Poetry is a means to channel and express your emotions. It is also one of the oldest forms of art there is. For both writers and readers, poetry presents a powerful means to explore topics, which may otherwise be difficult to communicate. We usually turn to poetry in times of grief and in times of celebration. Poetry is written to comfort ourselves and express our life experiences with our readers. Many read poetry to better understand one’s own feelings and learn about the world beyond our personal experiences.
For novice writers and non-poets, modern poetry can be pretty arbitrary. Unless you know the poet’s techniques and tools, you are powerless, and there is no way for you to discern between good and bad poetry when you are sold short.
Learning professionally about poetry by taking up online poetry classes gives you the skill to appreciate the techniques that lie at the core of modern English poetry.
So, to help you learn poetry, we have come up with a list of the seven best online poetry classes on the internet. Most of these online poetry writing classes are reasonably priced. A few of them are even free. However, in our list below, we decided the ranking of these online poetry writing classes based on the following factors:
- a) authenticity of the platform wherein this online poetry course is offered,
- b) experience of the tutor imparting these online poetry writing classes,
- c)price-point of the course, and
- d) finally, the ratings and reviews from the students who have taken these online poetry classes in the past.
Now, let us get started and address these online poetry classes one by one.
Best Online Poetry Classes
- Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop – Offered By California Institute Of The Arts – Coursera
- Modern & Contemporary American Poetry (“Modpo”) – Offered By University Of Pennsylvania – Coursera
- Writing For Expression: How To Make Your Words More Artful & Lyrical – Skillshare
- Poetry I: Introduction To Making Poems – Skillshare
- The Essential Poet’s Toolbox For Readers And Writers – Udemy
- Creative Writing: How To Write Poetry – Udemy
- Modern American Poetry – Offered By University Of Illinois – Coursera
Best Online Poetry Writing Classes
1. Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop – Offered By California Institute Of The Arts – Coursera
What is this course all about?
If you seek the best online classes for poetry, there is none better than this incredibly amazing poetry writing course by Coursera. This poetry writing course is offered by the California Institute of the Arts and has a rating of 4.7. Over 81,893 people have already enrolled in this poetry writing course.
Why write average poems when you can write better ones? This Coursera poetry writing course is designed with the notion that your journey to producing the most incredible writing starts with the first draft. This poetry writing course is designed preferably for the folks who believe that writing poems merely for self-expression is like using the internet for only emails. Poetry can change the manner you and your readers think about the world and its inhabitants. Poetry is powerful enough to break the new language ground. It can turn a blank sheet of paper into a teeming concert of voices, thoughts, and music.
Although many of us can make it happen, knowing how the different poetic composition tools work and their proper use provides you with more ways to experiment. If done right, you might surprise yourself more than you surprise others.
Your trainer will cover the vital poetic devices and terms in this poetry writing course by studying poems from a bunch of modern and contemporary poets. This will give you a chance to try your hand at writing new poem drafts from a selected number of prompts.
All through this online poetry course, you will have the opportunity to workshop your poem drafts and receive feedback on your work, thereby leading you to the path of producing a more polished poem.
After you are through with this online poetry course, you will be lauded with a shareable certificate. You can either download and print to include in your CV or share on your LinkedIn. Having this certificate will certainly better your job prospects if you want to become a tutor. This online poetry course is 100% online and comes with flexible deadlines. So, you can reset the deadlines as your schedule permits.
Learner Career Outcomes
Upon the successful completion of these online poetry classes:
- 36 percent of people started a new career
- 26 percent received a tangible career benefit
What do you need?
This online poetry course is a beginner-level course. So, as such, there is no need for past knowledge of poetry writing. The course takes about eight hours to complete. So, you have to spare that time. It is an English language course. So, fluency in the language is also a must. You can find subtitles in other languages, such as Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, and Spanish.
Review VS:
This was a superb workshop. I enjoyed myself thoroughly and learned a lot that came in my way. Grasping poetry devices taught in such an fun way was really awesome. The mentors were very supportive.
2. Modern & Contemporary American Poetry (“ModPo”) – Offered by University of Pennsylvania – Coursera
What is this course all about?
The next one on our online poetry writing courses list is again a Coursera poetry writing course. This is one of the top-rated online poetry writing courses, with a rating of 4.9. The University of Pennsylvania offers it. Thus, this happens to be one of the most prestigious online poetry writing courses on our list.
ModPo is a fast-paced introduction to contemporary and modern U.S. poetry. There is a particular emphasis on the experimental verse from Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson to the present. Through this poetry writing course, you will learn to read supposedly difficult poems. Your expert tutor will discuss poems one at a time. Also, upon taking this one of the top-valued online poetry writing courses, poetry writing will get easier for you.
ModPo is open all around the year. So, you can enroll now, or anytime, and join this poetry writing course. Every year ModPo hosts an interactive and lively 10-week session, wherein you work together with the experts through the ten-week syllabus. If you want to be part of their next live 10-week session, it will begin on September 4, 2021, and conclude on November 15, 2021.
