Write by Moonlight: A Poetic Lunar Cycle Studio+

Follow the lunar cycle and make your own meanings out of the moon in poetry.

In poetry, it’s always the moon: the moon shines in at the window when only the poet remains awake with their thoughts; moonlight exposes all of the poet’s secret tristes, and illuminates the murkiest mysteries; the moon has served the poet as an apt metaphor for everything, from birth and beauty, to old age and death, and it has done so all over the world for many hundreds of years. Melancholy, evasive, romantic, the moon is the poet’s timeless obsession, we are never finished with it. Find out what the moon means to you, and write a cycle of your own lunar poems. 

This course is built around a moon-gazing diary (the ‘+’ in this ‘Studio+’). Throughout the lunar cycle, you will keep observational notes about the moon: how and when it appears to you, how you encounter it, how you feel, what you experience as it orbits your world. At significant points in the moon cycle – new moon, waxing half-moon, full moon, and waning half-moon – we will be inspired by poetry of the moon, explore its associations, reflect and write. At the end of this course, on the dark moon, there will also be a brief epilogue to let us reflect on the changes we have seen and the changes to come. 

We will gaze at the moon again and again, but each time we look we will see something different, something new. The moon is never the same moon twice; by charting its forms and phases, by following its path through your own life, you will gain an intimate sense of the moon’s cycle and what it means, you will explore your emotional and imaginative connections to the moon, and become more familiar with your own sublunary place here on Earth. 

Studio+ Courses are an expanded version of our Studios and feature a portfolio of preliminary reading, alongside 4 writing assignments, and some additional bonus features bespoke to each course, such as Zoom sessions, collaborative projects, and inter-disciplinary work. There are no Live Chats on this course. Suitable for UK & International students. 

Concessions & Accessibility

To apply for a concession 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].

What to Expect

Please check the left hand side of this page for information on how this course works in practice, under the heading ‘Course Style‘. If you’re unsure as to what any of the terms there mean, or if this course is a good fit for you, please visit our What to Expect page which includes some further information on how our courses function.

Image credit: @tegethoff

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