AFRIC MCGLINCHEY
Online Poetry Courses
Beginners
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This poetry course aims to introduce the basic tools used in the making of a poem. Participants will be offered triggers to excite an idea which will then be developed into a poem. You will look at free verse as well as more structured forms. The participant can expect to have produced a number of poems by the end of the course.
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Each week, you will focus on a particular poetic tool or device.
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Week One
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Idea trigger – poem(s) developed based on memory and senses.
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Week Two
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Using images to act as a springboard for making a poem.
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Week Three
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Looking at rhyme – creating a soundscape in your poetry. Structured form.
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Week Four
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Using personal experience as material for poetry. Free verse.
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Week Five
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Syllabic verse – playing with rhythm and metre.
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Week Six
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Auditioning your words – drafting and redrafting poems until they sparkle.
Intermediate
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This poetry course aims to provide a clear grasp of how imagery, metaphor, sound, rhythm, rhyme and form are used in the making of a poem.
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Participants can expect to create original poems, try out various poetry forms and learn editing skills. The course is suitable for those who have already begun to write poetry and would like to develop their skills.
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Each week you will focus on a particular poetic tool or device and also a particular form.
The participant should expect to have written a minimum of six original poems by the end of the course.
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Week One
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Tools – Images; Form: haiku (with examples)
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Week Two
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Tools – soundscape (assonance; alliteration etc); Form: ekphrasis (with examples)
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Week Three
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Tools – the line; Form: confessional verse (with examples)
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Week Four
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Tools – simile and metaphor; Form: the ode (with examples)
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Week Five
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Tools – repetition; Form: the pantoum (with examples)
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Week Six
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Tools – metre and rhythm; Form: sonnet: (with examples)
Advanced
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This poetry course will develop participants’ understanding of imagery, soundscape and rhythm in the making of a poem. It will also introduce a number of forms to extend the depth and breadth of the poet’s skill. Participants can expect to create original poems, experiment with different poetry forms and learn editing skills. The course is suitable for those whose poems are already being published in journals and who are working towards a collection.
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Participants will also be directed to read a variety of poems and essays to develop their critical understanding and appreciation of poetry.
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The participant should expect to have written a minimum of six original poems by the end of the course.