‘Much have I travelled’: The Poem as Journey
Impulse, embarkation, arrival, discovery, surprise; crafting well-travelled poetry.
‘Not all those who wander are lost.’ – J.R.R Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
‘Life, as the most ancient of metaphors insists, is a journey…’ – Jonathan Raban
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Journey (noun). Synonyms: excursion, expedition, jaunt, odyssey, outing, passage, peregrination, pilgrimage, progress, ramble, tour, travel, trek, trip, voyage.
For hundreds of years, poets have been fascinated by the experience of travel – writing poems exploring journeys that are rapturous or difficult, local or distant, spiritual or physical, literal or metaphorical.
Writing about journeys offers so many angles and possibilities. As part of this writing journey, we’ll explore poems by Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, Khalil Gilbran, Edna St Vincent Millay, Elizabeth Bishop, Imtiaz Dharker, Sheenagh Pugh, Simon Armitage, John Agard, Grace Nicholls, Olive Runner, and others, as possible ‘starting points’ and inspiration for our own travels. We’ll use (but not confine ourselves to) our own memories and experiences, and we’ll also consider journeys we haven’t yet taken, and places that exist in our own, or others’, imaginations.
Pack an open mind, and a willingness to ‘off road’ when necessary.
5 fortnightly sessions over 10 weeks, starting 9 Oct 2024. No live chats. Suitable for UK & International students.
Concessions & Accessibility
To apply for a concessionary rate, please send relevant documentation showing your eligibility for one of our concessions to [email protected]; conditions of eligibility are detailed here. If you have any questions, wish to be added to the waiting list of a sold-out course, or require any form of adjustment to access our courses, please email [email protected]. For more information visit our Online Courses page.
Image credit: @didsss
About Catherine Smith 
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Catherine Smith has published two pamphlets (The New Bride and The New Cockaigne) and three full collections of poetry, The Butcher’s Hands, Lip, and Otherwhere. Twice shortlisted for Forward Prizes and once for the Aldeburgh/Jerwood First Collection Prize, she was selected as one of ‘the twenty most exhilarating poets of her generation’ in the PBS/Arts Council ‘Next Generation’ promotion, and also one of Mslexia’s Top Ten Women Poets. She co-adapted her pamphlet-length supernatural narrative poem, The New Cockaigne, for a Live Literature show. She has performed her poetry at The Royal Festival Hall, and Latitude and Port Eliot Festival. Her poetry for adults and for children is widely anthologised. She has taught poetry for adults, teenagers and children for over 20 years and many of her students are now published poets.
"Many of my favourite and strongest poems began in PS courses."
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