Creative Writing Course: Reading & Writing Poetry

What you'll learn

Learn how to read and write poetry with our writing courses in Sydney!

Poetry has a long and complex history, and has fascinated and inspired writers for centuries. This poetry course is for anyone with an interest in poetry, regardless of their educational background. This course will give you the means to identify various poetic forms, deepen your understanding of the history of poetry, and gain insight into why poetry matters. In a hands-on approach, you will learn poetic techniques to apply to your own writing and have the chance to experiment and draft, workshop, and edit you own poems.

By stimulating your imagination with playful and exciting writing exercises, this poetry course will allow your writing skills to flourish in a positive workshop environment, as you will learn how to draft original poetry with the view of potentially being published.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this poetry course, you should be able to:

Identify various poetic techniques (such as rhyme, assonance, and metre) and use these techniques in their own writing
Draft, workshop and edit a poem
Be a better reader of poetry, with a more nuanced understanding of how poems 'speak', 'sing' and generate meaning
Provide constructive feedback to other poets who are workshopping their work.

Course content

What will be covered in this poetry course?

Traditional metric poetry vs free verse: what is the difference and why does it matter?
Emotion in poetry: love lyrics, romance and confession
Animals, landscapes and nature: from bush ballads to Aboriginal poetics
Fun with form: pantoums, haikus, sestinas and villanelles
Poetry as a ‘machine to think with’ – poetry as a philosophical tool
The purpose of poetry in the contemporary world: who reads it? Where is it published? How can I contribute?

Intended audience

Who is this poetry course for?

This course is for writers of any level.

Course materials

What to bring to class

A pen and notebook (or device for writing)
Any example of a poem or song lyric that you particularly enjoy and would like to share with the class

Course testimonials

Bernadette said: A brilliant course paired with a very knowledgeable tutor. Louise was fabulous teaching various styles and hands on poetry where we got to write our own. Highly recommend. I can’t wait for another

Course tutors

This course has no current classes. Please join our waitlist and we will notify you when we have places available. Join waitlist for Creative Writing Course: Reading & Writing Poetry