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Home » Courses

Courses

Start writing poetry, today

Join us in reading, writing, editing and translating poetry, in year-long courses, short courses, workshops, one-day sessions, seminars, tutorials and every variety of learning in between – in our classrooms, off site and online.

For more information and FAQs about how our courses work, please go to our In-Person Courses, Video Courses and Online Courses pages.

All our Courses

At Home in Hauntology: Poetry Through Derrida Masterclass Sold Out! Tutor: Agnieszka Studzinska

At Home in Hauntology: Poetry Through Derrida Masterclass

Discover what ghostliness and absence can become in your writing, as we trace the spectral in landscape and nature, time, and our relationships with those living and dead.

Start Date: May 2, 2022
End Date: July 25, 2022 ( 85 Days )
Type: Online
Advanced Poetry Workshop with Astrid Alben (Summer 2022) £195.00 * Tutor: Astrid Alben

Advanced Poetry Workshop with Astrid Alben (Summer 2022)

An exciting new advanced workshop group with the innovative Astrid Alben.

Start Date: May 3, 2022 6.45pm
End Date: July 5, 2022 ( 64 Days )
Type: In-person • Location: Poetry School, London
Birdie Hop Studio Sold Out! Tutor: James Davies

Birdie Hop Studio

Get some avian inspiration and soar through poetry's many fascinations with birds.

Start Date: May 4, 2022
End Date: June 1, 2022 ( 29 Days )
Type: Online
‘That change in the texture of my attention’: Transreading Kathleen Jamie Sold Out! Tutor: Elżbieta Wójcik-Leese

‘That change in the texture of my attention’: Transreading Kathleen Jamie

Let’s bring to the surface ‘the mutability of earthly existence'.

Start Date: May 5, 2022
End Date: July 14, 2022 ( 71 Days )
Type: Online
Insects & Poetic Inspiration Masterclass Sold Out! Tutor: Jodie Hollander

Insects & Poetic Inspiration Masterclass

Join us for this mini beast masterclass, where we'll explore what benefits insects can bring to your poems' ecosystems.

Start Date: May 9, 2022
End Date: August 1, 2022 ( 85 Days )
Type: Online
The Quality of Sprawl: Long Poems & Sequences Sold Out! Tutor: Jonathan Edwards

The Quality of Sprawl: Long Poems & Sequences

Experiment with sprawling forms, large scale works, and ambitious sequences to create a lasting impact.

Start Date: May 9, 2022
End Date: July 18, 2022 ( 71 Days )
Type: Online
Poet / Tree: Masterclass Sold Out! Tutor: Peter Hughes

Poet / Tree: Masterclass

Investigate the poetic potential of trees in myths, legends, and scientific sources.

Start Date: May 10, 2022
End Date: August 2, 2022 ( 85 Days )
Type: Online
A Slice of Butterworth-Toast: Writing Poems for Children Sold Out! Tutor: Rachel Piercey

A Slice of Butterworth-Toast: Writing Poems for Children

Write new poems for children, inspired by Charles Causley.

Start Date: May 10, 2022
End Date: July 19, 2022 ( 71 Days )
Type: Online
Cinema of Dreams: Fellini & Poetry £118.00 * Tutor: Stav Poleg

Cinema of Dreams: Fellini & Poetry

Walk the streets of Cinecittà and find inspiration in the cinema of Fellini as we experiment with dreams and memories, alongside fictional and theatrical scenes in our poetry.

Start Date: May 10, 2022
End Date: July 19, 2022 ( 71 Days )
Type: Online
Creative Constraint (Summer 2022) Sold Out! Tutor: Jacqueline Saphra

Creative Constraint (Summer 2022)

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

Start Date: May 11, 2022 6.45pm
End Date: July 20, 2022 ( 71 Days )
Type: Video
Language as Material: Scrapbooking & Poem Generation Sold Out! Tutor: Zakia Carpenter-Hall

Language as Material: Scrapbooking & Poem Generation

Language is often remade and re-envisioned through poetry, join us to expand your practice and explore different techniques in this area.

