The course will consist of nine two-hour Zoom group classes. Each class will include fifteen/twenty minutes of guided writing time with prompts, or alternatively, a take-home writing exercise.
As part of the course, you’ll also receive two thirty-minute tutorials, and there will be a set text, Dear Boy by Emily Berry, which will be discussed during classes and culminate in a Zoom reading and Q&A with the author.
The course takes place on Thursday evenings, running from 22 April until 8 July from 7–9pm
Session 1 — 22 April: Introductions with Maurice & Richard, then Rapidity and Concision with Maurice
How to use language on a higher plane than in prose, thereby achieving a vigorous lyric style. We analyse examples of imaginative language in Sylvia Plath, Stevie Smith, Les Murray, and more. An exercise on riddling and metaphor. With Maurice Riordan
Session 2 — 29 April: Self-portraiture and Objects with Richard
'No ideas but in things,’ but what ideas and which objects? Starting with William Carlos Williams, this session will examine the art of writing about oneself through the prism of a concrete object.
Session 3 — 6 May: Trivial Pursuits with Maurice
How to write a poem on the spot – or appear to! We look at poems where one’s intimate world intersects with the public sphere of history or celebrity, in poems by Paul Muldoon, Kathryn Maris and Frank O’Hara. An exercise on writing a ‘lunch’ poem.
Session 4 — 13 May: Drafting and Editing with Richard
Is a poem ever finished? And how do we know when it's ready? By examining first and last drafts together, we will explore our own process and tap into the possibilities hidden within our work.
Session 5 — 20 May: Liquid Engineering with Maurice
How can syntax and lineation give a poem impetus and momentum? We look at how poets, such as Michael Longley and Emily Berry, use sentences variously to powerful effect. Exercise on writing a one-sentence poem.
Session 6 — 27 May: The Art of Description with Richard
Fine-tune your descriptive writing by channelling your inner scientist! Using poems by George Herbert, Elizabeth Bishop and Mark Doty as models, this session will guide you through the careful and detailed art of describing in a poem.
Session 7 — 3 June: One-to-ones with Maurice & Richard
Session 8 — 10 June: Contemporary Edge with Maurice
What styles and techniques have achieved success in recent years? And how do they relate to older models? We look at centos, pastiche, ‘golden shovels’, glosas. Exercise on interacting with a ‘classic’ poem.
Session 9 — 17 June: Confessionalism and Masks with Richard
Exactly what is confessional poetry? And how might this paradoxical term and group of notorious poets guide us today? Looking at the masks we might wear when writing poetry, this session will explore our confessional lineage and our post-confessional future.
Session 10 — 24 June: One-to-ones with Maurice & Richard
Session 11 — 1 July: Guest Evening, linked into the set text,TBC
An evening with the author of your set text. Throughout the course you will have been reading his work – and we will have been examining it together in class. Now you will have an opportunity to hear the poet read and even ask them your own questions.
Session 12 — 8 July: Consolidation, Next Steps and final reading with Maurice & Richard
You’ve spent twelve weeks studying poetry, so what next? This session will look at routes into publication and examine how to perform your own poetry; and it will culminate with an online group reading!
Please note that the Faber Academy alumni discount does not apply to poetry courses.