Through these 10-week online poetry classes, you will be guided through poems, and there will be video discussion for every poem, followed by community discussion. It is one of the unique online poetry writing courses amongst the several other open online courses. Through this course, you get weekly, interactive live webcasts. The renowned Tas also provides you with office hours all through the week. They can even arrange meet-ups and in-site study groups.
This is a 100% online course. So, you can start, complete, and learn at your schedule.
What do you need?
This is one of the most prevalent beginner-level online poetry writing courses on the internet. The course takes about 80-hours to complete. As this is an English language course, you need to understand and have fluency in the language. However, you can find subtitles in Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish.
Review DB:
Great Course. Great Experience. Everyone Should at least One Course from Coursera. I highly recommend it to all my students, friends, colleagues living anywhere on this earth.
3. Writing for Expression: How to Make Your Words More Artful & Lyrical – Skillshare
What is this course all about?
The next poetry writing course on our online poetry writing courses list is a Skillshare course. Approximately 10,000 students have taken this course, and the reviews have been positive.
Wish to be a more expressive writer? Get set ready to harness your power of poetic language to help you connect with your readers and produce your most compelling work. Regardless of your genre of choice, the employment of beautifully and carefully crafted language is the basis of creative writing. So, get set ready to associate with poet and writer Hanif Abdurraqib and begin your journey of poetic brilliance.
What will you learn?
Some of the things that these online poetry classes will teach you are:
- Writing exercises to strengthen your work
- Narrative tricks to build story structure
- Different types of poetry
Regardless of your focus – be it literary fiction or personal essay, every writer will benefit from poetic language knowledge. These online poetry classes will provide you with a tool to reach out for every time you start writing, thereby enabling you to break down the genre, connect with your reader, and produce the most meaningful work you’ve always imagined.
What do you need?
For this one of the most prevalent Skillshare’s online poetry writing courses, you need to have a base in poetry. It is because it is an intermediate-level course. So, your basics should be clear.
Review Marly O’nella:
That was absolutely incredible! What a treat to get to learn from Hanif Abdurraqib! I loved how the lessons built on each other, the assignments and having a reading at the end was really the cherry on top.
4. Poetry I: Introduction to Making Poems – Skillshare
About the course
At number four on our online poetry writing courses list is again a Skillshare course. It is enrolled by more than 6500 students and has been very well-received so far. You will be working on 38-projects across the length of this course.
This poetry writing course is not about the history or theoretical understanding of poetry. These online poetry classes are about aiding you in your journey of producing top-quality poems in a very short time-span.
In these online poetry classes, you will be learning with Cameron Conaway, an award-winning journalist and poet. Through the lessons’ span, he will break down the different myths surrounding what poetry is, how it is made, and who can make it.
He will guide you through it all with his famous butterfly method, his own unique learning method to make a poem. This process is the core of all that he has mentioned in his books.
Who should take this class?
If you have ever wanted to write poetry, but it keeps leaving you feeling confused or intimidated, this is one of the best online poetry writing courses for you. Through the end of this online poetry course, you would have written five poems, all of which are linked to one theme you majorly care about. Hopefully, by completing this beginner-level online poetry course, you will be in a position to write your poetry book.
Review Eleanor Herreid-O’Neill:
Love this class, really got me in the right head space to think creatively and on the first day I wrote down three new beginnings for poems. Would highly recommend.
5. The Essential Poet’s Toolbox for Readers and Writers – Udemy
Disclaimer – This online poetry course provides you with a general overview of poetry to foster your appreciation and understanding of the different tools. However, it does not provide you with in-depth information on every tool or elaborate detail on a specific form of poetry. These techniques can also be employed to enrich your creative writing of all kinds and be useful in different genres. Please know that this is a non-technical online poetry course and does not attempt to teach you formal literary criticism.
What is this course all about?
The next one in our best online poetry classes is a Udemy course. It is a top-recognized poetry writing course with a rating of 4.3.
Through this online poetry course, you will be introduced to several techniques employed in English poetry. Further, your expert tutor will explain how they are used, thereby leading you to excellent writing skills and a better appreciation skill when you read.
These online poetry classes comprise over 20 lectures and have more than 2 hours of video content. These online poetry classes come with a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee. If you do not think you are learning enough with these online classes, you can seek your refund and get 100% money back. With this online poetry course, you get 2.5 hours of on-demand video, six downloadable resources, and complete lifetime access. You can view it on your T.V. and mobile. Upon completing these online poetry writing classes, you will be lauded with a certificate of completion. This is a shareable certificate. So, you can share on your LinkedIn, or download and print to include on your CV.
What will you learn?
There is a lot for you to learn under these online poetry writing classes. Some of the things that you will learn are:
- Knowledge of using poetic techniques in your writing.
- Understanding of what poetry is and what it attempts to do
- Understanding different types of rhyme and other sound effects
- Explore other poetic devices that bind a poem together and distinguish poetry from prose
- Gain knowledge about the emotional effect of meter
- Know and learn about sonnets, haiku, and other poetic forms
- Learn about line length and breaks and how they directly affect poems reading
- Explore about format, layout, and poet’s specific tools
What do you need?
