Course overview

This course will explore how to produce poems which rhyme. In the twentieth century, particularly post-war, vers libre and syllabic verse have proliferated, yet poets persist in writing rhymed and rhythmical poetry. During these five weeks, we will examine how modern poets deploy rhyme and integrate it into the rhythms of ordinary speech and a demotic vocabulary. Each session will be a workshop, which examines and puts into practice your own experiments in rhyme, allowing you to develop first drafts and then finished versions of at least three new poems. The workshops will be mutually supportive at all times, supportive and inspirational.

Course description

How easy it is to descend from hero to zero in a rhymed poem, and as a result, we will discuss how to discover rhymes and how to evaluate them. English is a rhyme poor language in comparison to Italian, and yet there are still plural forms of rhyme to engage with: full rhyme, half-rhyme, assonantal and consonantal rhyme to list several.

Rhymes are not difficult to find, but controlling rhyme is, and we will explore how to write poems which express what you actually wish to communicate, rather than writing poems in which you are led by rhyme, and your original intention is lost.

Recognising how to control rhyme and make it appear an almost natural part of speech is a craft, and we will analyse how best to achieve this by examining the rhythms of modern speech.

These elements we shall apply to the creation of drafts of a sonnet, a villanelle and the ballad forms.

Each session will be illustrated by examples of recent poets’ work in these various poetic forms, and the craft that we discern will then be applied to your own work.

These workshops led by Stephen Smith prove consistently popular because of their inspirational qualities, the provision of information regarding techniques, and the mutually supportive atmosphere in which they take place.

What financial support is available?

We don't want anything to stand in your way when it comes to bringing Adult learning within reach so if you need anything to support you to achieve your goals then speak to one of our education experts during your enrolment journey. Most of our courses are government funded but if you don't qualify or need alternative financial help to access them then let us know.

What other support is available?

All of our digital content, teaching and learning activities and assessments are designed to be accessible so if you need any additional support you can discuss this with the education experts during your enrolment journey and we will do all we can to make sure you have optimal access.

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