richard Price

Clarity & Vision: Advanced Poetry Workshop with Richard Price

Join this group for close discussion of your writing with acclaimed poet, Richard Price.

Start Date: May 22, 2026
End Date: July 24, 2026 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video

£100.00 *

Tutor: Elizabeth Parker

This Modern Love

Punk quilting and Petrarch; get romantic as we explore the latest innovations in love poetry.

Start Date: May 28, 2026
End Date: July 9, 2026 ( 43 Days )
Type: Online, Video

Friday Workshop with Natasha Hakimi Zapata

£240.00 *

Tutor: Natasha Hakimi Zapata

Friday Workshop with Natasha Hakimi Zapata

A weekly workshop for developing poets looking to improve their writing through feedback and close reading.

Start Date: May 29, 2026
End Date: July 31, 2026 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video

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HOW VIDEO WORKS

Tutor and students meet on Zoom for an online Poetry School course session or workshop and the meetings are friendly and relatively informal. Unlike our Online courses, these may not feature a CAMPUS group, but you will still be given the opportunity to share your poetry and receive feedback according to the course format chosen by the tutor.

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 between the sessions.

Our video 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 video 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

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 video courses:

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.

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

FAQ

How many courses can I take?

To ensure the best experience, we recommend taking no more than two courses per term. If you are interested in signing up to more, please email us at [email protected] to discuss the different course schedules.

The Poetry School

Video Courses

Fully digital face-to-face courses, held online via Zoom and accessible from around the world.

Face-to-face teaching is now available remotely through our Zoom-based courses

All our Video Courses

Poetic Forms for Beginners

Freedom in Form: Creativity, Control, & Craft with Jacqueline Saphra

Beginners’ Workshop Group

Technique 3.0 [How to Discover or Disown It]

Poetry at the Next Level: An Advanced Workshop with Wayne Holloway-Smith

The Close Read: Advanced Poetry Workshop with Anthony Anaxagorou

Pathways through Poetry: Module 2

Pathways through Poetry: Module 1

New Territories: An Intermediate-Advanced Workshop with Wayne Holloway-Smith

Wednesday Workshop with Tim Dooley

Advanced Poetry Workshop with Mark Waldron

Lighting the World: Writing in Times of Crisis

Rachel Long’s Advanced Weekly Workshop with Special Guests

Clarity & Vision: Advanced Poetry Workshop with Richard Price

This Modern Love

Friday Workshop with Natasha Hakimi Zapata

HOW VIDEO WORKS

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

COURSE FORMATS

FAQ

How many courses can I take?

Find a Course