To take up this online poetry course, you need:
- An interest in poetry and/or language
- Since it is a beginner-level online poetry course, no previous knowledge or qualifications are needed.
- Students must be fluent in English as the course is imparted in English-language. However, as in most of these online poetry classes, the explanations are conducted via on-screen motion graphics, it will be easy to comprehend for the non-native speakers.
Who should take this course?
These online poetry writing classes are perfect for novice readers and poets. It is also an excellent course for writers from other genres who aspire to broaden their repertoire or understand poetical colleagues. Further, these online poetry classes will also help creative writers who desire to discover how the different poetic techniques can better their writing.
Review Jason Zinschlag:
Perfect for a techie 50-year old man like myself. So far, I’m really enjoying how the subject is introduced and different aspects are revealed. Thanks for introducing me to a new world.
6. Creative Writing: How To Write Poetry – Udemy
What is this course all about?
At number sixth on our best online poetry classes list is another one of the top-rated Udemy courses. It has a rating of 4.4.
Writing poetry is a unique way to use words, which involves arranging these words in a distinctive order. This course covers poetic rhythm, form, and rhyme. So, your instructor, Serena, will try to encourage you to write poetry that you may be proud of.
The course has been designed to allow you to switch from one section to another effortlessly. These sections are not inter-dependent, and this is what makes writing the poem easier for you as you can focus on the form of poem that you aspire to write.
Further, this course will explain the right way to write poetry and has several writing exercises that can help you produce fine poetry. It comes with an array of practical projects that you can try. These can be downloaded easily from the dashboard. Through these projects, you will learn to write sentences in different meters, write a sonnet with specific line endings, and give examples of rhymes and more. The best thing is you can easily find the ideas and answers to all these projects in the PDF sheet from the instructor.
This course comes with a 30-day money-return guarantee. If you feel that this course does provide you the proper knowledge as promised, you can get in touch with Udemy’s team and get your money back. The course comprises 1.5 hours of on-demand video and eight downloadable resources, and all these come with complete lifetime access. You can view the course on your T.V. and mobile. Upon the completion of this course, you will be lauded with a certificate of completion.
What will you learn?
Through these online poetry writing classes, you have a lot to learn. Some of the things that this course will teach are:
- Using the right words to express yourself
- Creating a poem full of meaning
- Learn to write for relaxation
- Knowledge of creating technically correct poem if you choose to
What do you need?
For taking these online poetry classes, you need:
- Pen and paper – lots of paper!
- A desire to use your imagination to write poetry
- An understanding of English
Who should take this course?
This online poetry course is perfect for people who:
- Wish to put their feelings into a poem
- Aspire to learn the basics of poetic form
- Are recovering from a traumatic situation and want a way to express their feelings
Review Perri Redford:
After reading many books about poetry and still not quite getting to grips with meter and stressed/unstressed syllables. Serena managed to teach me in a matter of minutes. Loverly clear and coherent teaching style. So glad I did this course.
7. Modern American Poetry – Offered by University of Illinois – Coursera
What is this course all about?
The last one on our best online poetry classes list is a Coursera course. This course has a rating of 4.5 and has been taken by over 16000 students to date.
In these online poetry writing classes, twelve experienced and proficient faculty members from around the United States come together to present their views on some of the best modern American poets. You can find all their teaching in the video lectures that are included in this course.
Typically, this course highlights two key poets – Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, via T.S. Eliot, H.D., Amy Lowell, Hart Crane, Langston Hughes, Muriel Rukeyser, and several others. In these classes, you will see an amalgam of historical overview, along with close readings of individual poems and poets. Usually, the other courses on the internet will present you with just the instructor’s point of view, but this takes things a notch higher.
The course matches the U.S. poetry’s diversity with the lectures by a score of talented faculty. The faculty will present their special perspective to the material while simultaneously offering a coherent view of over 50-years of U.S. poetry.
The lectures are presented through the employment of vivid pictures and images of people, places, and the events illustrated in the poems. Further, the readings of the poets and the experienced faculty highlight the text. More so, the on-screen depiction of the quotation and text makes the material pretty easy to comprehend. This course presents an advantage of the medium to present to you the sounds and sights, which are impossible to communicate in a classroom lecture.
Upon completing this course, you will receive a certificate of completion. This is a shareable certificate. So, you can download and print it to include it in your CV. You can also share it on your LinkedIn. This is a 100% online course. So, you can start instantly and learn at your flexible schedule. The course comes with flexible deadlines. You can easily reset the deadlines and start over if desired.
What do you need?
This is a beginner-level course. So, even if you do not have any prior knowledge, you can take this course. For completion, you need to dedicate 35-hours to the course. Further, the course is in the English language. Thus, you should have fluency in the language. You also get subtitles in French, Portuguese (European), Russian, English, and Spanish.
Review LG:
In depth, and eye opening to many American poets. A great mind expander and real introduction to the poetry of the Native Americans. Brilliant.
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Conclusion
So, these are the top seven best online poetry classes on the internet. These courses have been picked up by poetry legends and experts worldwide in association with our team. If you need more information on the pricing, further course details, the educator, and more, you can visit the course website.
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