Poetry, Memory, & Musicality Masterclass
Consider how musicality can create poetic meaning and sound can work as a gateway to the senses.
In this course we’ll look at our most powerful memories and learn how to craft musical poems from them, by studying some of the basics of metrical and free verse poetry, as well as investigating how sound works within the poetic line.
Participants will learn how to create ear-pleasing poetry, with a special focus on tempo, pacing, and the effective use of line breaks. More broadly, we’ll consider how sound works as a gateway to the senses and how musicality creates its own kind of meaning within a poem.
This is a course for anyone who wants to make their poetic line more musical. Exercises will be designed to help writers draw inspiration from their own experiences and then transform these observations into powerful, singing poetry.
Masterclasses are an expanded version of our International Courses, with a much deeper consideration of technical craft and critical theory. These 12-week courses (maximum 10 places) are for advanced students only, and fluency with poetic language and ideas will be assumed. There are no live chats and they are suitable for UK and International students.
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 or wish to be added to the waiting list of a sold-out course, please email [email protected]. For more information visit our Online Courses page.
Image credit: Caroline Veronez
About Jodie Hollander 
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Jodie Hollander’s work has appeared in journals such as The Poetry Review, The Yale Review, The Harvard Review, PN Review, The Kenyon Review, Poetry London, The Hudson Review, The Dark Horse, The New Criterion, The Rialto, Verse Daily, The Best Australian Poems of 2011, and The Best Australian Poems of 2015. Her debut full-length collection, My Dark Horses, was published with Liverpool University Press & Oxford University Press. Her second collection, Nocturne, will be published with the Liverpool & Oxford University Press in the spring of 2023. Hollander is the recipient of a MacDowell fellowship and a Fulbright fellowship in South Africa. She is also the originator of ‘Poetry in the Parks,’ in conjunction with several National Parks and Monuments in the US.
'The Poetry School is an inspiring community for developing one's poetry and connecting with like minded people. It changed my life - I wouldn't be without it.'
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