This course has now started. Sign up for our waitlist here to find out when it’s running again. In the meantime, check out our list of current courses or sign up for our Newsbite weekly newsletter for updates.

This writing course, Online: Poetry with Pip Smith, takes place online.

Refine your poetry with this six-week online poetry course. Join award-winning poet Pip Smith to experiment with form and technique in order to draw out the ideas, subject or emotion at the heart of your work.

Is this course right for you? Read our FAQ before enrolling>>

You will write a minimum of six new poems, and have those poems workshopped by Pip and the group. Writing in a variety of poetic styles, techniques and forms, you’ll fine-tune your own personal approach to the writing of poetry. Finally, you’ll have the opportunity to refine your best poems before submitting for publication or performance.

Course Outline

Week 1: Poetic traditions and your place

What are our poetic traditions? What is poetry in 2024? This week we will briefly survey the vast poetic terrain of the 20th and 21st centuries, consider our allegiances and biases (and how helpful or unhelpful they might be), before planning how we will develop a productive writing practice over the following six weeks and beyond.

Week 2: Emotion and language – turning abstractions into concrete images

This week we will learn how to turn unwieldy angst or exultation into razor sharp, affecting poetry. We will describe universal feelings through specific details, and learn how to compress everyday language to make every word work. Focus on form: the lyric and the haiku.

Week 3: Imagination and language – figures of speech

This week we will interrogate figures of speech, ask what they bring to poetry, and find ways to breathe new, imaginative life into the way we describe the world around us. Focus on form: the conceit.

Week 4: Form and the poetic line

This week we will explore the basic unit of poetry: the poetic line.

We will ask: when should we break a line, when should we end a line, and how do poets twist the line to suit their needs? We will finish by looking at the refrain, and the forms in which the refrain is used and manipulated. Focus on form: the villanelle and the pantoum.

Week 5: Music and metrics

This week we will consider the musical qualities of poetry, paying particular attention to internal rhyme, word play, metrics, rhythm and other poetic devices which can be used to structure free verse poetry. Focus on form: syllable poems, beat poetry, spoken word.

Week 6: Sending your poems into the world

This week we will develop our own personal guides for revision. What should we cut from drafts? How can we use stanza breaks, line breaks, and the conventions of formal poetry to help us compress our coal-like drafts into razor sharp, crystal clear diamonds?

Pip will also give poets advice and tips on publishing and performing their work, providing links to articles on publishing and to appropriate publications open for submission. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions about writing process and publication.

Please note, this is an online instructional course with weekly lessons and some feedback. If you’re looking for a course which provides you in-depth feedback on your poetry, enrol in one of our upcoming Online Feedback: Poetry courses, starting later this year.

Participant Requirements

Internet access and confidence using basic computer software are essential for this program. Please read our FAQ before enrolling.

You do not need to log into the course at a specific time and there are no live meetings. You will receive an email with an invitation link to join the online classroom a week before the course starts.

Please expect to spend a minimum of three to four hours per week on the course, noting that the amount of time needed to read, respond to discussions, write, revise and critique will vary from person to person. To get the most out of this course, we recommend logging in at least once a week. You don’t need to log in at a specific time.

• You can complete the lesson material in your own time.
• There will be assignments which have deadlines. To be guaranteed tutor feedback, you will need to complete the assignments by the deadline.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

While this course is aimed at aspiring and emerging poets, all levels of poets are welcome, though poets must be comfortable reading and commenting on all levels of work. Guidance for peers critiquing will be provided.

Reviews

‘The course was amazingly helpful and I walked away with some poems that I am really proud of that I may not have written had it not been for Pip and the course.’ — Ruth, 2023

‘I did this course last year and absolutely loved it. One of the poems I started in this course ended up being published in Cordite Poetry Review – my first published. I can’t recommend it highly enough.’ — Alice, 2022

‘[I enjoyed] engaging with a like-minded poetry ‘tribe’ – all ages/areas from northern to southern NSW. Really enjoyed the opportunity to share with and learn from others. Pip is a supportive tutor who provided thoughtful, personal feedback, tailored to individual student’s work. She inspired, challenged and encouraged us. I liked the self paced nature of the course – this worked well for me as I had time to devote to completing all readings/tasks. Easy to navigate the online classroom – ongoing, interactive material and support.’ — Angela, 2022

More from Writing NSW

Check out our full range of in-person writing courses in Sydney, our online writing courses and our feedback programs to see how we can help you on your writing journey. Find out about our grants and prizes, as well as writing groups across NSW, and sign up to our weekly newsletter for writing events, opportunities and giveaways.