Check out these six top of the line poetry writing courses. My vote goes to Udemy’s simple yet informative course – Creative writing: How to write poetry!
“Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.” – William Wordsworth.
Poetry is the art of capturing thoughts, emotions, and dreams using the weapon of words. It is a medium that lets one delve deeper into the depths of our souls, express ourselves, and connect with others on a profound level.
As a poetry lover, I have come to appreciate the immense value of many books and online poetry classes in expanding my poetic horizons and honing my craft.
I took many classes, liked a few, and hated many, but they have helped me grow into a better poet. So I will take this opportunity to share six such courses that proved instrumental in my journey and guided me in more ways than one.
Let us delve right in.
My Recommendations for Online Poetry Courses
| Course name | Best suited for | Likes | Dislikes |
| Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop [Coursera] | Understanding poetic tools |
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| Modern & Contemporary American Poetry (“ModPo”) [Coursera] | Beginners to read & comprehend poems |
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| Writing for Expression: How to Make Your Words More Artful & Lyrical [Skillshare] | Finding your inner voice |
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| Creative writing: How to write poetry [Udemy] | Learning to write from scratch |
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| Modern American Poetry [Coursera] | Grasping the historic developments in American Poetry |
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| Poetry Primer – Survey of Poetic Writing Styles and Projects [Udemy] | Understanding how poetry has changed over time |
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1. Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop – Offered By California Institute of the Arts – Coursera
– Best For Beginners
About The Course
One of the most well-designed course for poetry writing, it helps you get on your journey of producing the most incredible writing by planning the first draft and perfecting it over time.
What Will You Learn?
It has six modules and five assessments. Your trainer will cover the vital poetic devices and terms by studying poems from many modern and contemporary poets. It will help you try writing new poem drafts from a selected number of prompts.
You can workshop your poem drafts and receive feedback on your work, leading you to produce a more published poem.
Is The Course Worth The Price?
Yes. You will study with Douglas Kearney, an instructor from the California Institute of the Arts. Moreover, after you complete the lessons, you will be lauded with a shareable certificate. It is a 100% online course. So, you can start instantly and then learn at your schedule.
You can complete all the classes in this Coursera course in eight hours. So, an effort of eight hours, probably two hours a week for three weeks suffices.
Related: How to write a lyric poem
2. Modern & Contemporary American Poetry (“ModPo”) – Offered by University of Pennsylvania – Coursera
Best For Those Interested In Contemporary US Poetry
About The Course
Offered by The University of Pennsylvania, it is one of the most reputed online poetry writing courses I have taken so far. It has fifteen modules.
What Will You Learn?
ModPo is a fast-paced introduction to contemporary and modern US poetry. There is a particular emphasis on the experimental verse from Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson to the present. Through this class, you will learn to read supposedly complex poems. Your expert tutor will discuss poems one at a time.
ModPo is open all around the year. So, you can enroll now or anytime and join this course. ModPo annually hosts an interactive and lively 10-week session wherein you work with the experts through the ten-week syllabus.
Is The Course Worth The Price?
Yes. It is a very engaging class. You will be guided through poems, and there will be a video discussion for every poem, followed by community discussion. It also has 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. It is a 100% online course. So, you can start, complete, and learn at your schedule.
3. Writing for Expression: How to Make Your Words More Artful & Lyrical – Skillshare
-Best For People With A Background In Poetry
About The Course
Approximately 12,700 students have taken this course, and the reviews have been positive. So, get ready to associate with poet and writer Hanif Abdurraqib and begin your journey of poetic brilliance.
For this one of the most prevalent Skillshare’s courses, you must have a base in poetry. It is because it is an intermediate-level course. So, your basics should be clear.
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
- Types of poetry you can use in your work
Regardless of your focus – be it literary fiction or personal essay, every writer will benefit from poetic language knowledge. These lessons will offer a tool to reach out to every time you start writing, enabling you to break down the genre, connect with your reader, and produce the most meaningful work you’ve always imagined.
Is The Course Worth The Price?
Yes, these online poetry writing classes come with a free trial. So you can experience the course before financially committing to it.
Further, the whole class has eight lectures that make learning manageable. You will find 117 projects in this Skillshare course that give you a good hands-on learning experience. The complete duration of the class is 47 minutes.
4. Creative writing: How to write poetry – [Udemy]
Best For People Who Like To Express With A Poem
About The Course
It is a beautifully planned and well-designed class. All lectures are organized to allow seamless switching from one section to another. These sections are not interdependent, making writing the poem easier for you as you can focus on the form of the poem that you aspire to write.
What Will You Learn?
This course covers poetic rhythm, form, and rhyme. So, your instructor, Serena, will encourage you to write poetry that you may be proud of. It has multiple projects that help you write sentences in different meters, draft a sonnet with specific line endings, 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.
Some things that this course will teach are:
- Using the right words to express yourself
- Creating a poem full of meaning
- Ability to use writing as a means of relaxation
- Knowledge of creating technically correct poems if you choose to
Is The Course Worth The Price?
Yes. It has several writing exercises that can help you produce fine poetry, but I still find it on a higher end of the spectrum compared to the other online poetry classes.
But it has an array of practical projects that you can try. You can download them from the dashboard. Further, you get a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee.
The course comprises 1.5 hours of on-demand video and eight downloadable resources that come with complete lifetime access. You can view the class on your TV and mobile. Upon course completion, you get a certificate of completion.
