Growing Your Poetic Voice: A course for writers with some experience of writing poetry
Online booking will be available on Monday 2 March.
Focus each week on a specific subject, including writing for special events, nature writing, writing for publication and much more.
This 10-week course is aimed at anyone who has some previous experience of writing poetry – either through a previous adult education class, a writing group, an on-line course, or self-taught independent practise. It would also be of interest to writers with experience of other forms of creative writing who would like to develop their poetic practise. Maybe you’ve been writing privately and now wish to challenge yourself further, or have the opportunity to develop your writing with other emerging and new voices. There will be opportunities to work on your own writing and to share it.
We will develop our work using two writing prompts each week, supported by examples of contemporary poetry, PowerPoints to further develop writing confidence and lots of time to share work and receive peer feedback. Class members will also be encouraged to work and share other writing and to develop their own poetic voice in a safe and supportive learning environment.
Week 1: 23 April
Agreeing the course programme, how sessions will work, personal goal setting for the next 10 weeks, ground rules for giving and receiving feedback, and ice breaker exercise. This session will also include two writing prompts and time for group members to share their work.
Week 2: 30 April
Nature writing – writing about the natural world in a time of climate anxiety. This session will include close reading of a contemporary poem, two writing prompts and time for group members to share their work.
Week 3: 7 May
Using constraints to free up our work – exploring the work of the Olipu school, close reading of a contemporary poem, two writing prompts and time for group members to share their work.
Week 4: 14 May
Writing poems from other people’s points of view/lived experience. This session will use some of the research methodology from my tutor Cathi’s own PhD research as writing prompts and there will be time for group members to share their work.
Week 5: 21 May
I don’t know what to write about! Practical strategies to deal with writers block and how to keep writing when inspiration is lacking. This session will include a number of super-short writing prompts and there will be time for group members to share their work.
Week 6: 4 June
Bespoke and commissioned poetry – how to write poems for special occasions and how to research to create a bespoke poem. There will be a longer writing prompt and time for group members to share their work.
Week 7: 11 June
Finding inspiration outside of yourself – the homage poem and using visual prompts. We will use an existing contemporary poem as a longer writing prompt and explore how we can use art or photography as a springboard for our own work.
Week 8: 18 June
Editing/re-drafting and improving our work. Group members will be encouraged to bring existing work or rough drafts and work collaboratively to further develop these into finished pieces.
Week 9: 25 June
Getting your poetry to a wider audience – small press publication/self-publishing/performing your work at spoken word events. This session will include practical advice and understanding how submission works.
Week 10: 2 July
Performance/reading and sharing session – an opportunity for a longer sharing session with feedback.
Please note: no session on Thursday 28 May 2026.
Book all 10 weeks together and receive a 10% discount (automatically applied when you book).
About the tutor:
Tutor Cathi Rae is a widely published poet, spoken word artist, multiple poetry slam winner, workshop facilitator and experienced teacher of adult education. Her work has appeared in journals, online magazines, poetry anthologies and art exhibitions. Cathi has performed throughout the UK at poetry events, festivals and arts events, and has been described as a spoken word icon! She has an MA in Creative Writing and PhD in Poetry from the University of Leicester. And she probably doesn’t read enough either!
Further information:
Participants must be aged 18+.
A complimentary notebook and pencils/pens will be provided.
This 10-week course runs on Thursday evenings, 6pm – 8pm, starting on 23 April and ending on 2 July 2026.
Although this is a 10-week course, each week is designed as a stand-alone workshop so if you are only able to attend some of the dates, or if you’d like to spread the booking/payment over the 10 weeks, you can book individual sessions week by week.
Book all 10 weeks together and receive a 10% discount (automatically applied when you book).
If the course/workshop you’d like to book is sold out, we do operate a waiting list – simply contact our box office team on 0116 252 2455 / arts-centre@le.ac.uk and ask to be added to the waiting list. We’ll then contact you if a place becomes available, with absolutely no obligation to accept it if you’ve made other plans!
Please ensure that you agree to our updated Terms & Conditions before booking as courses/workshops are non-refundable if cancelled within 21 days of the start date for any reason.
We aim to make all our sessions as accessible as possible and carers/PAs are very welcome – just remember to book their free place when you book your session. If you’d like to talk to us in advance of booking or attending your sessions to discuss your access needs, our Box Office team is here to help! Email arts-centre@le.ac.uk, pop in or call 0116 252 2455, open 7 days a week.
We have four blue badge parking spaces outside Attenborough Arts Centre, plus double yellow line roadside parking very close to the building for blue badge holders for up to three hours if our parking spaces are occupied.
Free parking for all customers is available after 5pm on weekdays and all day at weekends in the University of Leicester car park next door to Attenborough Arts Centre on Lancaster Road.
The closest public car park for parking at all other times is Victoria Park, 5-10 minutes walk from us (near De Montfort Hall).
