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Writing Poetry

Carol Ann Duffy

Writing Poetry

Create your own collection of poems with the former Poet Laureate.

This course includes:

25 lessons

5.5 hours

27 exercises

What you'll learn

Join Carol Ann on a journey to discovering your poetic voice, from finding inspiration to crafting your own unique poetry style.

  • Use memory and imagination
  • Develop a unique style
  • Learn the power of your senses
  • Write for different occasions
  • Build your own collection
  • Find time to write

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Ever since publishing her first seismic collection of work “Standing Female Nude” in 1985, the literary world has been paying close attention to Carol Ann Duffy’s captivating lyricism and fresh take on what poetry can be. She has received numerous awards over the course of her career, including the Dylan Thomas Award, the Whitbread Poetry Award, the T.S. Eliot Prize, and the Lannan Literary Award for Poetry and the E. M. Forster Award in America.

She was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 2009-2019, made a Dame in the 2015 New Year Honours list, and is currently Professor and Creative Director of the Manchester Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Lesson plan (25)

  1. 01

    Writing Poetry Introduction

    03:46

  2. 02

    Memory as imagination: place

    15:06

  3. 03

    Memory as imagination: people

    09:55

  4. 04

    Your own words

    22:39

  5. 05

    Read to write

    12:22

  6. 06

    Learning poems by heart

    08:34

  7. 07

    Finding inspiration: art

    12:35

  8. 08

    Finding inspiration: story

    23:42

  9. 09

    Finding inspiration: your own interests

    08:35

  10. 10

    Coming to your senses: looking, smelling, listening, tasting, touching

    15:19

  11. 11

    Coming to your senses: the weather

    10:46

  12. 12

    Coming to your senses: love poems

    16:06

  13. 13

    The world we live in: up close

    15:33

  14. 14

    The world we live in: towns & cities

    12:43

  15. 15

    Time: receiving the baton

    21:36

  16. 16

    Time: a year in your life

    10:29

  17. 17

    Time: writing backwards

    09:19

  18. 18

    Choosing a form

    21:25

  19. 19

    Drafting and redrafting

    25:16

  20. 20

    Writing for occasions: the personal

    07:46

  21. 21

    Writing for occasions: the public

    11:05

  22. 22

    Anthologies and answering back

    13:11

  23. 23

    Writing poetry for children

    18:19

  24. 24

    Building a collection

    11:52

  25. 25

    Don't give up your day job

    16:14

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Use the world around you as inspiration with poet, Carol Ann Duffy

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