Start Date: May 11, 2022
End Date: July 20, 2022 ( 71 Days )
Type: Online
Advanced Poetry Workshop with Mark Waldron (Summer 2022) Sold Out! Tutor: Mark Waldron

Advanced Poetry Workshop with Mark Waldron (Summer 2022)

An advanced weekly workshop group with the inimitable Mark Waldron.

Start Date: May 11, 2022 6.45pm
End Date: July 20, 2022 ( 71 Days )
Type: Video
Wednesday Workshop with Tim Dooley (Summer 2022) £195.00 * Tutor: Tim Dooley

Wednesday Workshop with Tim Dooley (Summer 2022)

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

Start Date: May 11, 2022 2pm
End Date: July 13, 2022 ( 64 Days )
Type: In-person • Location: Poetry School, London
Eww, Gross: Harnessing & Understanding the Power of Disgust Masterclass Sold Out! Tutor: Victoria Kennefick

Eww, Gross: Harnessing & Understanding the Power of Disgust Masterclass

Harness the power of gross and learn to dig beneath the stomach-churning to create unforgettable poems of human experience.

Start Date: May 11, 2022
End Date: August 3, 2022 ( 85 Days )
Type: Online
‘Sand not Oil’: Transreading Modern Poetry in German Sold Out! Tutor: Karen Leeder

‘Sand not Oil’: Transreading Modern Poetry in German

Explore the dynamic world of modern and contemporary poetry in German as inspiration for new poems, translations and projects of your own.

Start Date: May 12, 2022
End Date: July 21, 2022 ( 71 Days )
Type: Online
Fortnightly Feedback with Rebecca Tamás Sold Out! Tutor: Rebecca Tamás

Fortnightly Feedback with Rebecca Tamás

Knock your loose poems into shape with some concentrated feedback from poet and essayist, Rebecca Tamás.

Start Date: May 12, 2022
End Date: July 28, 2022 ( 78 Days )
Type: Online
Live Wires: Starting to Write (Summer 2022) £195.00 * Tutor: Becky Varley-Winter

Live Wires: Starting to Write (Summer 2022)

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

Start Date: May 12, 2022 6.45pm
End Date: July 14, 2022 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video
Intermediate Poetry Workshop with Tim Dooley (Summer 2022) £195.00 * Tutor: Tim Dooley

Intermediate Poetry Workshop with Tim Dooley (Summer 2022)

Our weekly workshop for intermediate poets looking to develop their work.

Start Date: May 13, 2022 2pm
End Date: July 15, 2022 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video
What Next? (Summer 2022) Sold Out! Tutor: Wayne Holloway-Smith

What Next? (Summer 2022)

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

Start Date: May 16, 2022 6.45pm
End Date: July 18, 2022 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video
Extrasensory Perceptions: Fortean Poetry Sold Out! Tutor: Caleb Parkin

Extrasensory Perceptions: Fortean Poetry

Channel poems from phenomena just beyond our understanding

Start Date: May 16, 2022
End Date: July 25, 2022 ( 71 Days )
Type: Online
Advanced Poetry Workshop with Anthony Anaxagorou (Summer 2022) £195.00 * Tutor: Anthony Anaxagorou

Advanced Poetry Workshop with Anthony Anaxagorou (Summer 2022)

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

Start Date: May 16, 2022 2pm
End Date: July 18, 2022 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video
The Poet’s Toolkit (Summer 2022) £195.00 * Tutor: Shazea Quraishi

The Poet’s Toolkit (Summer 2022)

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

Start Date: May 16, 2022 6.45pm
End Date: July 18, 2022 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video
The Zen of Ecopoetics Sold Out! Tutor: Enaiê Mairê Azambuja

The Zen of Ecopoetics

Explore how Zen Buddhism inspired modernist American Ecopoetics.

Start Date: May 17, 2022
End Date: July 26, 2022 ( 71 Days )
Type: Online
BECOMING: Transreading Interspecies Empathy & Innovative Poetics Sold Out! Tutor: Camilla Nelson

BECOMING: Transreading Interspecies Empathy & Innovative Poetics

Get inspired by nonhuman ways of Being to create innovative, more-than human poetic work.