5. Modern American Poetry – Offered by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – Coursera
– Best For People Who Wish To Learn From Experienced Faculty Members From The US
About The Course
Twelve experienced and proficient faculty members from around the United States present their analyses of ground-breaking modern American poets in these online poetry writing classes. You can find all their teaching in the video lectures that are included in this course.
What Will You Learn?
Typically, this course highlights two significant poets – Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, via T.S. Eliot, H.D., Amy Lowell, Hart Crane, Langston Hughes, Muriel Rukeyser, and others. In these classes, you will see an amalgam of historical overviews and 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 US poetry’s diversity with the lectures by a score of talented faculty. The faculty will present their perspective on the material while simultaneously offering a coherent view of over 50 years of US poetry.
Is The Course Worth The Price?
Yes. The online poetry course involves vivid pictures and images of people, places, and events illustrated in the poems. Further, the poet readings and the experienced faculty highlight the text.
In addition, 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 the sounds and sights, which are impossible to communicate in a classroom lecture.
Upon completing this course, you will receive a certificate of completion. The class comes with flexible deadlines. You can easily reset the deadlines and start over if desired.
6. Poetry Primer – Survey of Poetic Writing Styles and Projects – [Udemy]
– Best Suited For Individuals With A Creative Inclination To Write
About The Course
It is a highly-rated course by Trace Crawford. This practical and fun writing course ignited my passion for creating poetry in different styles, and I believe likewise for you.
It focuses on writing techniques, specialized skills, and literary devices to help you discover, express, and refine your unique writer’s voice.
What Will You Learn?
You will learn many poetic styles, writing techniques, and jargon crucial to craft exceptional poetry. Through 13 comprehensive sections and 48 lectures, you will delve into the depths of poetry, exploring its evolution over time.
You will also gain a firm grasp of important literary terms and their application. Additionally, the course covers topics such as poetic meter, creating a poetry portfolio (physical or digital), and recording poems for poetry podcasts.
These online poetry classes emphasize practical learning through authentic writing projects. These projects, including “Where I’m From” Poem, Abstract Noun Poem, Narrative Poem, Satirical Poem, Traditional Poetic Forms of Japan, Odes, Sonnets, and more, will enable you to create at least 11 original poems.
Each lesson consists of video lectures, writing assignments, and review quizzes, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the content.
Is The Course Worth The Price?
It has a rating of 4.9 out of 5 and positive reviews from 362 of the 2000 students who took this class. Hence, it is a highly regarded and well-acclaimed class with 3.5 hours of on-demand video lessons, downloadable resources, and full lifetime access.
You will find an engaging teaching style, a well-drafted curriculum, and practical application projects that make it a valuable investment for anyone eager to become a successful and confident poet. Furthermore, the course includes a 30-day money-back guarantee, ensuring satisfaction and confidence in your purchase.
Final Verdict: Which Course Should You Pick?
Creative writing: How to write poetry – [Udemy] turns out to be the best online poetry course for me. It requires no former knowledge and teaches you from scratch to actually write.
It comes with lifetime access, meaning if the instructor adds any new content, I get access to it to date for free. Moreover, the 30-day money-back guarantee was a huge bait for me.
How I Selected These Courses?
I considered multiple factors, such as reviews, ratings, course content, duration, instructor experience, and available resources for picking these courses.
I focus on lessons covering different poetic writing styles, techniques, and concepts to help you grasp maximum knowledge from one class to avoid investing in multiple alternatives.
I prefer picking the classes widely acclaimed by other students. Of course, I trust my judgment, but it is equally important to see how others perceive it.
Moreover, the instructor’s ability to deliver an informative and comprehensive lecture is another priority. Further, practical writing projects are the icing on the cake.
Are There Any Free Courses or Poetry Workshops Running Online That You Could Join?
While I have not taken many workshops to learn poetry, a free course option I suggest is Poetry In America. Led by Elisa New, a Harvard Professor, Poetry In America is an expansive online series presented by HarvardX.
It is a free session that takes you through the revolution in American poetry through four centuries. It comprises many historical visuals, video lectures, and visits to significant sites to immerse you in the nation’s literature. You will also find interviews and seminars with many acclaimed scholars and poets.
A workshop that I personally cherished is The Poetry Barn Workshop, which is equally delightful.
What’s More To Know About Poetry Writing?
A. How long does it take to learn poetry writing?
The time taken to be an avid artist cannot be measured. You can never stop learning in a creative field. However, most online poetry writing courses with the basics can be completed in 2-6 months. In the end, your success depends on your practice.
B. Can you make money online writing poetry?
Yes, you can make money with online poetry writing. There are multiple avenues, such as publishing poems in literary magazines, participating in poetry contests, self-publishing poetry books, offering poetry-related services, or engaging in freelance writing opportunities.
C. Grabbing a poetry certificate online – a necessity or not?
It is not a necessity for everyone. Of course, it boosts credibility and demonstrates your commitment to your craft, but success in the field is not dependent on a certificate. In fact, your individual talent, networking, and skill development will define your success.
D. What are the career prospects of a poet?
For poets, there are multiple career prospects. Some poets take a traditional path, such as working in academia or teaching and creating writing. Other poets opt for alternative opportunities as editors, freelance writers, or literary consultants.
Further, the poets can also engage in workshops, public speaking, and collaborations across different artistic mediums to amplify career possibilities.
