Introduction to Poetry

Learn to craft powerful, memorable poems through imagery, structure, and sound.

This four-week course is designed to immerse you in the essential craft elements that bring poems to life. You’ll explore how to create vivid imagery, use line breaks to shape meaning and rhythm, and harness the power of sound to enhance the emotional resonance of your work. From mastering the basics of poetic vocabulary to experimenting with structure and form, you'll gain the tools needed to craft poems that are both personal and impactful.

Throughout the course, you'll explore the relationship between abstract ideas and concrete language, learning how to translate complex emotions into vivid, tangible images. You’ll explore figurative language—such as similes and metaphors—while also examining how structure and sound devices, such as rhyme, repetition, and alliteration, can elevate your writing. The course will guide you through writing from personal experience, organizing ideas in surprising ways, and using sound to create mood and momentum.

By the end of the course, you'll have developed a toolkit of techniques to support your creative process and a deeper understanding of how poetry can capture and transform everyday moments. Whether you're writing from life, experimenting with form, or finding inspiration in other art forms, you'll be equipped to build a poetry practice that challenges and inspires you long after the course concludes.

What you will learn:

✔ Identify and apply foundational poetic devices, including imagery, line breaks, and sound techniques, to enhance the meaning and emotional impact of your poems
✔ Differentiate between concrete and abstract language, using vivid, sensory details to transform everyday experiences into compelling poetry
✔ Experiment with poetic structures, such as stanzas and line breaks, to control pacing, emphasize key ideas, and shape the overall flow of your work
✔ Develop strategies for sustaining a long-term poetry practice through creative prompts, revision techniques, and inspiration from other art forms

Prerequisite Skills:

• Completion of Introduction to Creative Writing, or equivalent knowledge and/or experience.