AFRIC MCGLINCHEY
ONLINE POETRY COURSES
beginnerS
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.
​
Each week, you will focus on a particular poetic tool or device.
week 1
Idea trigger – poem(s) developed based on memory and senses.
week 2
Using images to act as a springboard for making a poem.
week 3
Looking at rhyme – creating a soundscape in your poetry. Structured form.
week 4
Using personal experience as material for poetry. Free verse.
week 5
Syllabic verse – playing with rhythm and metre.
week 6
Auditioning your words – drafting and redrafting poems until they sparkle.
intermediate
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.
​
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.
​
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.
week 1
Tools – Images; Form: haiku (with examples)
week 2
Tools – soundscape (assonance; alliteration etc); Form: ekphrasis (with examples)
week 3
Tools – the line; Form: confessional verse (with examples)
week 4
Tools – simile and metaphor; Form: the ode (with examples)
week 5
Tools – repetition; Form: the pantoum (with examples)
week 6
Tools – metre and rhythm; Form: sonnet: (with examples)
advanced
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.
​
Participants will also be directed to read a variety of poems and essays to develop their critical understanding and appreciation of poetry.
​
The participant should expect to have written a minimum of six original poems by the end of the course.
week 1
Auditioning the words. Form: The villanelle
week 2
Creating a natural voice. Form: The epistolary poem
week 3
Beyond mere words. Form: The prose poem
week 4
Feeling into words. Form: Rhapsody
week 5
Seeking the strange. Form: Exquisite corpse
week 6
Finding the beat. Form: Syllabic verse