Start Date: May 17, 2022
End Date: July 26, 2022 ( 71 Days )
Type: Online
Sources of Poetic Language: Imagination, Wonder, & the Everyday Sold Out! Tutor: Carmen Bugan

Sources of Poetic Language: Imagination, Wonder, & the Everyday

Join us to explore language from all areas of human life as sources for innovative poetry.

Start Date: May 17, 2022 7.00 p.m.
End Date: July 19, 2022 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video
What Now? (Intermediate, Summer 2022) £195.00 * Tutor: Wayne Holloway-Smith

What Now? (Intermediate, Summer 2022)

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

Start Date: May 17, 2022 6.45pm
End Date: July 19, 2022 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video
Accidental Love Poems Sold Out! Tutor: David Tait

Accidental Love Poems

Learn to take your writing in unexpected directions and how to find the intimate in surprising places.

Start Date: May 18, 2022
End Date: July 27, 2022 ( 71 Days )
Type: Online
Poets Plunder the Archive Sold Out! Tutor: JR Carpenter

Poets Plunder the Archive

Explore archival writing processes to see what poetry can be developed from a life’s detritus

Start Date: May 19, 2022
End Date: July 28, 2022 ( 71 Days )
Type: Online
Ancestral Offerings: Myths in Mundane Life Sold Out! Tutor: romalyn ante

Ancestral Offerings: Myths in Mundane Life

Use personal objects, everyday items, and your own family legends to rewrite myths into your poetry.

Start Date: May 19, 2022
End Date: July 14, 2022 ( 57 Days )
Type: Video
Transreading Ethiopia Sold Out! Tutor: Chris Beckett

Transreading Ethiopia

Explore how the study of a proud and independent poetic tradition can liberate our own approach to poetry!

Start Date: May 19, 2022
End Date: July 28, 2022 ( 71 Days )
Type: Online
Advanced Poetry Workshop with Richard Price (Summer 2022) Sold Out! Tutor: Richard Price

Advanced Poetry Workshop with Richard Price (Summer 2022)

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

Start Date: May 20, 2022 11am
End Date: July 22, 2022 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video
Saturday Sessions with Ros Barber (Summer 2022) £190.00 * Tutor: Ros Barber

Saturday Sessions with Ros Barber (Summer 2022)

Monthly all-day Saturday workshops with Ros Barber.

Start Date: May 21, 2022 10.30am
End Date: July 16, 2022 ( 57 Days )
Type: In-person • Location: Poetry School, London
Poetry Surgery with Nick Makoha Sold Out! Tutor: Nick Makoha

Poetry Surgery with Nick Makoha

In-depth 1-2-1 discussion on your poetry with Nick Makoha.

Start Date: May 21, 2022 10.30 a.m.
Type: In-person • Location: Poetry School, London
The Poetic Launch & Ending: A Masterclass £118.00 * Tutor: Linda Gregerson

The Poetic Launch & Ending: A Masterclass

Explore strategies for launching your poems and learn how to prepare them for successful landings.

Start Date: May 26, 2022 6.45pm
End Date: July 21, 2022 ( 57 Days )
Type: In-person • Location: Poetry School, London
Choosing Brave: Feminism & the Written Word Studio+ Sold Out! Tutor: Leah Umansky

Choosing Brave: Feminism & the Written Word Studio+

Respect our existence or expect resistance.

Start Date: May 30, 2022
End Date: July 4, 2022 ( 36 Days )
Type: Online
Poetry Surgery with Rebecca Watts Sold Out! Tutor: Rebecca Watts

Poetry Surgery with Rebecca Watts

In-depth 1-2-1 discussion on your poetry with Rebecca Watts.

Start Date: June 4, 2022 10.30 a.m.
Type: Video
Antony Dunn Seminars – Summer Sessions 2022 £132.50 * Tutor: Antony Dunn

Antony Dunn Seminars – Summer Sessions 2022

Extra Summer sessions of Antony Dunn's intimate monthly seminars.

Start Date: June 7, 2022 6.15pm
End Date: September 15, 2022 ( 101 Days )
Type: Seminar, Video
Poetry Beyond Semantics: Broken & Unbroken Code – Studio+ Sold Out! Tutor: vilde b. torset

Poetry Beyond Semantics: Broken & Unbroken Code – Studio+

Explore the intimacy of poetry on the boundaries of the readerly and discover new possibilities for what poems can be.

Start Date: July 8, 2022
End Date: August 5, 2022 ( 29 Days )
Type: Online
Creative Response Studio: Finding Our Why Sold Out! Tutor: Victoria Adukwei Bulley

Creative Response Studio: Finding Our Why

Apply best practice to poetry commissions and residencies.

Start Date: July 8, 2022
End Date: August 5, 2022 ( 29 Days )
Type: Online
Dreaming Awake on the Page: A Surreal Narrative Workshop £84.00 * Tutor: Vik Shirley

Dreaming Awake on the Page: A Surreal Narrative Workshop

Dive headfirst into Surrealism and learn to push your writing into strange new places.

Start Date: July 23, 2022 10.30am
End Date: July 23, 2022 ( 1 Day )
Type: Video
Of Mutability: Ekphrasis & the Body £84.00 * Tutor: Claire Collison

Of Mutability: Ekphrasis & the Body

Explore a range of creative approaches to ekphrasis, with a focus on inclusive representation.

Start Date: July 23, 2022 10.30am
End Date: July 30, 2022 ( 8 Days )
Type: In-person
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How it works

The Poetry School’s teaching year runs over three ‘terms’ – Autumn, Spring and Summer. Each term we offer around 40-50 courses and workshops that cater to a variety of levels, varying in length and subject matter. The course programme changes every term with more new courses, workshops and tutors, but often includes courses that run over three terms and popular repeats.

We offer both ‘classroom’ teaching (UK) and ‘virtual’ teaching (international). You can visit our In-Person Courses, Video Courses and Online Courses pages for more detailed information about course structures, process and what to expect.

Finding the right Course

Most of our courses and workshops accommodate writers with a wide range of experience, but some are specifically designed for beginners or more practicised poets.

Here are our definitions:

  • Beginner – Learning the ropes: beginning to write poetry.
  • Intermediate – Starting to develop your voice, generate more work and grow confident on the page.
  • Advanced – Able to confidently edit, hone, discuss and critique your poetry.

Our programme is developed around these three teaching levels, although we also offer many courses that are Open to all – courses aimed at all levels, often focusing on a specific theme or inspirational subject matter.

FAQ

What is poetry?
There is no one answer, and many, many people have their own ideas. Here are some definitions we like:

‘Literary work in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by the use of distinctive style and rhythm’ – OED

‘Poetry is a heightened imagistic use of language that does things to the heart and head’ – Grace Nichols

‘A made thing, a verbal construct, an event in language’ – Edward Hirsch

‘Poetry is memorable speech’ – W H Auden

‘Poetry does not explain life. It gives life to feeling and seeing’ – Sarah Stetie

‘Why, Sir, it is much easier to say what it is not’ – Samuel Johnson

I’m already publishing and performing poetry – what can you do to help me?
We have an expanding programme of projects and activities which seek to address the continuing professional development needs of practising poets, from residencies to enhanced publishing, editing and performance opportunities and beyond. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest details.
Will the Poetry School help me become a poet?
Since 1997, when the Poetry School was founded, our students have gone on to publish in magazines and online; they've produced pamphlets and books as poets and editors with publishers from the smallest independents to the largest commercial houses; they've won multiple prizes and awards; they've become poetry tutors themselves; they've moved on to take poetry MAs and PhDs.; they’ve set up performance nights, magazines, shows and events. While we can't guarantee that all students will go on to get published; serious engagement with the art and craft of poetry in the company of tutors and fellow students who are as passionate about the form as you are can only ever improve your chances of getting your work out to a wider audience.

Email: [email protected] • Tel: 0207 582 1679

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